First months: Bassinet or Pack and Play?

jjtyler

My first baby we used a bassinet in our room for the first 2 months and then moved her to the crib.  Nice, easy, smooth transition.

This baby, we got another bassinet (ours was donated about 5-6 years ago)...but my husband is now suggesting that the baby sleeps in the pack and play instead in our room.

We do not have a HUGE house, just a 3 bedroom ranch...and with the first baby we were in a small apartment.  But, I liked having the baby in arm's reach.

Return the bassinet?

Empireceo

I have a bassinet in our room for night time sleeping and a pack and play downstairs for daytime naps and diaper changes. I like having both.

mirdamae03

We'll be using the PNP (with the mattress on the high setting) for this baby like we did with DS1 for probably a month. If space is an issue, I'd go with the bassinet.

SMM1986

I have a bassinet. I was never a fan of the PNP. I bought one used at a mommy market just to have and to travel with, but I don't plan on using it regularly.

cweiss04

ill be using a bassinett for the first few months and then transition him into the crib...I bought a pack n play but will use it more for day time naps or days at grandmas

ksyknelvr73

We used a PNP. I waa given a bassinet as well with DS but I didn't like it at all. I preferred the PNP.

frasey

no reason you can't have the PnP right beside your bed! 

Or keep the bassinet for your bedroom and have the PnP in the living room if you think you may use it there. 

oscarwao

I think it'll just depend on personal preference. I like in a small space (2/2 condo) and I still chose a PNP over a bassinet (can use it as "baby jail" when she's older and I am home alone and desperately need to shower, packs up easily, travels easily, etc). But if I was concerned solely with space alone then I would probably go with a bassinet. 

ThereBeDragons

We are doing both. A bassinet in our tiny bedroom and a pack and play in the den. We could fit the pnp in our bedroom but it would have to be on DHs side of the bed and that's just not convenient. I love the pnp as a baby jail though for all those times when I need a bathroom break or to make dinner- we will use the heck out of it even without using it for overnight sleeps.

spacepotatoes

Our PNP's mattress can be raised to turn it into a bassinet so that is our plan.

Jillzy86

I was given a bassinet from DH's side of the family and plan to use that and then our pack n play for traveling. I live in a small house as well and I think the less clutter the better. If it saves money and space I would just use the pack n play.

awc1986

Bassinet here. I'll bring it downstairs in the day and have it on the floor instead of the stand.

Mittens14

For DS we used this because we didn't have much space in the bedroom for something bigger and it worked great, we will be using it this time around as well.  It was nice to have to take with us when we needed to as well, it's roughly half the size of our full sized PNP. 

https://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=28916776&cp=&parentPage=search

 

 

haylo33

I'm planning on using a small rock and play next to our bed. It is bed level and will be easy to grab him for night time feedings. We have a PNP with a bassinet/changer and we are going to keep it down stairs for naps and diaper changes.

jjtyler

Thanks.

First, I love the baby jail ideas ;-)

Since we live on a one floor ranch, I think this is where I am a little meh about things.  As a PP said, the PNP would work on one floor for a two floor house.  Seems to be silly when 20 steps away is my bedroom and even closer will be his room. 

I always viewed the PNP as the travel bed/baby jail.  The bassinet, which is mobile, would be in the bedroom. 

momthatlifts

We have a fully loaded pnp for this one and also a rock n play. The pnp takes up enough room as it is and I can't move it righ next to my side so if it becomes a hassle to get up I will move the rock play next to me. I've heard great things about them

norab2684

Planning on using the rock n play next to our bed at first. Bedroom is too small to set up PnP. FTM here, so we will see how it goes!

ckandi007

We used a PnP for our son for the first 4 months. I liked it because it also had a diaper changing station.

drjwj

We were planning on using a bassinet upstairs in our room and the PNP downstairs for naps and diaper changes, but I haven't really found a bassinet I like so I think we are just going to use the PNP upstairs.  I am still going back and forth about this!  I guess when we are downstairs she can sleep in her reclining bouncer?  Or I'll take her upstairs?  What bassinets did y'all like?  I am worried about SIDS so I didn't want anything too padded or upright.

NorthernGal248

We don't have a lot of room so we're just putting a small cradle in our room, the PnP is going to Grandma's house

bumpuser9353653

Our PNP has a bassinet insert so that's what we'll use for the first few months.

pistolpackinmomma

We use the basinet insert in the PNP.

Xath

RugbyMamma said:

Our PNP has a bassinet insert so that's what we'll use for the first few months.

