Moses Baskets - anyone used 'em?

[tofutti]

i really want to get one of these - i think it's perfect for taking around the house w/me in the early weeks/months ... also for keeping next to our bed as we sleep ... and finally it's my answer to "where the heck does the baby sleep when we travel?"

we looked at those pack n plays and they are just too plastic, too large, and worst of all, have bad vinyl/flame retardant filled mattresses in the basinettes. and i am too nervous to do that to the kid when he is under 5 months old (prime SIDS worry time!)

so when i take the 2-month old baby to a wedding in july, i plan to pack the (organic, yeah) moses basket in a large duffel, check it on, and use it as our portable bed in the hotel, and all thru the wedding activities / /meals etc. (in addition to sling, of course). does this sound crazy?

i know they are avail. in wicker, palm, and maize. the maize looks softer but floppier. palm has more rigidity. i am only looking on line and trying to "imagine" this stuff so if anyone has tips please let me know! i have not bought one yet.

and if anyone needs to know where to get organic moses basket mattresses/sheets i can post the links!

deb

[Ilana]

This is probably not the answer you're looking for but a laundry basket has about the same dimensions as the basket and is MUCH cheaper for the amount of time you're going to be using it :)

ILANA

[stellimamo]

I had one w/ dd and loved it... it was easy to keep her with me when she was sleeping. I found mine on a great clearance. (I agree most are over priced) If you can find one reasonalby i would pick it up... a laundry basket would work well too. We now use the moses basket to keep small toys in and will use it w/ the next baby.

[alegna]

We used one when dd was tiny- until around 6 weeks- 2 months or so. I would NOT have bothered taking it on any trips (just kept the baby in bed with me, same as at home) but it was nice for around the house.

-Angela

[chopstickgirl]

i got a nice one @ penneys for $30

[wendyland]

This is probably not the answer you're looking for but a laundry basket has about the same dimensions as the basket and is MUCH cheaper for the amount of time you're going to be using it :)

ILANA

Laundry basket. I love it! Thanks for the idea. I just wanted something small and portable. My girls loved sleeping in their carseats.

[indigo515]

I used a moses basket for dd and I plan on using it when the baby arrives in april. I loved it. We took a long car trip to yellowstone when dd was 2mo and I used the moses basket for dd to sleep in. when we were driving I just put some of our luggage in it so it didnt take up any extra space. Our moses basket is not organic but we ordered organic sheets for about $15 ( I dont remember the site off hand-found it on google) :hippie

[tofutti]

yaaaaay thank u ladies! i am psyched about this.

and YES, the laundry basket is an awesome idea but not good for travel (a bit heavy and bulky)

i found a plain basket for $40
organic mattress with wool cover $99

so it's really the mattress, not the basket, that's so pricey. but i am gonna go for it esp. since i found a great crib that's very inexpensive.

can't wait, it will be great! thanks!

deb

[goosysmom]

I used one with dd when she was new new....and loved the portability of it.

MIL got us a pack and play even though we told her we didn't need and wouldn't use it (we don't travel and i wore dd).....couldn't return it bc she iddn't give us a gift recipt...ugh..

DD uses it now for her babies and when I told her she may be getting a baby sister she said that HER baby (bc you know she's going to plan that it's hers...) can use it and then they can both use it for their dollies....So sweet for 2.5...

[clavicula]

another (wooden) laundry basket user here! :wink it is cheap and you can also wear the baby for the wedding.

[2much2luv]

I had one with my second dd and really loved it. It was SO expensive though and ended up breaking. :( Not while she was using it, but still. It was really nice and helped her to be able to sleep out of arms a little bit, I think because it was nice and cozy.

Thanks for the laundry basket idea. Love it!

