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August 2020 Moms
emiliadkay
member
Product Spotlight Series 2/21: Cribs, Travel Cribs & Other Sleeping Surfaces
emiliadkay
member
This is a place for FTMs to ask questions about, S+TMs to share their prior experience with, and everyone to share what they're eyeing in the world of maternity, baby and postpartum products. Each week we'll spotlight a new category of product to help streamline and make it easier to refer back. This week we're discussing CRIBS, TRAVEL CRIBS & OTHER SLEEPING SURFACES.
To view past Product Spotlights or the upcoming schedule, see here: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1DzmfbSu7toufv3p1VWNu1XOXDaU-tbI5FEfV8av46pc/edit?usp=sharing
Re: Product Spotlight Series 2/21: Cribs, Travel Cribs & Other Sleeping Surfaces
Right now, we're trying to figure out if we get ANOTHER one for the new baby so DS can stay in his crib as long as possible, or just get a bassinet and/or use the pack 'n play (see below) for a few months and then transition DS to a toddler bed. Decisions, decisions. And another reason I'd like to potty train DS soon so we can see how we still feel about the crib after that transition.
DS spent the second half of a lot of nights in the Rock 'n Play. It was a lifesaver for us and it's weird to think it might not be there for us this go-round. "Might" only because I haven't been able to bring myself to get rid of it and still have it assembled in the garage. I don't think I'll feel safe using it except maybe when I'm awake and right there, but it really did get us through some things.
I've been eagerly awaiting this topic since I've felt really stumped about what to use for sleep the first few months.
A few things influencing my decision: my bed is low to the ground, I'll be sleeping alone (my ex will live nearby, may stay the night some in the guest room, but I'll be alone in my room with the baby), I want baby close to me but not in my bed, and I'm hesitant to spend much money on something I'll use for just a few months.
Here are some things I'm considering... I'd love to hear about others experiences and thoughts!
Halo Bassinet (link in spoiler)
This is probably what I'm most interested in, but I really don't want to spend the money for a new one. I may see if anyone I know has one they would let me borrow. I know people resell them online, but while I don't mind getting one secondhand (this would be my preference) I don't necessarily want one that 7 other kids have used, which is why I don't really want to buy from a stranger. Any thoughts on whether or not it matters how many times it's been used in the past?
Lotus Bassinet (link in spoiler)
I'm planning to get the Lotus Crib as our travel crib (in place of a pack-and-play). Adding the bassinet feature to it is about $100 more, but I don't think you can adjust the height of this, and it would put the baby much higher than my bed. Not a huge deal, but I am hoping for something a little more easy access for MOTN feedings.
Baby Box (link in spoiler for the one I'm looking at plus the Lucie's List post about them)
I've known about these for a while, but Lucie's List really sold me on it. I like the price and how it's something I can use for pretty storage after the baby stops using it for sleep. This is probably my first choice if I'm not able to borrow a Halo Bassinet from a friend. My biggest concern is that I have a cat and I worry about her trying to use the box (the particular one I'm interested in doesn't have a lid, but another brand (Finnbin) does, so I could always buy from them). I have an old house with doors that don't really shut (pre-baby project, FX I can address this before he gets here), so just shutting the door isn't a perfect solution at the moment.
Pip & Grow Narwhal Box
Uppababy Bassinet on a stand
A friend passed down their uppababy bassinet (and Uppababy Mesa carseat with two bases... it was so so generous!), and I've had other friends buy the stand so that they can use it for sleep. I really don't like that the sides aren't mesh and the stand doesn't adjust in height, so the baby would be much higher than my bed. (This is probably my least favorite option).
Sleep Nest
A friend uses this to bed-share with her daughter and has offered it to me. I don't plan to bed-share, but was thinking it might be a good thing to have on hand in addition to the main bassinet/etc. in case the baby sometimes ends up sleeping in my bed (which I've heard can happen, even if you don't plan for it to). I don't move really at all while I sleep (I sleep on one side of the bed and the sheets are never disturbed on the other side), so I think it could be good in a pinch, but wondering if it's not even worth it to chance it.
