Do I need a bassinet?

[Green22]

I'm not entirely sure of the use - I suppose it is for the mom's ease - so you don't have to get up and go into another room every few hours to feed the baby during those first few months. I have heard that newborns are really loud though, and I wonder if having a bassinet in our bedroom will (1) keep us up wondering and worrying about every little sound, and (2) make the night really disrupted for my husband (who will be working). On the other hand, maybe the newborns are so new that you need to be hearing every noise they are making at first??

I guess you wake up, feed the baby, change the diaper, and put the baby down to sleep? If you are changing diapers you might need to be in the nursery anyway.

I suppose I'm wondering what are the pros/cons of the bassinet, if anyone would like to share.

Thanks in advance!

[MoJo]

Welcome, and congrats!

I used the bassinet feature of a Pack 'n Play, and kept our baby in our bedroom for the first six months of her life.

I slept much better knowing she was close and well, and my husband (who is such a light sleeper he complains if the dog licks her foot in the night) did NOT complain at all.

I plan to do the exact same thing for the next one, on the way.

So I don't think you need a separate bassinet, but I was glad I got the Pack 'n Play with the bassinet attachment.

(Mine also had a diaper changer, but as often as not I just changed her on our bed. . . and still do.)

[hillview]

I liked it in the PNP for first 2-3 months. It isn't a MUST have IMO.

Congrats!
/hillary

[SnuggleBuggles]

We couldn't sleep well with the baby in our room. We co-slept but took turns being on duty. Often the one not on duty would go and crash in the guest room while the other had the baby just so they could get a solid stretch of sleep.

I know your dh has to work but so do you! Share the parenting 24/7. :) My dh did all middle of the night diaper changes plus his shifts with co-sleeping, I did all the nursing.

We used the Pack n Play in our room for diaper changes.

We used our Pack n Play bassinet downstairs as a napping spot/ changing table/ safe place for baby to hang out. That worked great. If you have a 2 story house you might really benefit from having a bassinet you can use there.

Beth

[catroddick]

I really liked the PNP bassinet feature. You have tons more use out of it than just the first couple months, and I liked how sturdy the PNP is.

[jenfromnj]

I really liked the PNP bassinet feature. You have tons more use out of it than just the first couple months, and I liked how sturdy the PNP is.

I agree with this--we love our PNP still, and DS is almost a year old.

[MoJo]

Yep, DD slept in the PNP (without the bassinet, of course) for a week at Grandma's house at Christmas at 18 months old. We've used it for every overnight trip since she was born, and with all of our family on both sides out of state, that's been a lot of trips!

[catroddick]

Oh, yeah- I forgot about how useful it has been for travel. In fact, what are we going to do when she's too big to sleep in that when we travel?

I love having it my room now so that I can put her in there while I shower.

The bassinet feature was wonderful for us. I could not have had her sleeping in the other room. After 10 months of sharing a body, it took 4 months before we could stop sharing a room. That was harder on me than her.

[DietCokeLover]

I had a borrowed bassinette and I loved having it. It took up much less space than a PNP, and we have a "space challenged" living space. It was very helpful to me.

[Claki]

Another vote for pnp bassinett. Even if you just keep the baby in your room with it for the first couple of weeks it will be a big help. My son is 11 weeks old now and we are just about to move him to his own room. We have used three different PNP bassinets and I do not find them all to be created equal though. The Chicco is by far the most sturdy, second by a Graco bassinet, and finally my inlaws have a flimsy Evenflo pnp where the bassinet feature felt like the baby was in a swing.

[poohbear]

We used the pnp basinet and then just put the baby right into his crib in his room after a week. I know it's not the most popular choice, but it worked out really well for us! I wouldn't buy a separate basinet, but the pack and play is a great thing to have - you will use it often over the first two years and most have a basinet feature nowadays...

[GraceH]

We put DS in his crib, in his room right away... we could hear his if he woke and needed something. I know it isn't 'popular', but it got him accustomed to how nighttime worked right off the bat and helped us get our precious sleep too (he was a noisy sleeper - would kick the crib, randomly squeak, etc). Also, we didn't believe it was a good habit to get into picking him up the millisecond he cried a bit - often it was a 'baby nightware' and he would cry for 10 seconds and go right back to sleep (which wouldn't have happened with us being right there and grabbing him right up)

(If you were wondering, we do have a pack & play, but we got the hexagonal Graco Pack & Play Sport because we needed it for travel, an extra contained space, and outdoor usage.)

[newg]

We have a pnp with the bassinet feature....used it for the first three months with DD in our room and now I use the pnp to keep DD contained while I take a shower.....she also sleeps in one at both grandparent's houses and when we travel.
It was really nice to have DD in our room the first few months......I liked having her that close and DH and I shared duties (eventhough I was BF, he still got up to change her while I got ready).......
I plan on doing the same thing with the next baby.

[zag95]

We had a pack n play with bassinet feature that we used for the first night- after that DD slept in her crib across the hall! She was noisy- the snoring hubby, the pupmares from the dog and the wimpers and sounds from a newborn equaled Mommy not sleeping! :D We have a single story ranch- and you can hear everything! It worked out fine- DD transitioned nicely to her crib and got familar with life after the womb- and we have continued to use the PNP for traveling and staying out of town.

IMO, I don't think a bassinet is necessary- but if you can borrow one from a friend, or use a PNP, you might find it useful!

Congrats and GL!

[AnnieW625]

We also used the PNP bassinet feature and it worked out great! We kept DD in it at night until she was almost three months old, but she started taking naps in her crib at just about a month old IIRC.

