Do I really need a bassinet?

[michken]

I'm pregnant and expecting our first baby in the end of July. My husband and I are planning on having our baby sleep in the same room as us for the first several months. We're going to move into a new place soon, and our room won't be very big... it could probably fit a standard crib, in addition to our own bed, but it would be a little uncomfortable due to the small space available. I'm wondering whether you would recommend us to get a bassinet...and which brand in particular. In the "baby bargains" book, I read about how the mini co-sleeper by Arm's reach is a good possibility...but it wasn't officially rated or strongly recommended.

So I'm wondering about your own personal experiences about this matter. My cousin said that we didn't need a bassinet, considering how we're financially constrained, but I don't know if fitting a crib into our new bedroom will work out that well. Please let me know if you can recommend any specific solutions, based on your own experiences. Thanks so much in advance. :-)

[hautemama15]

when i had my first we had a small one bedroom house that we made into a 2 bedroom. that 2nd bedroom was just big enough for a crib and changing table. Nothing more except walk space. Our own room was barely big enough for our queen size bed so a bassinet fit perfectly and allowed us to have our DD with us the first 3 months. It was great! We had a slightly bigger place when our 2nd was born, but I still used the bassinet for 3 months. A pack & play style or Arms Reach wouldn't have fit and given us any walking room so the bassinet was perfect. Now we have a much bigger place and with our 3rd child we still use a bassinet. The baby will sleep in her crib in her own room very soon, in about a month, but I love having her with us right now and the bassinet is the perfect choice. I have a pack & play with a bassinet feature for downstairs naps and changing. Our very first bassinet cost us a total of $150 and that was including the skirt and hood cover, 2 sheets, and the bassinet itself. Most nowadays come with all that stuff anyway. You may need to buy an extra sheet or two, or a pillowcase is a good substitute if it fits snugly enough. I know you can get a fully outfitted bassinet for less than $100 at BRU.

[michken]

thanks so much for sharing your experiences. :) Have you heard anything about the mini co-sleeper? It's supposed to be similar to a bassinet in size.

Let me know if you'd recommend any particular brands of bassinets. I've read some reviews thru amazon.com for BRU, but they are pretty mixed in ratings all-around.

Thanks again!!

[jhrabosk]

If you know anyone who has one packed away, borrow a bassinet.

We were going to buy a co-sleeper, but I got anxious about spending more $$ and a friend offered her bassinet. It was great. We kept it next to the bed for awhile (a month or so), then moved it across the room as an intermediate step before moving DD to her crib.

I suspect that if I had been able to breastfeed the co-sleeper would've been more convenient. As it was, we had to get up and take DD to the other room for her bottle, so it didn't matter much.

[hautemama15]

I have heard of the co sleeper, and I have seen it, but to me it looks bigger than a bassinet. There is a mini version at BRU for $129, but I have no experience with it.

My bassinet was a Badger from WalMart. It was $40 ( about 10 yrs ago), so it is probably more expensive now. But like I said, lots of bassinets come fully loaded with skirt and hood cover now. Lots of stores carry Badger bassinets. Check out Badgerbasket.com, they have pics and prices and you can buy direct. Some of them are even as low as $120. And that insludes the complete bassinet with bedding.

[almostamom]

A friend of mine gave me her bassinet. Our son slept in it in our room for 3 or 4 months. Our neighbor is now using it for her newborn. I would recommend borrowing one or buying secondhand if you must buy one. Even with three children having used ours, it's been used for less than 9 months total.

I'm afraid I don't know anything about the mini co-sleeper.

Good luck and congratulations.

~Linda~
http://lilypie.com/pic/060427/fDdc.jpg http://b2.lilypie.com/qW3mm7.png

[MeAndMyStar]

I used the Mini Co-Sleeper for my DD and loved it. It was so nice to have her right next to the bed...I was surprised that I didn't wake up with her every move or noise...usually just when she needed to eat! It was a really good option for me because if I did want to check on her, the Co-Sleeper was literally attached to the bed (by a sturdy nylon strap contraption) and the nightlight in the room was just enough light so I could see her without getting out of bed. I used it for just about 6 months (until she started sitting) and now I'm using it a a toy box/storage unit in her room. It was definitely worth the investment, especially if you want to breastfeed. Good luck with your baby!

-Sarah

[AddiesMom]

Instead of a bassinet, we used the Graco Travel Lite crib. It looks just like a pack and play, but it is smaller like a bassinet. It is cheaper than the co-sleeper and doesn't take up a lot of space. Once you are done with it in your room, you can move it to another room in the house or use it for travel.

I got mine at BRU, and I saw it in Target last week. Both are $79.99.

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg...=baby&n=542368

http://www.target.com/gp/detail.html...sin=B000BMEVCU

Edit- the sheets you can buy from Graco are not soft. Jersey knit pillow cases from Land's End fits around the pad perfect!

[Queensgirl]

Hi,
The mini co-sleeper is really small.
When my time comes I'll be using it in our teeny, tiny apartment.
To me, the bassinets look larger and more cumbersome, but that's just my opinion and,
if you can, you really should look at them in person & see which one you prefer and suits your needs.
I believe you can also use them longer than a bassinet.
Another posssibility, either from the get go or after the bassinet/co-sleeper,
is to use a porta-crib or mini crib. There are many available syles.
If you do a search for porta-cribs you'll find several threads.
These are some popular models:

http://www.babyuniverse.com/cat/baby...MiniCribs.html

The white metal crib gets excellent reviews both here and at Amazon.com
Good Luck!

[michken]

thanks everyone for sharing your experiences and offering great advice! yes, I will be breastfeeding our baby, so I would like something small and easy to use in our room for the first couple of months at least. We're hoping to move our baby into his own crib in another room later on.

thank you also for posting helpful links and expanding my options. :)