Do I need a Moses basket?

[meel]

We have space in our bedroom for the cot, so I was hoping I could bypass having to buy a Moses basket, but now I’m having doubts.

We aren’t planning on buying a pram with a carrycot, just because the only time I’ll be walking with the baby when it’s tiny is walking the dogs, and a pram won’t work through our fields (and I prefer using a sling and having hands free). Also our house is awkward to get to from the car, so if we do get a pram, it will be stored down the bottom near the car anyway, so no use in the house.

But if we don’t have a pram or a Moses basket, where will baby sleep during the day? Do I need to give in and buy one or the other? Or is there another solution for day time naps? Can baby sleep upstairs if I’m not there? I’m a bit wary of having sleeping areas downstairs because of the dogs anyway...

We have a crib upstairs which would be way too difficult to cart around for downstairs naps. Instead of a moses basket, I did the babybox university online course (it's free and takes about 20mins if I remember!), and when you have completed the quiz at the end, they send you one of those scandi baby boxes which babies can sleep in. And a few other little baby bits too, which is nice :)

We use that for downstairs naps. It's fine :) and free. Though won't last forever as it's not enormous. But it's a good option for the early weeks.

In your shoes I'd get a secondhand Moses for downstairs naps and for a safe place to put the baby down since you wont be able to put her on the floor. I got a perfectly good one at a secondhand baby sale for £5 and they usually come with a stand which raises it up away from the dog. You can't safely put a baby box on a sofa or counter.

Tiny babies should nap in the same room as you to lower SIDS risk.

Like you I was not a fan, but saw one in a charity shop and it was a godsend. For downstairs naps and she also didn't like the cot at first, so we put the Moses basket in the cot at night. Best tenner I've ever spent!

A Moses basket or something like the Purflow nest for downstairs naps.

You can pick even new Moses baskets up very cheaply, and given how much babies sleep in the first few months you’ll use it every single day.

If you do buy or borrow a second hand one make sure you get a new mattress to decrease the SIDS risk.

I only had a Moses basket so I had somewhere safe to put the baby down if I needed too.
Other than that, we bedshared at night and he slept in a sling during the day.

Babies like an enclosed space to sleep in when they are new. I had a Moses basket upstairs and one downstairs on my first but on my other children I had a travel cot with a bassinet (I think that's what it's called) downstairs as I had a toddler and this was safer.

Would a travel cot for downstairs be more useful long term?

I hate Moses baskets so we had a crib in the bedroom. Dc only ever slept upstairs anyway. I don't see the need to have them downstairs so we didn't. We had a video monitor and we checked regularly. It was fine.

About to use the rock and play for my third. It's amazing and folds up easily.
If you do decide on a Moses basket ASDA usually have them in their baby events

They're supposed to be in the same room for all sleeps up until 6 months. A travel cot with bassinet might do to start with or maybe a crib you could use downstairs. We had a crib upstairs and then used the pram/buggy for downstairs

I would get a Moses basket. We used the carrycot from the pram. I don't think it's recommended that baby sleeps away from you due to sids but that might of changed. Plus you'd be up and down all day when baby wakes up for feeds, changes etc if you have a difficult birth that could be an issue in the beginning. We put the carrycot in his bedside crib when we went to sleep, or at least attempted to sleep. My son hated the crib as a newborn, I think it was too big for him.

My DS hated the cot as a newborn. I think it was too big and open for him. He settled much better in a Moses basket and stayed in it for the first few months. It’s handy if you stay over other peoples houses too.

I used a Moses basket on a stand for dd. Put it next to our bed and it worked for us. I felt she was safer in there than anywhere else.
She went straight into her cot bed at around 7 months.

Thanks all, I’ll get a Moses basket

I wouldn't bother. Neither of my two fit in one (9lb 12 and 8lb 5). We had to buy a wooden crib for them instead when we realised

You'd need a stand to keep them away from the dogs so you might be as well buying a crib. Lasts longer too

We've gone for a pushchair without a carrycot too this time, we've got a space saving cot upstairs and I received a baby box via the baby box university, it cost £5 delivery so my dc2 can sleep in that inside the cot *fingers crossed.

For downstairs we have just got a mamas and papas bouncer chair which lays completely flat and adjusts to a tilt when they're older.

I have a Moses basket I’m currently using for my third daughter. My first two stayed in it for around 3 months, I did try to sleep them in the cot but I had to keep putting rolled up towels around them as they startled quite a lot. DD3 (currently 6 months) absolutely loves the Moses basket and I can’t get her out of it! Her head is at the top and her feet are at the bottom when she stretches out, however she likes to sleep in the ‘frog legged’ position so it still suits her perfectly fine to sleep in. We have it in the cotbed so she gets used to sleeping in it and for ease for me feeding her in the night as she’s right next to me (we made the cot bed into a side car sleeper). Saying that she’s my best sleeper and only wakes once or twice a night.

We borrowed a family members old moses basket but ended up using our uppababy carrycot once our son was 6 weeks. It just felt more sturdy on the moses basket stand! Just dont bother buying one, there are plenty on buy swap sell sites and charity shops - just buy new bedding and you will be fine.

Some moses baskets are bigger than others, if you happen to have a long baby a bigger one will get more use.