I'm sort of going in circles on this (as you can probably tell, haha!) but would love to hear what everyone else is planning to do!
0-6m — at home — Snuzpod bedside crib — It has a zip down side and you attach it to the bed the mattresses are at the same level, there is a plastic section in the side to cover any remaining gap. I loved it, it was great for breastfeeding and co sleeping because the baby was close but had their own safe space. It has a awkward sized mattress to buy sheets for though.
0-6m — away — We used the bassinet from our Uppabay Vista which is safe for overnight sleeping.
6m+ — at home — Mokee Mini Cot — It's a little smaller than a standard cot and is the size of a standard travel cot (so it is still easy to buy sheets for it). We got it because DS has a very small room so every cm counts.
6m+ — away — Hauck Sleep n Play Center Travel Cot — Hauck makes a bunch of reasonably priced baby stuff it's all a bit dated looking but does the job. You need to get the additional mattress and I wouldn't recommend using the bassinet as it isn't very stable.
Top tip: If you are buying a cot that is of a non standard size check that you can get sheets and a waterproof matress protector to fit it.
I used a Graco pack n play. He was only in our room for about a month and then we moved him to the crib in his own room. It worked well for us. He seemed to sleep better in his own space. I have a feeling this baby will stay in our room longer to try and avoid the crying from waking up our son. It will just depend on what kind if sleeper we end up with!
We also used the pack n play for travel and we sometimes set it up in the backyard with a sheet over top if we were outside working in the yard or something. It had lots of uses beyond a portable crib for the first few weeks so it made it a good choice for us.
For our crib, we have a babyletto. I feel like this is more a matter of personal style. Just check reviews for the ones you like. We got this mattress because a few different people recommended it for being high quality and lightweight (easy to change sheets). DD is still sleeping in it, so not sure when we will transition her out or what we will do for a toddler bed.
For a travel crib, we have both the PnP and Lotus Guava. I like them both for different reasons. The lotus is easier to set up and down and packs up nicely. We also use it as a playpen sometimes with the side open. The PNP came with various accessories like the bassinet and changing table inserts. And we got it on sale for less than $50.
We also have a baby box we may use for naps sometimes. I'm just a little worried about big sis trying to climb into it. We got it for free through our city and it's a nice box that we have brought over to friends' houses (it took up a good amount of trunk space) to have a place to put the baby. But I wouldn't pay $70 for one.
Here are some of the infant sleep solutions I am looking at if anyone has feedback on them.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00YBADM1O
https://www.amazon.com/Fisher-Price-Soothing-Motions-Bassinet-Windmill/dp/B01K7VHW0C
https://www.amazon.com/MiClassic-Stationary-Bassinet-One-Second-Portable/dp/B07SSX5YC2
https://www.amazon.com/Milliard-Co-Sleeper-Bassinet-Gray/dp/B07G7CM9GB/
https://www.amazon.com/Ingenuity-Foldaway-Rocking-Bassinet-Fletcher/dp/B07DPDZ26S/
https://www.amazon.com/Fisher-Price-Rock-Play-Portable-Bassinet/dp/B008DDPL32
We used the snugglenest for travel under 4 months, and in early days around the house as well. We actually used it on the coffee table too, since we pretty much lived in the den for a while after my c-section. I slept in the chair and DH slept on the couch. In retrospect, I kinda wish we had used the babybox for that instead but idk why DH didn't like the idea of it and we ended up giving ours away. Not that I'm bitter about it lol. But you can get a free one in a lot of states at the Babybox University website, just for taking a brief online baby safety course. 👍👍
Downstairs we also used the PnP with bassinet level and bouncer seat + change table setup. That was a funny one because DH actually fought me at first that we didn't need anything like that for the downstairs level if we had a crib and changing area upstairs. Ha! She slept a tonne in that bouncer seat (tho not necessarily recommended) as well as flat on the bassinet level, (and a good bit on me). aka survival mode. But I wonder if having the Halo might be nice for the den again, because I didn't always want to have to climb up out of the chair to lay her down. :s
<div class="Spoiler">and also because we currently still plop DD in the PnP to hang out. We may just have to merge that with her big gated playpen tho, in order to reclaim it for changing the new baby. </div>
Then once we all moved upstairs again, she slept in the minicrib sidecarred. Where she still is sleeping now! lol We are planning on moving her into her own room (adjacent to ours) before the new baby comes, we just haven't pulled the trigger on the full size crib / mattress yet. She currently has a minicrib size mattress in there setup as a floorbed, which made it a breeze for them to cot train her in daycare. We will have her nap in there from time to time, but we still love having her sleep in our room at 17 mos. ☺️ I think the switch to her own room will be much harder on us than on her. :/
I was literally about to check craigslist, out of curiosity, for a Halo, but local FB moms' groups might be a good place to look, too.
