Bedside bassinet
The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends that caregivers and parents share a room with their baby during the first six months of their life. This arrangement should last for at least one year. The AAP has now recommended this new recommendation after reviewing research showing that sharing a room with your child can lower the likelihood of sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) by up to 50%.
These are good news for safe sleeping, but parents may be left wondering how to share a room with their child. Do they need to drag a crib into their room? Do they sleep on the floor or a mattress in the baby’s bedroom? Parents worry that they could be setting their baby up for an endless slumber party.
Parents may consider placing a bassinet beside their bed. You can use a regular bassinet or a portable crib, which can be placed next to a parent’s bed. Bassinets can be carried around more easily than traditional cribs and are easier to use alongside an adult bed.
You don’t need a large crib to fit in your bedroom. Parents should consider safety concerns before bringing a bassinet or bedside sleeping bag into their bedroom.
Bassinets should not be used for more than a few months. They should be stopped when your baby can roll over. A bassinet is no longer safe for a baby who can roll. Many bassinets have weight limits of 10-20 pounds. Parents can expect that their baby’s bassinet will not be suitable for more than 3 to 4 months.
What is a CPC?
The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) requires manufacturers to certify in a Children’s Product Certificate(CPC) that their bassinets or bedside sleepers comply with the commission’s standards. This must be done after the product has been tested at a third-party laboratory accepted by the CPSC for compliance. The following standards must be met by bedside sleepers and bassinets: 3
- There is a limit to the amount of paint and coatings used on products.
- Fabric-sided enclosed openings to protect against entrapment or suffocation
- All safety requirements for sleep, including protection against suffocation and stability, pinching, shearing, unintentional fold, loading, side height and sharp edges, are met
- Minimum heights
- No entrapment hazards
- Additional safety features and warnings
How to choose a Bedside Bassinet
The AAP says that so long as a bassinet is issued a Children’s Product Certificate by the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), it’s likely that the product will be safe for room-sharing families.
Parents should be aware that there is insufficient research to determine if these products increase the risk for SIDS or cause infant death by suffocation. They are not necessarily unsafe. However, there isn’t enough evidence to prove otherwise.
Bassinets vs. Bassinets vs.
Bassinets are more tightly controlled than those who sleep beside them and are therefore considered safe.
Because there is no side divider between parent and baby when these products are being used, bedside sleepers aren’t considered the safest environment for sleep. 4
However, all cribs are safe, including portable cribs and bassinets. 3 These are just a few options.
Halo bassinet
The Halo BassiNestproducts bedside sleeper bassets can swivel 360° and are compact enough to allow for easy room sharing.
Many BassiNest products are available from Halo, including the 360deg rotation and swivel and the patented lowering wall at the bedside. Some elegant lines include soothing vibrations to calm fussy babies and a floodlight to let you check on them without turning on overhead lights.
According to the company website, the BassiNest complies with “all Federal, State and Local regulations”. Newborns can only use this bassinet. It should not be used if the baby can roll over and move.
