Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

Set a reminder

Please or to access all these features

Pregnancy

Talk about every stage of pregnancy, from early symptoms to preparing for birth.

Moses basket essential or nice to have?

29 replies

Viletta · 22/05/2020 23:05

Hi all, just that really. I always though Moses basket for the living room is essential but have lots of friends who never bothered, babies slept on them or in the pram. What do you think and what about sleepyhead? I've got a dog so need something high enough so she can't reach


This thread is quite old now so some of the suggestions may be out of date, but if you’ve landed here looking for Moses basket recommendations, we’ve recently updated our best Moses basket page with lots of great options, as tried and tested by Mumsnet users. We hope you find it useful.
Flowers
MNHQ

OP posts:
Are your children’s vaccines up to date?
BernadetteRostankowskiWolowitz · 22/05/2020 23:06

The dog could possibly knock over a Moses basket. What breed do you have? We had the Tiny Love 3 in 1 Napper for dc2 which was way better than the Moses basket we had for dc1 however it's low.

Dog shouldn't be left alone with the baby though so maybe you could just get whatever?

Onceuponatimethen · 22/05/2020 23:08

Most of my nct group didn’t use the Moses baskets they bought! I wouldn’t bother to be honest

ParkheadParadise · 22/05/2020 23:08

Dd wouldn't sleep in the moses basket. She slept in her pram downstairs. We had a sleepyhead upstairs.

MrTumbleTumble · 22/05/2020 23:10

Just to add to the confusion, we had a moses basket downstairs and a crib upstairs. DS only slept in the moses basket (and only when it was in the living room, nowhere else!) or on top of us for about 3 months.

LouiseTrees · 22/05/2020 23:10

Hmm sleepyhead for night sleep or supervised sleep? It’s not really safe if at all unsupervised. Re the pram thing though, probably okay doing this but I didn’t want my pram sitting about in my living room, so we have a Moses in the living room (mokkee woolnest) and pram in the kitchen. The mokkee is quite big for a Moses so will continue to be able to use for quite a while.

NotMyUsualNameNoSiree · 22/05/2020 23:10

I didn't see the point of a Moses basket. Didn't plan to buy one as I was staunchly against unnecessary clutter. My mother bought us a cheapo one from Tesco - she was strangely insistent we'd need one.

Turns out, it was the only place DD would sleep for the first few months. We didn't have a dog (so no need for a stand). We just took her around the house with us and plonked her wherever we were.

Rhodri · 22/05/2020 23:12

I put mine in his bedside cot and went to sleep with him. I was far too tired to stay awake while he slept, I grabbed every minute I could! If he did go to sleep downstairs it was on my lap or in his pram.

twinckletwinck · 22/05/2020 23:12

My pram stayed in my car and crib upstairs so I got loads of use of the Moses basket downstairs. I had one on wheels that travelled around the house with me

If your pram comes inside then I wouldn't bother as their basically the same thing

ChristmasCarcass · 22/05/2020 23:17

Never had one, never had any occasion when I thought “oh I wish I had a Moses basket right now”.

DS slept on us during the day, or I took him up to the bedroom and lay next to him and read my book. Laid him on the (padded, covered) changing mat on the floor when I went to the loo.

TimeWastingButFun · 22/05/2020 23:21

Looking back, it was so handy because it was light and easily transportable from room to room. A frame compatible with the carry cot from the travel system would have been more practical though. We had a Moses basket, pram carry cot and swinging crib and looking back we could have just used the carrycot.

amazedmummy · 22/05/2020 23:22

We had one that I found quite useful but if I didn't have it I would have used his pram. It had a comfy carrycot. DS is very long and outgrew his next to me at about 5 months never mind a Moses basket but it was only £10 so I didn't grudge it at all. He really only napped on me but it was good to have somewhere to sit him if I needed the loo or to get something to eat etc. If I had the space I would have just used a travel cot from birth but it takes up half the living room.

Viletta · 22/05/2020 23:37

Thank you all for your lovely replies! Super useful! I just don't want unnecessary clutter indeed. Might wait until the baby is here and get one then if needed. The dog is small and we'll get ikea doors to keep him out of the room. I though when the baby is napping in the pram it's high enough for the doggo to have a wonder around.

