If not a moses basket, then what?

[sophiedeana]

Hi all,

So I've never really liked the idea of a Moses basket/crib and quite frankly always saw them as a waste of time and pointless really.

I'm all for putting my bubba straight into a big cot at birth, however, that's in our bedroom. Where will he sleep whilst I'm in the lounge? I can't very well bring a huge and heavy cot with me lol.
And surely I can't put him in his baby bouncer?

Thank you, really need some advice on this one

[SeahorseSid]

Carrycot
You might find your tiny newborn feels a bit lost in a big cot.
If you get a carrycot you can put this inside the cot if you want.

Or those pod things

[SeahorseSid]

Have you decided what pram you are getting? Is there a carrycot that works with it? The Phil and Teds cocoon carrycot is nice and works with the pram

[sophiedeana]

Hiya, yes I've decided on a BuggaBoo Bee3 and I'm just buying a maxi cosi car seat to go with it. I'm sure that comes with a carrycot? Bloody well hope so for £700+

[sophiedeana]

SeahorseSid what do you mean pod things? Tell me more. I've never heard of those!

[FATEdestiny]

With my four children I've always done straight to big cot (with one side taken off and side car it to my bed) from birth. Easiest by far for transferring baby into after nightfeeds

Down stairs I mostly use a bouncy chair since it is most effective for getting to sleep from 6 weeks. Also the carrycot insert in the pram or straight into the pram for daytime sleeps.

If you have no other children then a make-shirt mattress made out of a folded blanket directly on the floor in the middle of the lounge works just fine for a newborn.

[MarkRuffaloCrumble]

Mine all slept in a cardboard box which was lined with a quilted cover. Can't remember the name of it as I bought it for ds1 15 years ago and reused it for all of them (then as a dolly crib) so it lasted for many years. So much sturdier than a Moses basket and can be used to store all their baby bits in the loft until next time!

[SeahorseSid]

Sleepyhead, that's what I was thinking of. NCT shop. Didn't find out about them till too late for mine but have heard good things about them. It's a portable pod thing you can put in the cot, on the floor or even in your bed.

Personally I wouldn't use bouncy chair for naps as baby is supposed to be flat. Mine never napped all napped in carrycot or just on a blanket.

[sophiedeana]

Oh I see, so you cannot use a bouncy chair to get a newborn under 6 weeks to sleep? I didn't know that :(

The folded blanked on the floor sounds fab as I don't have any other children, all though I'd have to take caution when his little aunties and nephew is over

[sophiedeana]

SeahorseSid, my mum never really bothered with all the nonsense with my brother and literally let him sleep on a thick blanket :)

[SeahorseSid]

Bouncy chair is great for getting them to nod off but I wouldn't leave for long periods in there. It's better for their backs and breathing to be flat and on a firm surface. Some of them are flatter than others though. It does depend on the baby - one of mine just nodded of wherever he was, usually just on the floor. The others were terrible sleepers and would only nap badly when tucked up tightly in crib or carrycot. Some babies just don't like open spaces. They've been tightly wrapped inside you for months, so it's understandable. Which is why some of them don't like big cots

[FATEdestiny]

so you cannot use a bouncy chair to get a newborn under 6 weeks to sleep?

I don't actually think it is recommended a baby sleeps in a bouncy chair at all. But that has not stopped me, since the bouncy chair is brilliant for naps.

I mentioned 6 weeks (as an ish rather than a specific time frame) because as a newborn baby generally will sleep better swaddled (well all mine have) and so need a flat surface for sleeping swaddled.

[Worriedaboutwee]

We have a fisher price swing that played music etc. has been a god send although probably the same principle that you're not meant to let them sleep for long in it. Still sleeps in it occasionally at almost 6 months although nearly too big for it now

[andadietcoke]

Yes! Sleepyheads! My DTs had them from birth - I co-slept with them for a while and they were great for that and really helped the transition to cot too. They have the Grande ones now!

[OhMittens]

You can try a crib.

These are bigger than a Moses basket (cribs can be used up to 6 months as opposed to 1-3 months for a moses basket) but they are smaller than a cot.

However another alternative would be to have a Moses basket downstairs for daytime naps and then the big cot upstairs for night time.

Don't forget that you will need somewhere safe and soft to put the baby down in whilst you answer the door/take out the washing etc and a baby bouncer isn't very comfortable plus you need to secure the baby each and every time which is a bit of a faff for a quick put down/pick up.

As for carrycot from the pram, that's ok, except if it's attached to your pram you will be de-tatching it to take it into the lounge, because you won't want your dirty pram-wheels all over your lounge carpet - that's where the baby will be doing tummy time and rolling over. If you have a hallway, the pram might stay there, but it's not very cosy for the baby if you are putting him/her down all the time in the hallway (without you being nearby).

I had a cot in the baby's room, a crib in our room and a Moses basket in the lounge. Worked great. All can be bought cheaply in sales or second hand if you are looking to save money (new mattresses, an essential, are inexpensive if you shop around for them).

Don't forget crib sheets are bigger than moses basket sheets so if you do get a crib, get the correct fitting mattress and sheets to match.

Hope this helps!!

[DrSeuss]

A plastic under bed box lined with blankets worked fine downstairs for DD. forgot to get her out of it before the midwife called one day. She was very polite but clearly slightly freaked out!

[SDTGisAnEvilWolefGenius]

Are Moses baskets out of favour now?

I used one with all three of mine - it was light, easily portable and didn't take up a lot of space. When I wanted to start getting them used to a proper cot, I simply put the Moses basket in the cot, so they were still in familiar surroundings close to, though the cot was new to them. It worked really well.

[ohthegoats]

Mine never slept 'downstairs' at all other than on me. Didn't like the moses basket, wouldn't sleep in her Sleepyhead outside of her sidecar crib either. At around 10 weeks we moved into a little flat while our house was being renovated, and the bedroom was about 5 ft away from the living room. I just started putting her down for naps in her bedside crib or in my bed. She obviously couldn't roll at the time.

If I was doing it again I'd be better at insisting/working hard on naps in the Sleepyhead downstairs, or a little crib downstairs (the £40 Mothercare one - same as I had upstairs).

[MrsHenryCrawford]

I never used a moses basket, we sidecar the cot to our bed which was really handy-ds would fall asleep on my chest and I would just transfer him into the cot. Downstairs he either slept in the sling/in my arms or the pram.

[FernGullysWoollyPully]

I've used whatever I had tbh. A moses basket for dc1 and 2. A crib for dc3 and a carrycot for dc4. Also, bouncy chairs are excellent to get them to sleep, I've had one with each. I had a swing with dc3, she went in it all of a handful offices, total waste of money.

What about a baby bean bag?

[FernGullysWoollyPully]

Offices? Bloody hell! of times

[JuniDD]

My dd slept on me or on her playmat. I've now installed a travel cot as playpen downstairs and that would've been good too although hard in the early days to bend over due to csection.

[Sleepyhoglet]

Bugaboo bee doesn't come with carrycot

[Kiwiinkits]

Phil and Teds Cocoon was perfect as a newborn bed. Can be put anywhere. And when you're ready to go out in the pram you just slip it into the pram and away you go, no need to wake the baby.
Used my cocoon constantly from 0 to 6 months. Then they grow out of it and are ready for a cot.

[Kiwiinkits]

Also much cheaper than a moses basket

[laurenewylie]

Highly recommend sleepyhead. My DS slept in it in the cot from day 1. Moses basket un-used! I know sleepyhead expensive but read reviews online and you will be sold!