This.

mamagerman

We have a PNP but we were thinking of putting her in the crib right away. Is this a bad idea? The crib is in our bedroom...

danabsd

I have both. I like that the bassinet is is just for night time.

momo214

I'm using a PNP and also have a small ranch home. Baby will be in our room for the first couple months then off to the crib when I start back to work. Our PNP comes with a cuddle cove? It seems kind of like a RNP so if she prefers to sleep inclined a little more at first she has that option too. Baby bargains didn't seem to recommend the cuddle cove bc it's kind of padded so were planning to sleep flat at night in the main part of the PNP then maybe naps in the CC or if she just won't sleep flat, sleep in the CC. We will just see what she wants when she's here.

pistolpackinmomma

aliciasoppe said:

We have a PNP but we were thinking of putting her in the crib right away. Is this a bad idea? The crib is in our bedroom...

There's nothing wrong with that. Most people use a PNP, RNP, or basinet so they don't have to set up the crib in their room but can have the baby in their room then move them to the nursery later on.

Marcella05

Using PNP instead of bassinet. Then crib after 2-3 months.

mamagerman

pistolpackinmomma said:

We have a PNP but we were thinking of putting her in the crib right away. Is this a bad idea? The crib is in our bedroom...

There's nothing wrong with that. Most people use a PNP, RNP, or basinet so they don't have to set up the crib in their room but can have the baby in their room then move them to the nursery later on.

Ok, that's kind of what I thought. We didn't really have another choice so we're all rooming together Thanks!

ThereBeDragons

drjwj said:

We were planning on using a bassinet upstairs in our room and the PNP downstairs for naps and diaper changes, but I haven't really found a bassinet I like so I think we are just going to use the PNP upstairs.  I am still going back and forth about this!  I guess when we are downstairs she can sleep in her reclining bouncer?  Or I'll take her upstairs?  What bassinets did y'all like?  I am worried about SIDS so I didn't want anything too padded or upright.

@drjwjWe are getting the bassinet-style rock and play.

https://www.amazon.com/Fisher-Price-Deluxe-Portable-Bassinet-Rock/dp/B00CWN3HSA/ref=br_it_dp_o_nS_nC?ie=UTF8&colid=1APMJ1TGY6H6M&coliid=I3EUPF12CWTG8F

Haven't set it up yet (its in the mail at the moment) but it looks just right for open breathable and flat. I don't think a bassinet is strictly necessary, but I really wanted one to make overnight breast feeding easier- and the pack n play just doesn't fit on my side of the bedroom. Its one of those nice to have conveniences.

hfooter

We got a bassinet for our room and a PnP for downstairs. I say the more options the better, unless you are concerned about space.

CopperPoppy

^another Fischer price rock n play here. Our bedroom is tiny as it is and a pnp won't fit. The rnp can be moved to living room during the day too if I need it.

MrsT2008

We plan on going right to the crib from day 1.  That's what we did with DD and it worked out great.  The nursery is literally 5 feet across the hall from our room and I didn't want to have to worry about transitioning later.

Helmink0804

After hearing that some girls put LOs in their cribs right away we decided to do this since our room is so small. We could fit a PNP in there, but we would have to move it in and out everyday. Her nursery is right across the hall. If this doesn't work we have a RNP that we can put in our room to use.

flockofmoosen3

We also plan to use our PnP with the raised mattress as our bassinet. It's already set up in our bedroom next to the bed and isn't too much in the way.

Soupy84

MrsT2008 said:

We plan on going right to the crib from day 1.  That's what we did with DD and it worked out great.  The nursery is literally 5 feet across the hall from our room and I didn't want to have to worry about transitioning later.

This is our plan as well. I just had my breast feeding class on Monday and was starting to second guess my decision.

MrsT2008

Soupy84 said:

MrsT2008 said:

We plan on going right to the crib from day 1.  That's what we did with DD and it worked out great.  The nursery is literally 5 feet across the hall from our room and I didn't want to have to worry about transitioning later.

This is our plan as well. I just had my breast feeding class on Monday and was starting to second guess my decision.

Honestly, it wasn't bad at all.  Everyone told me I'd hate having to get up out of bed to nurse overnight, but I don't think I would have liked doing it in my bed, and plus for the first few weeks at least, you need to change diapers with each feeding so unless I kept that stuff in our room too, I would have been across the hall anyway.  andplusalso (and I feel like I'm always the minority in this) - I saw no reason for MH to be woken up every time I had to change and feed.  He still had to work and it was better for us if at least one of us was well-rested.