Do I Choose A Baby Bassinet, Cradle Or Crib?

The choice of where your new baby will sleep, in a baby bassinet, cradle, crib, is usually made before the baby is born. As soon as you come home from the hospital you will want somewhere to put the baby down as soon as nap time starts. Even if your baby will usually sleep with you at night, an adult bed is not the safest place to have a baby sleep during the day time. Rolling out onto the floor is possible when you are not there. There will also be times when you do not want baby in bed with you. So you will want to have your little one's sleeping place prepared and waiting before the due date.

So what should you choose - a baby bassinet, cradle or crib? It is up to you.

Baby Bassinet

A bassinet recalls the traditional custom of having new babies sleep in a lined basket. The small size provides a protective, enclosed space in which baby will feel safe.

Some bassinets will later convert to a crib, which has most of the same advantages as using a crib right from birth.

Baby Cradle

A bassinet that rocks is usually called a cradle. This is another traditional sleeping place for a new baby. The rocking motion reminds them of the movement of their mother's body when they were in the womb. It is very reassuring and will often send them to sleep when nothing else can, like being rocked in your arms.

If a baby gets used to a cradle that rocks all of the time, including when they move in their sleep, it can be very difficult to have them sleep anywhere else when you travel or when they grow too big for the cradle. So if you choose a cradle, be sure it has a fixture that you can set to stop it rocking once the baby is asleep. Then if you want you can have it stationary almost all of the time and only let it rock when you have been trying to settle baby for a while and sleep is not coming.

Baby Crib

A newborn baby can look so small and lost in a crib, especially the larger type that is designed to become a toddler's bed later. That is part of the reason why many people choose a bassinet or cradle for tiny ones. However, you will need a crib sooner or later and if you are on a budget, it is obviously cheaper to buy only the crib.

In addition to the financial considerations, many parents find it is best to have baby sleep in a crib from the get go. At first it may seem more difficult because they are not so enclosed as in a bassinet or cradle, but starting out in the crib can prevent problems later. The reason is that like all of us, babies like to feel safe and secure when they fall asleep and they will sleep better in a familiar place. So if you start them in something smaller, designed for a newborn, you may have problems transferring them to their new and unfamiliar crib later, when they outgrow their baby bassinet or cradle.

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by SolveYourProblem.com : 2009

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