Product Spotlight: Cribs and Sleep Surfaces

themadcamel · March 2019

Sorry to be a couple days late. Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

It’s time to talk cribs and other sleep surfaces! S(+)TMs, share what types of sleep surfaces you use at home and/or for travel. As always, please feel free to include links to products. FTMs, what questions do you have?

Link to the spreadsheet with upcoming and previous discussions:

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/12W-wdzJDfeyz4DBXRWUkr2b4PPkpHQ7G_RiVLWTaHCo

mommyshark13 · March 2019

We have a Graco crib. I believe the style is the Sarah. We got it at Walmart in a bundle deal with a mattress and changing table. The mattress is Kolcraft. I highly recommend both the crib and mattress brands.

For travel we have a Chicco Lullaby placard with bassinet. I'm not sure they still make that model but you just can't go wrong with Chicco.

lillywonderland · March 2019

We bought everything from Amazon (yay Registry completion discount! And free shipping!)

Crib: Babyletto Hudson Crib - converts to toddler bed. Love love LOVE the style! Very sturdy! We got some random, well reviewed mattress. It wasn’t more than $70.

Travel / Bassinet / Grammy’s house: Graco Pack n Play (the one with the bassinet setting) great for car travel or as a second crib at Grammy’s house.

Image: https://us.v-cdn.net/5020794/uploads/editor/9l/uytw8gvoq2g4.jpeg

Travel (over 12ish mo): KidCo PeaPod Travel Tent - we have used this many times after DS was 10ish mo. So much easier to pack than the bulky PnP! If you plan on traveling a lot with your LO I highly recommend! They even make a larger toddler tent which I *may* have had my eye on.

kgg2241 · March 2019

I just bought that same Graco Pack n Play that @lillywonderland recommends today. Shopko is closing (I'm pretty sure nationwide?), so it was a great deal. I grabbed one for my mom's house too. If you live by a Shopko that is closing, check it out!

Otherwise, I have no sleeping products advice since I'm a FTM.

rms924 · March 2019

I have an oeuf sparrow crib (https://www.2modern.com/products/sparrow-crib?variant=2418625576969&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI1fLTlNeL4QIVBp-fCh2_-wj1EAQYAyABEgKiNvD_BwE). I love it because it’s been through hell and back and it’s still just as nice as the day we bought it! It’s big (my toddler will still sleep in there). For those that want a “green” crib, I highly recommend.

On the go (and also for different rooms in the house), we have the Nuna Sena. I love it because it’s an easy fold and not super heavy. We’ve taken it while traveling but then gave up on that bc the kids just end up in our bed anyway.

@lillywonderland I love that tent! Is it soft to sleep on?

nda_roxybabe · March 2019

Do you want to hear me blabber on about this subject too? There's a reason everyone calls me the "safety Mom"

Safe sleep is super important to us. Anything labeled as a Crib, Bassinet, or Play yard is safe for sleeping. Inclined surfaces, rock n plays, dockatots, swings, car seats, etc are not. We follow the ABC's of Safe Sleep which means Alone, on Back, in a Crib (see above). No blankets (sleep sacks y'all!), pillows, toys, or bumpers. Yes, it looks like a little tiny baby jail and he loves it

For the first 3ish months we used or Nuna Mixx2 Bassinet on a stand in our room. Then we switched to a pack n play until 7 months when we transferred him into his crib which is Baby Mod brand and super cute.
I'd like to toss our ugly pack n play this go and get the Nuna Sena which would also work well for travel.

https://safetosleep.nichd.nih.gov/safesleepbasics/risk/reduce

lillywonderland · March 2019

@rms924 It is not too soft, but not too hard. There’s a detachable “pad” on the bottom (on the outside of the tent). DS has slept on tiled/hard surfaces and been okay/slept like normal so I guess it’s not too bad.

dahliasanddogs · March 2019

@rms924 I love that crib! Did you buy the conversion kit too?

kdl89 · March 2019

We will be using the same crib we had for our daughter it was on clearance at Walmart and had good reviews at the time. We put our daughter in her crib from day one and plan to to do the same with this little one. When we go visiting little one sleeps in a graco pack and play. Also I second sleep sacks!! I love the zippadee zipps sleep sack cause babies hands are also covered.