For some people, it gives them a lot of ease and helps with the newborn phase when they are getting up to nurse frequently in the night to have a mini crib, side cart, or bassinet for newborns, and I totally support people who want to use those things and they work for them, but in our experience that's not what we want and they didn't help us in the past. I'm sure this baby will teach us all kinds of new tricks, and we'll be flexible if it comes to it.. but MH and I are 100% on board with crib from night 1.
Hopefully I can find a used halo twin bassinet for the babes to use until approx. age 3 months. I transitioned DD at this time because I was returning to work and wanted this transition along with its potential lack of normalcy/sleep to happen before I went back. Thankfully the transition went well and we put her in her crib (nothing fancy...it was just a regular target crib) in her own room. She started climbing out of the crib at 23 months which was super cool and is now on a full sized mattress that is on the floor because I lost the crib pieces to convert to a toddler bed during a recent move. I ordered her a really cool wooden floor bed frame (Montessori style) from etsy that I am dying to use once we move her to her new bedroom!
I am deeply saddened by the fact I can not use my RnP anymore. This is where DD took all naps until she was about 6 weeks then she napped in the dang fisher price swing until around 3 months when we transitioned from bassinet to crib. We also used the RnP (in our room) when she was sick/congested for sleeping. I still have the RnP because I couldn't bear to part with it yet. I still may use it for naps while babies are supervised.
edited to add: I don't think it was mentioned but the halo has a neat newborn insert that we had but never ended up needing but I heard is nice!
After they outgrow that, it's the pack n' play in our room. My older daughter sleeps on a twin mattress on the floor. We rent and have moved frequently, so I really don't know what sort of permanent solution for children's beds we'll ultimately use. I'm a believer in shared bedrooms, so I think bunk beds are likely in our future. Also, for now, I didn't want to worry about her rolling out of bed since she's only 2.75 right now. For now, it works fine. I expect we'll likely do the same when this baby comes along with #2.
For travel, we often just do a heavy firm blanket, quilt-type rather than comforter, folded into a thick pad on the floor. It works in a pinch for a few days.
Pack n' play might be the name, but they are NOT convenient to haul around. They're heavy and bulky. I've never traveled with them. Even in moves, we have never taken one as baggage, only shipped them and done as I said in the last paragraph until it arrived.
Has anyone seen any viable options for replacing the RnP? I really want something that can incline since my preemie babes have been born with terrible reflux and I have no reason to doubt that this babe will be any different.