I heard sleepyheads are not safe but supervised sleep should be fine? Would it be okay putting it on the sofa, coffee table or should it always be on the floor? I am a first time mum as you can probably tell 🙈🙈🙈

OP posts:
Pygmyseahorse · 22/05/2020 23:56

Dd hated the moses basket and the crib.. She only slept on me or in her cot but it was handy downstairs after Cs

They aren't very sturdy though for those with pets..

Our pram is bulky with its carrycot on and can't be on the floor due to the jaggy adapter side bits plus my dd would just love to try and play or push etc if it was in the sitting room so this time we may look into a very cheap basket just for the first few weeks.. So easy and cheap to pick up it's no real harm done but I'd probably suggest waiting til baby is here then seeing if it's your first especially

Willow4987 · 22/05/2020 23:58

We didn’t bother to use the Moses basket as babies grew out of them so quickly. For upstairs we have a next to me and downstairs I used the sleepyhead on the sofa, sleep on me, pram and when they’re bigger but still needing to nap with you I popped them in a travel cot in the living room

amazedmummy · 23/05/2020 00:09

OP I'd maybe hold off on the sleepyhead too. With DS it would have been no use, he slept fine in his next to me and likes to nap either on me or in his pram. Sleepyheads are expensive and you may not need it.

MrsP2015 · 23/05/2020 00:15

We had a next to me crib upstairs and the carrycot / pram downstairs.
Also had a chair rocker/ swing thing downstairs and a baby bouncer upstairs.

I really really wanted a sleepyhead as so many people recommended them for overnight sleeping but when I looked into them they were just too risky.
Didn't get one as I worried if baby was as comfy as everyone says she may not sleep at night without it!

I think there's something similar / new out that's been tested for overnight sleeping though..

LetTheSecretOut · 23/05/2020 00:16

Qow sleepyheads are so expensive. I would get a basket for a fraction of the price, by the time baby outgrown the basket they can nap in the cot upstairs with the monitor on.

Gin4thewin · 23/05/2020 00:19

My Dd slept in her moses basket upstairs at night until we got a next to me and id bring it downstairs for her to sleep in during the day. Was easier to carry between up and downstairs and it being on the stand meant she was safer from Ds falling on her because he can be a clutz. Both of mine were prem so probably got more use than is theyd been term

Charlottejade89 · 23/05/2020 10:09

I had one and it was all I used until dd was 5 months, our bedroom isnt wide enough for a bedside cot so used it upstairs at night and took it downstairs during the day. She slept really well in it and she is small so she for it in til 5 months old

melissasummerfield · 23/05/2020 10:12

I used a moses basket for all of mine for all sleeping up till about 3 months old, would just carry the basket downstairs in the morning.

Viletta · 23/05/2020 10:32

Thank you everyone for taking time to reply! I'll get a next2me and hold on to a Moses busker for now. Can I also ask when a baby can start using the swing thing/ rocking chair ?

OP posts:
ElectricTonight · 23/05/2020 10:57

I used a baby chair/bouncer which could lay flat.

SuziGeo · 23/05/2020 11:10

We live in an appartment so tried to keep our big baby purchases to the minimum. We bought a pram that was approved for overnight sleeping so we could use that instead of a moses basket and also instead of a travel cot if we were visiting family. It worked well for the first months but my baby is big so at 3 months he preffered napping in his normal cot in our bedroom.

happymummy12345 · 23/05/2020 11:17

I hate Moses baskets and I'd never ever put my baby in one. Then again I don't see the point of a baby sleeping downstairs during the day anyway. My son only ever slept upstairs in the crib.

Futureplanning · 23/05/2020 11:23

It looked very pretty in the corner of the lounge but was empty 99% of the time and after a couple of weeks he wouldn't go in it at all. I wouldn't bother again.

Please create an account

To comment on this thread you need to create a Mumsnet account.

This thread is closed and is no longer accepting replies. Click here to start a new thread.