Do I really need a Moses basket?

[Mumtobe193]

Hi ladies,

So I'm currently expecting my second baby, pretty clued up on what I do and do not need to buy this time round. Only thing I'm not sure about is a Moses basket. I had not one by two for my first DD (one in our room and one downstairs for daytime naps) and I feel like it was a massive waste! DD never really settled in them, and was quite a long baby, so wasn't really in them for long. She slept in my arms a lot in the day, and ended up in bed with us an awful lot at night, she was breastfed so this worked okay for us. She slept well in her pram when we were out and about, and if something needed done around the house I'd put her down in her bouncer chair if she was awake or Moses basket if she was asleep (which wouldn't last long before she'd wake up screaming).

Based on the experience I had with DD I plan to buy a snuzpod or similar this time around, so we can co sleep and breastfeed easily without the anxiety of squashing the baby (I never really slept properly with DD in our bed for fear of this). I do not plan to buy a Moses basket at all this time, I don't have DD's old Moses baskets anymore, I sold one on gumtree and donated the other to the charity shop. Plus the bedside cribs I've seen can be quite expensive so it isn't really an option to get a Moses basket aswell. I'm hoping it will work out more economical to buy a bedside crib as they look so much bigger so hopefully baby will be in it for longer (if they settle in it that is).

However a family member said to me the other day 'I bet you regret getting rid of those Moses's basket now don't you?' To which I replied that actually I didn't plan on using one this time. They then raised the question of what am I going to put baby in to sleep during the day, I told them I was under the impression that I could bring the snuzpod downstairs if I wanted, but then it got me thinking, if they're bigger and bulkier won't this be a bit of a nightmare? How big and heavy are snuzpods anyway? Also told them how DD only ever wanted to nap in my arms most of the time, so was pointless anyway, and was basically laughed at, and told how unrealistic this would be with a 3 year old running around aswell, which I guess is right? Would a sling rectify this? Did any of your babies sleep well in a sling whilst you were pottering around the house etc.

Also DD seemed to fall asleep very quickly in her bouncer, she had acid reflux and being upright really helped, of course I know the dangers associated with this so I moved her to her Moses basket after she actually fell asleep, but she'd then usually wake up crying within minutes as soon as she was moved, and we'd start the whole routine again, so I thought maybe a bouncer that converted to lie flat might be good. Are they worth the extra money?

Also I've considered buying a pram with a carrycot that is safe for sleeping for longer periods of time. Can any reccomend any? Preferably something quite affordable.

Or should I just bite he bullet and buy a Moses basket?

Or is there really no need for any of this? Should I stick to Plan A and bring the snuzpod downstairs during the day?

Sorry this is a bit long winded, thanks ladies x

We had a Moses basket but DS was only in it for 5 weeks - wouldn't bother again.

You'll be fine with carrycot and bedside crib.

Don't want to derail the thread, but are you set on the Snuzpod, OP? We did a lot of research and ended up getting the Chicco Next 2 Me instead. It's more adjustable than the Snuzpod, so easier to get a good fit against your bed, can raise one end really easily if baby is refluxy, and it folds completely flat in its own bag (like a travel cot) if you're going away for a night. We took it everywhere with us until DS was 6 months old. It's also a bit bigger than the Snuzpod - a Sleepyhead (if you want to use one) will fit slightly more comfortably inside it, and if you have a big baby it will last longer.
The Snuzpod is a better looking piece of furniture, but we found the Chicco much more practical.
Also, re: the top of the Snuzpod lifting off, if you are using it in bedside mode it has to be fully attached to your bed with tether straps etc. Realistically, you don't be wanting to undo and redo that every day.

Disclaimer - I don't work for Chicco  It was just one of the best things we bought.

I bought a Moses for DD. She was in it for a few weeks. She kept waking herself (and us!) up by flailing and hitting the sides so we moved her to the cot. She only slept in it during the night.

DS is 16 weeks and he's still in it! He sleeps a lot more calmly than DD, and he seems content in there. He also only sleeps in it at night. We're putting the cot up next week and I'm dreading it tbh. The basket is so small and easy to drag around etc. But he's getting so big now, it's time.

Not everyone bothers, but we got it cheap and it's done two kids, so not a waste for us.

I tested the Snuzpod in the shop and found the lift-off bassinet really quite heavy and unwieldy. I couldn't imagine routinely taking it up and down the stairs every day, especially with a baby inside. The ability to lift off was one of the selling points for me but I went off it a bit after testing it, and then it turns out it won't fit to our bed properly anyway so we've bought a Chicco Next2Me Dream instead.

We do have a Moses basket which will probably only last a few weeks but it wasn't expensive (I think it was £40 including the stand from Asda) so I don't really mind if it doesn't last long – if we get a few weeks out of it then that's fine. It we don't use it at all, it's not so much money I feel bad about wasting. We'll also have the baby box as we're in Scotland, which we might end up using instead.

I never had a moses basket. I was in one as an infant and my mum came through to find that I had pulled the material that lines the inside over my face. Obviously they are much safer nowadays but still enough to freak me out. Theres so many places they can sleep when they are tiny, 95% of the time it was on top of me or just placed somewhere in whatever room I was in.
We had a lullago bassinet and I was doing it again I would get the next stage lullago, its the perfect travel cot with an excellent waterproof mattress.

Just qualified for our baby box, thanks for the tip!

I planned to carry the snuzpod around but then had a c-section so that was not an option.

I wouldn't worry about it though, in these days of internet shopping if you need a moses basket you could just get one delivered the next day!

It was a really cold winter when dd was a newborn so I worried about the pram bassinet being cold for her naps, plus I wanted her in the same room as me. Probably being daft.

Why would a pram bassinet be cold?

Because I was a first time mother and off my head with birth trauma/sleep deprivation! It probably wasn't cold. The mattress was quite thin though.

Do you mean cold because the baby would be outside or that the bassinet itself would be cold? I bring my bassinet inside and have it in the room that I’m in.

I'm in the same boat. I didn't have a moses basket with dd1, she just slept in my arms or bouncer but as I'll have a 3 year old to deal with I'm assuming arm sleeping won't be practical and the bouncer isn't particularly safe from dd running around.

We've bought a pram so the plan is the baby will sleep in the carrycot during the day when I need to put them down. We then have a co-sleeper for night time.

I've found pushchairs are much cheaper on eBay than Facebook. It's surprising how many people are listing pushchairs to end during a weekday afternoons. It's not peak time so bargains galore. I've just bought a pram for £25, would've been around £800 brand new. The same pushchairs are going for £100+ on Facebook

Check out a cocoonababy. Honestly, the best thing I have ever ever purchased.

It's funny you asked this as I am due no.2 in April and my SIL said I HAVE to get a moses basket (I'm not going to!). She said I would need one for the day time naps.
I didn't have one for DS and he napped in the toddle pod (similar to the sleepyhead) in the day or on me! I plan to do the same with DC2. I may change my mind when baby is here, but for now I am not planning to get anything.

We used a carrycot then moved into proper cot. Will be doing the same this time with no. 2.