rms924 · March 2019

@dahliasanddogs I did but I haven’t converted yet! It’s a really good quality crib. I’ll prob convert it for this baby and it will be her toddler bed. It’s worth every cent.

septoctkids · March 2019

There are so many crib options but as far as a bassinet goes we love the halo! It took our first a little getting used to it but it was so worth it. It made the transition to his crib seamless. We know multiple friends who had their baby’s sleep in a rock and play as a bassinet who ended up with flat head syndrome and ended up in helmets. I definitely recommend a flat sleep surface. So many people will probably tell you that the rock and play is a life saver but they are not recommended for overnight sleep. We purposefully didn’t get one because I knew my son would probably love it and I’d be desperate for sleep and probably end up putting him in it, so we just avoided it.

blitzybee · March 2019

I don’t think I saw anyone mention this... but any great recommendation for bedside bassinet for after a csection? I’m playing with the idea of a Halo bassinet, but have seen mixed reviews. I used the arms reach basinet for my son, and it was nice, but I struggled to get him in and out and it also kind of blocked me while getting in and out of bed easily. That no abs thing postpartum is something!

septoctkids · March 2019

@blitzybee I didn’t have a csection but I totally recommend the halo. The adjustable height was so convenient and the side that went down were helpful too. I think some people don’t end up loving it because their child isn’t used to the flat surface but if u used the arms reach before they was flat then you’re used to it. We loved the newborn insert that went with the bassinet to make it seem smaller for the baby.

blitzybee · March 2019

@septoctkids Thank you for the feedback! I am very strongly considering adding this to my small wish list.

sahm89 · March 2019

I used a mini crib for my son for 2.5 years and he loved it. We have the room for a bigger crib, just didn’t need it because we’re a shorter family and the smaller mattresses were less expensive. I also like the idea that it can be converted into a twin head/footboard instead of the typical full.

For a bassinet, I forget the brand, but it’s pretty typical...perfect size for next to my bed. There are mesh sides and my favorite part about it is the builtin lowlight nightlight so I could turn it on during those first few weeks when they’re so squeaky & I act like a paranoid woman lol.

P&P I have the same one as @lillywonderland and bought an extra mattress for it that fits perfectly bc I don’t like how hard the standard “mattress” is that comes with it.

Something I also love it a wedge for when they’re teenie tiny. It has a slight incline and bolsters on either side of them so they feel snug and I don’t worry about them rolling over somehow

Image: https://us.v-cdn.net/5020794/uploads/editor/tc/c6u01b98u5y4.jpeg

. I liked the incline bc it seemed to help them not get reflux, but it wasn’t too much of an incline like a R&P to where they couldn’t transition to laying flat after the first month.

satuttle1014 · March 2019

Convertible crib so it will last longer. For the first month I use a pack n play with bassinet until I move them to their rooms.

kiddiesandkitties · March 2019

We have this bassinet, and will use it for the early months. The basket part pulls out of the base, so I'll bring it along with me downstairs or to wherever I'm at for sleeping during the day.

Image: https://us.v-cdn.net/5020794/uploads/editor/j2/muoer4t5tmxa.jpg

https://www.newportcottages.com/products/ninna-nanna-bassinet?gclid=Cj0KCQjwpsLkBRDpARIsAKoYI8xcLdsKH4C2W0QaOPB381euudoWw9hN3vjqoEXk6R3NOaRgcCdRWoUaAso4EALw_wcB

We have this crib (Stokke Home), which we bought TWO LO's ago and to date NO ONE has ever slept in it.

Image: https://us.v-cdn.net/5020794/uploads/editor/m0/qorq3kvtjtem.jpg

https://www.stokke.com/USA/en-us/nursery/4406.html

I was undecided on whether we would keep the crib for this baby or sell it and get something new - until I (just this very second) discovered how adorable of a toddler bed it converts to. Now I think we shall keep it.

