Has anyone actually used a baby box?

[TooMuchGreys]

Just signed up to receive a baby box and was initially quite excited by the idea! My initial thoughts were to have it as a place to put the baby down/have naps downstairs. This is our second child and we have moved away from most friends and family and we don’t have things like the Moses basket we borrowed first time around.

Most of the research I've done into them seem as though people only really care about what freebies they get in the box vs actually wanting to use it as a place for baby to sleep. Then there seems to be a lot of hoo ha in America (where I live) about whether or not they are actually safe?!

So it’d be nice to hear the thoughts of people who have used it as a sleeping space for baby. How long did it last? Was it good? Did it feel safe? Etc etc. Thank you!

There meant to be the safest place for a baby to sleep. I'll be using mine for day time naps when baby is born in June.

We used it for a week because our chicco next to me broke on the first night. I thought the box was great. Baby slept just fine. The only thing I didn't like about it was that it was on the floor which is the safest place for it. It's handy to have for back up.

There was quite a good infographic by a Canadian organisation about how to check if your baby box is safe for sleeping, as not all of them are designed for that purpose. I can't find that any more annoyingly, but here is the Lullaby Trust's take on them:

www.lullabytrust.org.uk/are-baby-boxes-safe-to-sleep-baby/

I've got one for DC2 and I can't see why it wouldn't be safe, as long as you're not an idiot and use it as instructed. It looks very similar to a Moses basket to me, but without the stand. The mattress is sturdy and well fitting which is the main thing.

The freebies inside it are absolutely not worth any fuss.

I'm certain we'll use it for downstairs naps. It's easier to store out of the way when not in use compare to the Moses basket, I can just shove it under the coffee table.

I want to use mine but I'm worried about the cat jumping into it!

That was a helpful link Bertie, thank you.

I was slightly amused and alarmed by this particular snippet of advice

Do not put the lid on the box if your baby is in it

We use ours for daytime naps for DC2. It’s been great to have someone safe to put him down downstairs, ideal as a day bed.

Thank you for that link Bertie, was very helpful! It turns out that my DH isn’t that keen on the idea anyway and after reading the lullaby trust link I don’t really have the back up to defend the idea. I’ll have a good look at the box when I get it and we can make a decision about what we do with it then. This one is coming from Baby Box University if anyone has experience with that?

I got one. I put baby in it once and she screamed blue murder (whereas settled in her basket) so have put it up out the way. TBH I’m not sure if I will use it, it will have to go on the floor and I have 2 other kids and various pets wandering around so it’s not exactly safe there!

TBH if you're going to put the box on the floor surely it's as safe to put the baby on a playmat on the floor! Which also wouldn't be safe with other DC and pets, but would be perfectly fine without.

I think the point of the boxes is that they are safer than choosing an unsafe sleeping position like bedding designed for an older child, or co-sleeping unsafely because you can't afford a cot. I doubt that most people who have the kind of internet access where watching a few videos is no big deal are in that level of poverty, so the box isn't going to be any safer than anything you'd have access to already. But it's not inherently unsafe, it's just that they haven't done any research to determine whether it causes any extra problems which wouldn't be present in a different sleeping vessel. The sides are higher than a Moses basket and solid unlike with a cot/travel cot, so airflow could be a concern, particularly as airflow is one of the theories about what may cause SIDS - that's particularly popular in the US so you might be encountering more warnings about this than posters based in the UK.

Other options for downstairs sleeping might be:

• Playmat or blanket on floor
• Bouncy chair, rocker or swing (Rock n Play seems like a popular US choice) - these are used for such a short time, can often be found second hand.
• Travel cot which can double as a playpen later
• Highchair with newborn/reclining attachment
• Carrycot portion of pram

Friends of mine have their baby box downstairs for baby to nap in and are really happy with it. The mattress is sturdy and it's a nice size for baby. It definitely has british safety standard "accreditation as a crib" so pretty confident that it's safe. It's pretty portable and their older kid coloured in the outside of it which was cute. They were really happy with the stuff that came with it too, especially the fleecy jacket.

I'm looking forward to signing up for mine!

As Lullaby Trust says there is no safety standard which can be applied to cardboard boxes at this point in time. That doesn't mean it's unsafe, it just means it's not tested. They said sometimes the companies will advertise that they meet standards but the standards are not drawn up for boxes so they will only ever meet certain parts (such as not having any sharp edges).

Interestingly this came up on Facebook today and they are looking at drawing up a safety standard which is applicable to baby boxes, so we should be able to use this in the future. Here's the link if anyone is interested, with recommendations:

standardsdevelopment.bsigroup.com/projects/9018-01406