Best Bassinet for Baby: Our Top 6 Picks for 2023
We used this top-rated—4.8 out of 5 stars on Amazon—bassinet with our third baby and were impressed with its overall modern design. It wasn’t an eyesore in our bedroom, unlike most bassinet models on the market, and offered well generous storage space underneath for organizing all things baby.
Best bassinet
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Welcome to my blog! Here you will find the lexsentials to my life. I have a Masters in Nutrition and Integrative Health and am here to share my passion for all things nutrition, wellness, fitness, pre + postnatal care and motherhood.
Aug 7 The Best Bassinet: Snoo Review
Bringing a newborn home for the first time is SCARY. I will never forget the first night. I don’t think I slept at all. We chose the Snoo as our bassinet and I had it positioned next to my side of the bed and “slept” with my head basically touching it, peeking in every few minutes to make sure she was OK. I had a lot of worries (in general) but specifically about her sleep (i.e. – what if she spit up and choked on it, what if the swaddle covered her, what if she rolled over and couldn’t turn back around)? Coming home from the hospital, the Snoo immediately made this transition easier for me. I didn’t have to worry about the swaddle or rolling over because of the way the bassinet is built, with the swaddle being strapped to the side of the bassinet making it impossible for the baby to roll over. I also didn’t have to worry about a swaddle blanket coming loose and covering her because the swaddle in the Snoo zips up and is pretty tight. This was great because the nurses made swaddling look so easy and no matter how many times I tried it, it always came loose. I even took a video of the nurse doing it in the hospital for reference and that still didn’t help! Bryan often questions my NEED for so many baby products, but when they can make our lives as new parents in any way easier and ease some of the stress and anxieties, he’s aligned (Snoo approved, 500 bows not approved).
I never used another bassinet so I don’t have anything else to compare it to but the Snoo has really been working out well for us. They call it the “night nanny” because it soothes the baby with rocking and white noise that imitates how it was for baby in the womb. Instead of Bryan or I having to pick Parker up and rock her back to sleep every time she cries, the Snoo hears her cry and responds with increased white noise and rocking. There are 5 levels of intensity which increase as she continues to cry. The baseline setting of gentle rocking and white noise is what she sleeps with through the night and what we use most often. With this setting, she sleeps pretty well and doesn’t cry often. Instead of crying, she usually fusses with either grunts, karate-chop-like kicks with her feet up and slamming them down (I think she does this when she has gas), or moans. When she does this in the middle of the night, some of the time she isn’t even awake but I know that if I don’t catch it early, she will fully wake up so I manually adjust the intensity into the higher levels and this often puts her back to sleep without me having to pick her up. Pressing a button when you’re half asleep is a lot easier than a full wake up + getting baby back to bed routine! It doesn’t happen often but there have been a few times where we’ve let her cry as the Snoo runs through its settings and it has soothed her.
I’ve also loved the provided support from the sleep specialists on the Snoo team. We’ve had a lot of sleep struggles due to Parker’s acid reflux and our specialist Jamie has been so much help. Some of her suggestions included raising the head side of the bassinet so that she was sleeping on an incline as opposed to flat on her back which we did with first with books and then with the Snoo leg lifters, folding a towel under her feet and zipping it into her swaddle to help with gas, and adding a bag of rice on her chest to provide the cuddling sensation. I haven’t tried the rice trick yet but the towel trick definitely seemed to help with her karate-chopping-legs. With Parker’s reflux issues out of the picture, this bassinet has been pretty perfect. The only thing that I wish it had was a peekaboo window for me to peak in from the side of my bed without having to lift myself up to look over the sides. That said, I do love that the sides are mesh and breathable and that the Snoo sack is 100% organic cotton. I did a lot of research on non-toxic nursery items and am happy that Snoo is aligned. The Sleepea swaddle which is basically the same as the Snoo sack but doesn’t have to be strapped into the Snoo is also 100% organic cotton and I use this for crib naps or when we were on the go. Also Sleepea for our little sweet pea 😉 Lastly, I like that the WiFi feature can be turned off to avoid excess EMF exposure. I typically turn it on when I want to browse through the app or make any updates to her baseline settings but then turn it off while she is sleeping.
