Gaia Hera Bedside Crib review

Price on writing: £250 | Buy now from Amazon

Our rating:

What we like

Easy to assemble
Larger and longer-lasting than a standard Moses basket
Made from eco-friendly materials
Mesh lining is both breathable and allows for parent to see baby very easily
Height adjustable to fit neatly alongside bed

What we don't like

Pricey
Height adjustment can be a bit fiddly to adapt (but shouldn't really need to be once you've got the correct setting for your bed)
An earlier version of the crib had some safety concerns pertaining to the sturdiness of the panels and the height of the mattress when using the reflux tilt setting

Key specs

Price on writing: £250 | Dimensions: 82.4L x 48.4W x 85.4H cm | What's included: Crib, mattress, allen key for assembly | Age suitability: From newborn to 6 months (or baby able to roll)

Read next: Find out how the Hera compares to other newborn cribs and co-sleepers in our comprehensive guide

How we tested the Gaia Hera Bedside Crib²

I tested the Gaia Hera Crib² over a period of several months as my baby son's primary newborn crib from day one after coming home from the hospital (he is currently three months old at the time of writing). During this time the crib was thoroughly tested for ease of assembly, safety, sturdiness, portability and ease of adjustability to provide an overall verdict assessing the crib's longevity and value for money.

Is assembly required?

The Gaia Hera Crib arrived flatpacked with minimal plastic packaging and did require assembly. This took around 20 minutes and was fairly straightforward. In addition to the allen key provided we also needed a cross head screwdriver.

How large is the Gaia Hera Bedside Crib²?

Measuring 82 cm X 40 cm the crib is larger than a standard Moses basket but not as big as some bassinets like the Stokke Snoozi.

It’s meant to last till babies are six months old or start rolling. While our son isn’t the biggest of babies, at three months he’s much too big for a Moses basket, so I’m pleased that the Hera is bigger.

Related: The best baby monitors and travel cots according to Mumsnet parents who've tried and tested them

Does the crib feel sturdy and safe?

The crib is beautifully made from Ash wood, Birch and Beech ply with an organic cotton removable liner. The crib basket and legs are really sturdy. The top of the bassinet is made from mesh cotton lining, held up by a thin metal pole that can be moved up and and down.

It’s a nice design and means you can see a bit more into the cot than if it was fully covered, even with the side panels up. But the metal pole is quite thin and if you put too much pressure on it, it could bend. If the pole bends significantly it could be a risk for the baby as the sides won’t be high enough to keep them safe. So it’s definitely something to be aware of when using this crib.

Parent-tester Tina

Gaia Hera Bedside Crib²

£250

Buy now from Amazon

How does the Gaia Hera Bedside Crib² look?

It’s a beautiful piece of furniture that will look great in any room, the A-frame base and cotton sides are elegant and understated. Gaia baby place a lot of emphasis on using high quality wood and eco friendly materials and it really shows.

How easy is the co-sleeper to adjust to bed height?

When you assemble the crib you’ll need to measure the height of your bed and select the appropriate height. There are five positions and should suit any type of bed or divan. It’s quite easy to set up when you’re setting up the crib, though make sure you get it right because it would be a bit of pain to adjust once the crib is fully assembled.

Related: Find more bedtime essentials with our guides to the best mattress protectors, cot beds, white noise machines and swaddles

How is the mattress with the Hera Bedside Crib²?

The mattress is made from nursery Grade Foam Core - designed for the nursery industry and free from harmful chemicals. It’s firm, but very breathable.

Obviously there's no guarantee that a mattress can deliver a peaceful night's sleep, but I can say our tester loved sleeping in this cot.

How many different settings are there for incline and height?

There are five settings that you can select when assembling the cot. You'll want to make sure you get it right because you can't adjust the height easily when it’s all built.

There is an option to set the mattress up at an incline to soothe colic. It’s very easy to set up, you just need to remove the mattress and move the block on the base unit. It’s a nice additional feature that may be useful for some babies, but it didn’t really make a difference for us.

One thing to be aware of, when using the mattress incline function you’ll need to keep the side panels up as an additional safety precaution.

Read next: The best cot bed mattress, bunk beds and blackout blinds for peaceful nights

How portable is the crib?

The Hera is a beautifully made but also quite heavy piece of furniture, so while it has castors to make it portable I’m not sure you’d want to move it around too often. We ended up mainly using it in our bedroom, the castors were helpful to move the cot around, but struggled a little on our wool carpet. If you had very thick pile carpet, it would be a bit of pain to move around.

Parent-tester Tina

Gaia Hera Bedside Crib²

£250

Buy now from Amazon

You can remove the bassinet from the legs to transport separately, but I wouldn't say you’d want to do this regularly and definitely not up and down stairs. If you want to be able to move your bassinet around the house regularly I’d recommend looking at a Moses basket instead of a bedside crib.

Read next: The best night lights, baby sleeping bags and mattresses for kids

What are the best features of the Gaia Hera Bedside Crib²?

The adjustable side panels are really helpful on this crib and I like that I can wheel the bassinet away from the bed for day time use and the mattress is really comfortable, our DC has slept very well in it. Mostly though I just really like the way this crib looks in our room, it’s just a nice piece of furniture which feels really well made and built to last.

And the worst?

The side panels aren’t very sturdy so you need to avoid leaning on them at risk of them bending or breaking the metal poles. After three months of use we haven’t seen any visible damage. But Which? found that with an earlier version of the crib the poles bent out of shape when applying 20kg of pressure on them. You can avoid this by not leaning on those sections of the crib but if you have a bad back or need to be able to lean on the crib to safely put your baby down then this isn’t the right choice for you.

One final thing to be aware of is that the pole on early models of the Hera crib has plastic coverings that are quite easily removed and could potentially be a choking risk. I’ve been informed that newer models of this crib don’t have this issue. There’s also a crib modification kit you can request from Gaia if you have an older model.

Related: The best baby blankets, kids' weighted blankets and toddler beds according to Mumsnet

Overall verdict on the Gaia Hera Bedside Crib²

I’ve tried our DS in a standard Moses basket as well as a Stokke Snoozi crib, the Hera just feels more like a well made piece of furniture than the other cribs I’ve tested. Also with the Moses Basket, DS found the handles at around three months old and started tugging them. The Stokke Snoozi is bigger, so we’ll be able to use it for a little longer but the Hera’s drop down sides and wheels definitely make it a more usable everyday cot.

The Hera is on the more expensive side of bedside cribs, but it really does feel like a premium product. It’s beautifully made and our tester seems very comfortable in it.

It’s a crib that’s really built to last, whether you’re looking at using it for multiple children or thinking of reselling it. I really like this crib, yes it’s a premium product but it has a premium look and quality finish that’s designed to last.

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About the author

Tina Williams is the Head of Editorial Content at Mumsnet where she leads a team of expert writers and editors to develop Mumsnet Swears By, the home for product reviews and buying advice, where parents test and recommend the products they love. She was previously Mumsnet’s Head of Reviews and developed a comprehensive testing system to rigorously test baby essentials and new product innovations.

About Mumsnet Reviews

All Mumsnet product reviews are written by real people after weeks of research and testing – this includes recommendations from the Mumsnet Talk boards. We work hard to provide honest and independent advice you can trust. Sometimes, we earn revenue through affiliate (click-to-buy) links in our articles. However, we never allow this to influence our coverage.