We have a Mamaroo which so far all of my kids have HATED, so we'll see if we have any better luck this time around. I plan to get some sort of lightweight seat that I can drag around to the bathroom etc. with me so I can shower, or if baby is awake and I want to fold some laundry or just give my arms a break for a few. I sort of like this one.
https://www.potterybarnkids.com/products/bloom-coco-stylewood-lounger-white-frame/?cm_src=AutoRel

mommyshark13 · March 2019

@sahm89 We used a wedge too under the mattress due to horrible reflux. It was our pedis recommendation.

threes_companypu · March 2019

My 3 year old is a HORRIBLE sleeper. He didn’t start sleeping through the night until 2.5 years old and I still have to lay with him til he falls asleep. We started him in the rock n play and ended up co sleeping due to my own laziness which is what I feel has led us to the bad sleeper we have today. This time around I refuse to make the same mistakes!! Anyone put their baby in its crib from day one? What are the best sleep sacks for swaddling?!

ternsetc · March 2019

@duewithpu2 we put DS in his crib from his first night home. His crib was in our room for the first 6 months, and that was probably too long for us since after the first 4 or so months we couldn't talk, cough etc without waking him up. I honestly just think we got lucky - he was always a good night sleeper (not so good at naps!) and he seemed to have no problem with the crib at any stage. I did bounce/rock/nurse him all the way to sleep on the exercise ball before putting him down in the crib for probably the first 8 or 9 months, which everyone says not to do, and worried a lot that the transition to putting him down in the crib awake would be brutal. Again, we were lucky, and it was fairly smooth. He's been in Halo sleep sacks the whole time and we really like them - until he was about 5 months we used the ones with the swaddle panels - but we've never used any others so can't compare!

sahm89 · March 2019

@duewithpu2 With my second, I had him in a bassinet in my room for the first week and then he went in his crib. I used the same wedge I mentioned previously in both so he was none the wiser lol.

For swaddles, I’ve used a lot of different ones and my favorite anti-startle kind are the Love To Dream because they allow them to put their hands near their face or suck on hands but still prevent the startle relflex that wakes them. They also prevent the babes from wiggling free of the swaddle like so many of the Velcro kind that pin the arms down. For a sleep sack, I like the halo fleece ones for winter & the muslin A&A ones for summer.

@mommyshark13 it really is nice! 🙂

zuuls_mom · March 2019

@duewithpu2 DS was in his crib pretty much from the get-go. He hated his bassinet. It worked well for us!

third2022 · March 2019

We loved the Guava Lotus pack n'play and bassinet for overnights and had my daughter in the crib for naps right from the first day home. She napped on me a lot at the beginning but never slept in anything inclined. We loved the halo swaddles and then the merlin sleep sak to transition out. We then sleep trained to help her learn to fall asleep from awake independently around 5 months and took away the paci (before she got the whole object permanence thing around 6 months). I still nursed on demand overnight until around 10 months and then anytime she was sick for a while longer. We have had to some sleep training on and off since then but she falls asleep in her toddler bed on her own and sleeps through the night every night at 2 years old.

sahm89 · March 2019

@aca12017 I did a very similar thing with my kids(now 5 & 3) & friends always say they hate me because they know my kids sleep 8pm-8am 🙂. Gentle sleep training has really worked for us and I plan to do the same with this little one.

TeacherMama7 · March 2019

We have the halo bassinet and have used that for the first six months or so, and then baby goes to the crib. We sleep train around that time and now we have two Great sleepers! We are huge fans of sleep sacks and have them on the little one for all night and nap time.

sahm89 · April 2019

I just order this for our main floor for naps & laying baby in when awake. I have a 5 & 3yo so I wanted something off the floor but low enough so they could see in or give a paci to the baby, and something smaller than a normal p&p so I could bring it into different rooms. I also like the idea of taking that to friends/fam houses instead of a big p&p for the first 6 months. I also researched like a crazy person (I over analyze all my “big” purchases lol) and I like that the mesh is the whole side.
Anyone else have this and like/dislike it?
Bonus, I used my Kohl’s cash on it 😉

Product Spotlight: Cribs and Sleep Surfaces

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