Best Bassinet for Baby: Our Top 6 Picks for 2023
All the best tried, tested and vetted baby bassinets this year to keep you (and baby) sleeping soundly.
By Elizabeth Kadar
Updated Oct 06, 2023
Bassinets are not only the perfect cozy place for newborns to snooze in, but they’re also a huge convenience in those first few months when your little one is waking up every few hours to feed and they’re still too tiny for sleep training.
The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends keeping babies in your room, in their own separate sleep space, until at least six months to reduce the risk of SIDS by as much as 50%. While you could always use a baby crib, most parents find that the best bassinet for baby fits right next to your own bed, saves precious space. These baby bassinets also easily transport around the house for naps anytime, anywhere.
Whether you’re searching for the latest smart bassinet or the coolest co-sleeper, we’ve done the work to narrow down the safest and best options to add to your newborn checklist now.
What is the best bassinet for a baby?
The best bassinet for baby meets all current safety standards and has a Children’s Product Certificate (CPC) from the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC). “Older, hand-me-down bassinets may not have this certification so it’s best to double check,” advises Arielle Greenleaf, certified pediatric sleep coach and Chief Education Officer at Restfully.
This is by far the most important feature to look for, but you’ll also want to take lifestyle factors and space into consideration too. For example, how big is your room or the space next to your bed? Will you be moving the bassinet around the house or do you plan to keep it in one place? Do you need extra storage underneath for stashing diapers, wipes, pacis, burp cloths and more?
“It’s important to note that all bassinets will have a maximum weight and height limit that parents should be aware of too,” says Greenleaf. Some bassinets even rock your baby to sleep if you’re looking for one with all the bells and whistles.
To safely use your bassinet, ensure it’s free of any blankets, pillows or stuffed animals.
“The only thing that should be in the bassinet is your baby in a swaddle or sleep sack,” tells Greenleaf. “Always use a fitted sheet specifically made for the bassinet.”
It’s recommended you wash your little one’s bedding with a gentle laundry detergent designed for their sensitive skin at least once a week. And when you’re ready to graduate to a crib (AKA when they start rolling), you’ll want to check out our favorite baby and toddler mattresses.
The best bassinets for babies 2023
- Best overall:Maxi-Cosi Iora Bedside Bassinet
- Best co-sleeper bassinet:Arm’s Reach Clear-Vue Co-Sleeper Bedside Bassinet
- Best budget:Dream On Me Karley Plus Baby Bassinet
- Best smart bassinet:SNOO Smart Sleeper
- Best swivel:HALO BassiNest 3.0S
- Best bassinet playard:Graco Pack And Play On-The-Go Playard
Best overall
Maxi-Cosi Iora Bedside Bassinet
Merchant
We used this top-rated—4.8 out of 5 stars on Amazon—bassinet with our third baby and were impressed with its overall modern design. It wasn’t an eyesore in our bedroom, unlike most bassinet models on the market, and offered well generous storage space underneath for organizing all things baby.
The basket beneath holds so much stuff. It’s easy to pack in tons of diapers and wipes, teething toys, extra changes of clothes, baby lotions, nipple creams and pretty much everything you’ll need in the middle of the night but won’t want to get up for. The bassinet mattress is firm but cozy (baby-approved), and we really loved the breathable mesh sides that allowed for quick checking on little one without having to actually move.
This baby bassinet also features four different height positions so you can adjust it accordingly to your bed height. It moves side to side so you can easily glide it closer to your bed if needed. And, perhaps best of all, it easily folds up and comes with a carrying bag so you can take it with you on vacation and keep your baby in a familiar sleeping space.