But in thinking about the crib for after the beginning... are convertible cribs worth it? or is it better to just get a decent non-convertible crib? We are most likely one and done (but that could change...), so I'm not necessarily concerned about a crib getting heavy use with multiple kiddos and then being too dingy to convert anyway. But we are also for sure going to be moving when this baby is ~2, so maybe that would be a time to get rid of the crib and go to something else instead of hauling a convertible crib possibly across the country? If we did go convertible I wouldn't expect it to be a forever piece, but maybe something that could last long enough until the kid is a bit older and wants to have a say in the furniture that is in their room
@wildrainbow I believe any inclined sleeper is considered unsafe. I would check with your pediatrician on what your safe options are to help with reflux.
This time around I have a dock-a-tot, mainly for naps, and a halo dreamnest that we will try out. Also, just throwing it out there, I am definitely going to put DS2 down for naps and and at night. Our first was a horrible sleeper and most of it im sure was my fault because I held him for EVERYTHING because I was obsessed with him! So, lesson learned and we will be teaching DS2 to self soothe so we don't create another sleep monster!
I'm just hoping this baby will be the sleeper I've begged and pleaded for.
@roo_baby great to know that I have still have mattress options with the Babyletto crib, and thanks for raising the issue of mattress weight. That wasn't on my radar but since I'll be living solo (and am not particularly strong
@wildrainbow we did a lot of sound (mostly supervised) naps in the bouncer seat that came with the PnP. The bright starts rocker was awesome too for chilling in the bathroom. But then I always tried to get her lying flat for overnight i.e. bassinet level of PNP or snugglenest.
<div class=" Spoiler"><img src="https://us.v-cdn.net/5020794/uploads/editor/wh/7j5t09145sib.jpg" alt="">
It's maybe on the pricier side for pnps but it was absolutely worth it for us, because we used all of it. The bouncer is super light weight and we actually put it right on the dining table with us while we are and she was still tiny!
<img src="https://us.v-cdn.net/5020794/uploads/editor/1l/rgoqdfb4bi4e.jpg" alt="">
Ours has a different color scheme and toys, but same thing. DD still uses it as a chair to hang out with us in the den.
<img src="https://us.v-cdn.net/5020794/uploads/editor/oa/3t8frd70y6ps.jpg" alt="">
The snugglenest also had a *very* slight incline you can use, or flat.</div>
For travel I LOVED the baby dome. You can close the top to make it dark when the baby needs to nap. I also loved that it collapsed easy to fit in the trunk with all the other stuff. Its also slightly elevated so you can take it outside. I LOVED this option with my May baby bc all summer on maternity leave I could sit outside without the baby getting direct sunlight. The mat is machine washable, no need for sheets. It was also great when you got tired of sitting in the same room all day, even post C section, I could carry it around the house with one hand, no strain.
https://www.target.com/p/fisher-price-on-the-go-baby-dome-windmill/-/A-51984672?ref=tgt_adv_XS000000&AFID=google_pla_df&fndsrc=tgtao&CPNG=PLA_Baby%2BShopping_Brand_Competitor&adgroup=SC_Baby&LID=700000001170770pgs&network=g&device=c&location=9027592&ds_rl=1246978&ds_rl=1241788&ds_rl=1246978&gclid=CjwKCAiAy9jyBRA6EiwAeclQhKGXCDRMyrsmibLLpQM6KT_56u7psoGkLdRbr3aWORNsJCDpcotsiRoCItwQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds
Married Aug 2016 Me 30
CS scheduled 7/26-8/12 Due 8/30
***TW***
****trigger warning****
1 LC, girl 5 years old
TTC #2 Summer 2017
BFP 1/5/2018, MC (D & E) 2/23/2018
TTCAL May 2018
BFP 9/20/2018, MC (D & E) 11/16/2018
And whoever is saving the links in the spreadsheet for these spotlights, you are bomb 🔥
Dating 4/2008
Married 6/2016
TTC #1 9/2019
BFP 12/13/2019!
EDD 8/27/2020 Baby Girl
I felt like it was easier to get him and feed him and put him back to bed with the bassinet. I also had a C-section so the bending down to get him wouldn't have been ideal.