There are a lot of decisions to make when you are preparing for baby. One of those decisions is whether or not you should buy a bassinet. Safety and closeness are two important reasons to consider when deciding to use a bassinet with your baby.
Safety
1. A bassinet provides your newborn her own sleeping environment where she can sleep flat on her back with plenty of airflow.
2. Reduce the risk of suffocation. Pillows, comforters and soft bedding are a suffocation risk especially with co-sleeping. Instead swaddle a newborn in a blanket and lay her flat on her back in a bassinet at night.
Closeness
1. A bassinet provides closeness by allowing a new mom to place a bassinet next to her bed for convenient feeding and comforting her newborn throughout the night.
2. Bassinets are more compact than other portable sleeping areas such as cribs and playards. Playards are too bulky to fit next to a bed. Walking to the nursery in the middle of the night and bending over cribs after giving birth can be exhausting and painful.
A bassinet is the perfect option that keeps your baby near and in her own space.
How long can I use a bassinet for my baby?
Bassinets are primarily used from birth until your baby is 3 months old, around 15 lbs., or when he can roll from side to side or lift himself up. At that time you will want to transition your child to start sleeping in his crib.
What tests or certifications should I look for when choosing a bassinet?
The American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM International) is one of the largest voluntary standards development organizations in the world and the Juvenile Products Manufacturers Association (JPMA) is national trade organization that also conducts product tests and certifications. All Kolcraft bassinets are ASTM and JPMA certified. Look for the JPMA Certification Seal when choosing your bassinet.
Do you recommend I purchase a thicker bassinet pad for my bassinet?
ASTM standards for bassinets require bassinet pads to be 1” thick maximum. Infants need a firm, flat sleeping surface and it is recommended that babies be placed on their backs to sleep. It is recommended you use the bassinet pad that comes with your bassinet since it has passed ASTM and JPMA standards and testing.