[Green22]

Thank you for all the feedback. I have a basi from a friend I am going to borrow (and buy a new mattress) and see how it goes for the first week or so. DH is a very light sleeper and he is up constantly at night - getting up to go to the bathroom, to get a cough drop . . . I sleep like a rock and I've become someone who wakes up at night with him! I am a really bad snore-er. Our dog jumps on and off the bed, depending on how loud we are. : )

I am worried that combo is going to have baby up all night if in the basi but I think I might give it a try. Actually, I'm thinking maybe I'll try it out in the hospital at first - see how we all do in the same room. I was interested to see responses b/c I see so much talk about basis and cradles and I didn't realize that everyone used them!

We have a 2 BR apt which is one floor, so it really isn't that much further to baby's room than to the bathroom.

Thanks again! :wavey:

[NYCdad2be]

Hello all, I will be a first time dad in May and had a question as to which graco Pack n Play to purchase. We just purchased an apartment in Manhattan but we will be staying with my parents until our baby girl is about 3-6 months old (until the renovations are complete). Thus, our daughter will be sleeping with us in our room and we understand the Graco PNP to be the best option for us.

That being said, they make so many different versions - PNP w/ Newborn Napper Station, PNP Suite Solutions, PNP Modern Playard, PNP Playard, PNP Sillhouette Playard, and then also something called a Bedroom Bassinet and Travel Lite Crib.

I am really confused, because they all seem to have a bassinet feature with the same exact reccomended age and weight limits. So any input as to which to buy and which to avoid would be much appreciated... THANK YOU!

[czekit7]

I was going to purchase a PNP with bassinet, but one of our co-workers gave us her slightly used bassinet (which really saved us money), since the only PNP that I could find with the bassinet were about $150 where I live, and all the PNP on craigslist were not very clean.

My husband didn't get more than 2 days off for the birth of our first child, and like others' comments, he's a VERY light sleeper, so the bassinet on my side of the bed is really helpful...I can hear the baby stirring, and when I'm sure he's about to belt out a cry, I try to get him up before my poor husband is totally awake...now don't get me wrong, my husband still helps out a LOT of the time, but since he works 10-12hrs a day, 5 days a week, and I'm still on maternity leave, I want him to get as much sleep as possible. He's very awesome with helping out whenever he can (when he's not at work, on errands for me, or cleaning the house/making meals).

We also have an actual changing table that we got off of craigslist for $20 (VERY STURDY). I'm 6'2" and husband is 6'8", and this really saves on our backs since our son is getting changed abt 8-15 times a day/night. What a pooper!! At night, I've also got a little utility bag with diaps, wipes and cream that I leave by the couch so I can chg him away from our room for those night feedings. It was suggested to me, and I HIGHLY suggest a utility bag, like this one (and yes, it is really for crafts) from Walmart...cheap and sturdy...http://www.walmart.com/ip/Mackinac-Moon-Small-Square-Organizer-Blue-Charcoal-with-Paisley-Print-Interior/10770847.

Ok, this was too much info, but I'm bored, and baby is sleeping. :)

[PearlsMom]

Question from a first timer: why not just set up the crib in mom & dad's bedroom, then move it to the nursery once baby is ready to sleep on his own? I assume a crib wouldn't fit through a doorway so would have to be disassembled -- but is there any other reason to have a separate bassinet rather than use the crib wherever you need it? Thanks!

[lizzywednesday]

Question from a first timer: why not just set up the crib in mom & dad's bedroom, then move it to the nursery once baby is ready to sleep on his own? I assume a crib wouldn't fit through a doorway so would have to be disassembled -- but is there any other reason to have a separate bassinet rather than use the crib wherever you need it? Thanks!

Other than space limitations, you could totally use the crib in your bedroom.

My bedroom doesn't have a lot of extra space, so I've been planning to borrow a bassinet from my sister until I don't have to get up every 2 hours & go down the hall to get Baby to feed "him" but my DH doesn't quite understand this concept. Yet. We'll have a crib set up in our nursery space for naptime and eventual transfer, but I'd like to have Baby in our room at first.

[edurnemk]

We had a bassinet, because it was a gift from my parents, before 3 months he outgrew it and we moved him to the PNP with bassinet feature, which we could've used from the start. I loved having him in my room because he nursed at night for many months and I found that getting out of bed, going to another room and sitting in the glider was to exhausting for me. So I'd get him out of the PNP which was right next to my bed, nurse lying down in bed, change his diaper on the bed or the PNP changer, and put him back in the PNP, I kept everything within reach and never had to get out of bed for all that.

If you get a PNP with bassinet and changing table features, be sure to get one where the changing table folds up and down, not the one that you have to put on and take off everytime.

[Roni]

I love this question. We have one, and neither of my girls slept well in it. DD#1 loved the Pack 'n' Play bassinet and napped well in it (downstairs), but she never slept well in the traditional bassinet, which we kept in our room. DD #2 had reflux and couldn't sleep lying down, so we actually had her in a swing in our room for a couple months. That worked well, but the transition to the crib was rough.

Here's our plan for baby #3, if it helps anyone. We are going to try to put the baby in the crib at night from day 1, and I'm going to sleep in the baby's room. That way, I can easily hear and nurse the baby during the night, we won't have to transition to a crib later, and DH won't wake up every time the baby does. (Then he can be on duty getting the big sisters to school in the morning.) We'll see how the plan works, but I'm hopeful! Third time's the charm. :)

[momtobe520]

we had two friends offer their bassinet - it was nice to have. We used it in our room at night for only about 10 days - didn't sleep well with the little dude in the room. We travelled with it and also took it outside a few times. Very convenient. We borrowed one for baby 1 and just acquired one from another friend for baby 2. Most aren't used much so I wouldn't hesitate to borrow (we have bought our own sheets).