Bassinets, co-sleepers, portable play yards and cradles are all great products to use for an infant when you want the baby to be close and hand. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that parents share a room with their baby but not a bed, and a bassinet can do the trick.
One thing that many parents don’t realize (I know I didn’t, and we used a bassinet with all three of our children) is that there are no federal regulations regarding bassinets as there are with cribs. In other words, cribs must follow safety standards set by the Consumer Product Safety Commission before they can be sold. Bassinets are not subject to any such regulation. With that said, there are certain things that you can do to ensure that you baby is safe when sleeping in a bassinet.
When choosing a bassinet, it helps to stay with name brand products. Name brand companies have a reputation to protect and are more likely to be careful about safety in baby products. Use a trusted source such as Consumer Reports or Baby Bargains for recommendations and to check brands for the frequency of recalls.
Avoid bassinets that feature pendulum or mechanical swings that may place and lock the baby into a position that can out her at risk for suffocation.
If the bassinet has a hood, breathable mesh is preferred to solid sides. Make sure the hood cannot detach and fall on the baby.
Follow the same safety guidelines for bassinets that you would for a crib, namely, do not place pillows, blankets, bags, bottles, toys or stuffed animals in the bassinet.
Do not place the bassinet under a shelf. In one case of infant death, a small beanbag pillow fell off of a shelf above the bassinet and caused the baby’s death.
Place your baby on his back to sleep. Back sleeping has been linked with a reduction in the number of babies who die from SIDS.
Mary Ann Romans writes about everything related to saving money in the Frugal Blog, creating a home in the Home Blog, caring for little ones in the Baby Blog and now relationships in the Marriage Blog. You can read more of her articles by clicking here or subscribe to the blog using the subscription box on the right.
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Making the Transition to a Toddler Bed
Co-Sleeping Versus Bed Sharing
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