How Essential is...

LittleMissSteph · January 2014

a bassinet? A friend is saying it's essential so baby can sleep in the same room for the first little while. We bought a crib and baby's room is going to be literally 15 steps from our bed, so if I have to get out of bed anyway, it's not that much further than where a bassinet would fit. I don't want to have a ton of stuff we're not going to use/have to store. Opinions? Thanks!

Tink1704 · January 2014

We thought the same thing and ended up opting to use the pack and play with the raised bottom for a infant in our room till we got a routine then put baby in the crib in the nursery. So for the first few weeks or so the pack and play is at the foot of our bed.

olga1311 · January 2014

I couldn't have done it without the pack n play with bassinet option. Even though nursery is really close to our room it is invaluable having LO at arms reach and being able to just see them. Especially at first I was paranoid of SIDS and would wake up to just check on her. I couldn't handle having LO sleep in separate room so for me it's a must have. Besides pnp is super convenient for travel

AKB090609 · January 2014

It depends, DD slept in our room for over 5 months. My sister just moved her two week old to her own room.

For me it was essential to have a place for her to sleep in our room because I was getting up every 2 hours to breast feed for months.

LittleMissSteph · January 2014

A PNP with a bassinet option sounds more useful. I'll look into those. Thanks for the input!

LittleFish1 · January 2014

We had Rock N Play rather than a bassinet & I didn't use it much (but the sitter used it a lot with LO). You can always wait on the purchase & see how you feel when the time comes. Easy enough to have friend pick one up for you or to order online & arrive a few days later.

MamaAllison · January 2014

Rock'n'play or pack'n'play bassinet right by the bed is the way to go! Both will be useful in other instances as well. And I believe the new official recommendation is baby sharing a sleeping space with the parents for 6 months (not co-sleeping, but in a safe place nearby the parents).

BBColt78 · January 2014

Ditto on the Rock n Play. Take it room to room too.

azzyberry · January 2014

I didn't buy a bassinet but I do have a pack n play with a bassinet feature. Both of my kids slept in our room in the pack n play for about the first 9 months before we transitioned them into the crib in their room.

I know you say the baby's room is right by yours but when you are having to get up every 2-3 hours to feed, having to keep getting out of bed and walk to their room is exhausting. It was nice to be able to lean over, pull them out of the pack n play, put them back, and go back to sleep.

IMO, the pack n play is the way to go because they have so many more uses unlike a bassinet. I have used my pack n play for years, when we travel, when they are younger and I need to keep them confined so I can go to the bathroom, etc.

ss265 · January 2014

I know people love the Rock N Play but if you use a Rock N Play, you should be aware that you might need to transition LO to sleeping on a flat surface when you eventually move him/her to a crib. I purposely avoided the Rock N Play for this reason. Rock N Plays are useful if your LO has reflux though.

momofcatan · January 2014

cabusbey said:

I don't think it's absolutely necessary but it is really nice to have LO at arms reach. In the beginning I was so nervous all the time and wanted her right next to me. But in reality, there's nothing wrong with using the crib and nursery from day 1

This. I would not have spent money on a stand alone bassinet but we were able to borrow one from a friend. It was great to have.

LittleMissSteph · January 2014

Thanks! I think the PNP in our room might be the best option. I think I'm probably being overly optimistic about wanting to get out of bed at night. We have a lot of family nearby who we visit frequently, so a PNP will be handy to have when we're not at home. Sounds much more practical than buying a standalone bassinet! I appreciate the help!

laurel22 · January 2014

IMO, a bassinet is not a necessity. This is really a question of convenience for you with nighttime feedings, rather than a question of necessity for the baby. DS #1 did NOT sleep well in his bassinet at all, so when I was really frustrated on day #3, after trying to get him to fall asleep in the bassinet for 2 hours in the middle of the night, I tried putting him down in the crib instead. Lo and behold, he fell asleep right away. And we kept him in his crib in the nursery from then on out! No, it wasn't the most convenient thing for me, since the nursery was all the way down the hall, but that was a small price to pay for a baby that would fall asleep easily after a feeding (we also had a video monitor and an Angel Care movement monitor in the nursery for our own peace of mind).

And a PNP will do the job of a bassinet just fine! :-)

ebp913 · January 2014

We used our PNP in our room for the first few months. The nursery is upstairs so it was more of a need for us because I didn't want to be going up and down all night. If you plan on baby going into the nursery right away I would just go with that. If you change your mind and want baby in your room, you can get a bassinet, PNP or co sleeper.

BabyKsMommy · January 2014

BBColt78 said:
Ditto on the Rock n Play. Take it room to room too.

I'll third this

frasey · January 2014

we just used a pnp w bassinet. I mean, I would have used a plain bassinet f someone had given it to us, but I sure wasn't going to buy it. we've used the pnp way more since then, so it was worth it for us.

kelslynie · January 2014

Use a pack n play/travel crib instead. This is what we did and you'll definitely get use out of it later on.

shamyfowler · January 2014

I used the PNP with the bassinet feature for the first week or two right next to the bed. It was so much easier to just lean over and pick her up to breastfeed. And I too was so scared of SIDS that I needed her right next to me so I could hear and see her breathing. Then we got the RNP and used that for awhile. I'd recommend either.

Mmm79 · January 2014

If you want baby in your room- which is a personal preference issue- I suggest getting a PNP with the bassinet feature, since you will use that for years to come. We had DS in that in our room for the first 6 months. And though I liked having DS nearby, I always got up and took him to the nursery down the hall to nurse. I could never really get the hang of nursing in bed.

RebeccaY1 · January 2014

I would probably get a pack n play since it can be used when travelling or even just going over to a friends' house. That way you can put the baby in your room for the first few weeks if you want to, and it can be used when the baby is older. I don't think it's an absolute requirement though. If it's the choice between a pack n play and something more necessary then I would go for the more needed item (e.g. diapers, wipes, stroller).

hollygb22 · January 2014

we used the RNP as a bassinet. It was convenient when I wanted to sleep, DH just brought the whole thing out into the house with him.

AbbyPug19 · January 2014

I never had a bassinet. We used a pack n play with the bassinet attachment and a rock n play so I didn't see the use in it.

ah625 · January 2014

Unless you feel it's necessary, it's not for you. BUT, I really think it would suck to be caught without one in the middle of the night and want it. Maybe get one off Craigslist and sell it back on Craigslist when you're done with it?

Don't use a Rock & Play Sleeper as a bassinet because they aren't approved for overnight sleeping despite the misleading name.

dmurrie · January 2014

We got the pack n play and I'd definitely do it again. Not only is it a great bassinet, but the travel crib can be used for years. Our 3yo is still under the weight limit for it and will sleep in it on vacation or when we're visiting. Plus, it folds up small and you don't have to worry about nasty hotel cribs. Just get the simple, cheap one without the changing table. It's a lot less to lug around, and the changing tables aren't very stable... and they're still low enough that bending over them hurts your back. It was useful to have DD in our room for the first month or so. Then again, her bedroom was halfway across the house, too.

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