[tofutti]

yeah, i really envision it for keeping the kid close (but not ON me) as i do dishes, cook, and otherwise take a sling-break :). also to transition to a crib (ya put the basket right in the crib)

i plan to sling but don't know if i can do it 24-7? (i am a newbie)

hopefully its a good investment :) for some reason i am so excited about this thing :lol


deb

[alegna]

yeah, i really envision it for keeping the kid close (but not ON me) as i do dishes, cook, and otherwise take a sling-break :). also to transition to a crib (ya put the basket right in the crib)


Crib? Now that's useless ;)

-Angela

[Electra375]

As I've had more children, the more I realize they need very little.

Now, I had 2 by c/s and a bassinet was handy b/c it was at my bed level. And I did not need to bend over to get the baby in and out, which would have been very painful to do in a moses basket or any basket on the floor. I also had a terrible time with bending and squatting after my 3rd which was a hba2c, but I was torn and severally swollen etc for months. Even now my 3rd is almost 3, I'm still sore when I squat.

My 2nd & 3rd babies slept with us, but we still used the bassinet for naps, when I was too exhausted to feel safe with baby in my bed, etc.

On trips we've taken our pack n play or used a hotel crib/ pack n play (older than 2 months). But usually the baby is with me in bed unless the bed is not safe or I'm too tired to feel safe, etc.

(Yes, a mom can be too tired to have baby sleeping with her safely. I often nurse baby to sleep, tranfer to bassinet, and then when baby wakes up again I've gotten a few hours of deep sleep and feel okay to have baby stay with me through to morning. I was not this tired with #1, but adding #2 & #3, etc I'm exhausted.)

[KsMum]

We used one for DD's first 4 months. The first couple weeks she slept in the moses basket in our bed, then we moved her from the bed, and put the basket on a chest right next to the bed, which was right at bed level. Worked great for us!

[Morwenna]

I found it handy, though not strictly necessary, for my last one (the others, I just didn't have one) I used it mainly for setting her down in a safe space while I did dishes, cooking, etc. I even took it outside and had her in it when I did gardening. I just didn't feel ok leaving her on the floor with the other kids running around. When they are so new, you can't really put them in a backpack either. That said, she was the type who just wanted to be held constantly, so the basket didn't get a whole lot of use--still, I am glad I had it.

I remember using the laundry basket with my 3rd though! He loved it and would nap in it too.

[tofutti]

"put the basket on a chest right next to the bed"

KSMum -- this is ok to do, right?

i am sorry for being SUCH a dork, but there is no risk a baby that small could somehow wiggle the basket off a surface like that onto the floor, is there?:o i have no clue as to how strong they are, those babies :lol


deb

[Electra375]

"put the basket on a chest right next to the bed"

KSMum -- this is ok to do, right?

i am sorry for being SUCH a dork, but there is no risk a baby that small could somehow wiggle the basket off a surface like that onto the floor, is there?:o i have no clue as to how strong they are, those babies :lol


deb

I WOULD NOT PUT THE BASKET ON A CHEST! Lets just say I had my ds2 at 9 WEEKs old push himself off of our bed onto the floor while I had my back turned putting clothes away not more than an arms length away -- BABIES MOVE AND MOVE FAST.

Now you could "secure" the basket to the furniture item, that would be safe. But just sitting there... No Way.

Another example: Friends of ours put their baby in the carrier carseat on the dinning room table to keep the toddler sister from hurting him. He woke up and started to fidget, he managed to ride himself off the table while strapped into the carseat. He ended up with a compound fracture of his leg and went through months of castings, PT, etc. HE was delayed in his walking from this accident.

I'm done with my examples, but please don't ever put a baby in something that is on top of something not secured. Accidents do happen.

[KsMum]

"put the basket on a chest right next to the bed"

KSMum -- this is ok to do, right?

i am sorry for being SUCH a dork, but there is no risk a baby that small could somehow wiggle the basket off a surface like that onto the floor, is there?:o i have no clue as to how strong they are, those babies :lol


deb

It was a wicker moses basket on a wicker chest. That thing never moved the 4 months she was in there. She wasn't a huge kicker, but that was not a concern for me at all. If your baby is a wiggler, then you might want to secure it.