Moses basket or cot...advice please..

[decmum]

One of my best friends is about to have a baby and asked me what I think about moses baskets vs cots for the first few months.
I followed Ginas advice...I know this makes most of you hate me but moving on...and put DS straight in to a small cot but not sure that was the right decision and not sure how easy it is to transfer a baby from a moses basket to a cot later on.
Your advice please wise ones.

I use the moses basket inside the cot in the bedroom, so I can keep the stand downstairs to use during the day.

We had a moses basket and it lasted 2 weeks. Whenever DS moved, he woke himself up by bumping the sides. What did work better was a bouncer chair. If he fell asleep in that, we just lifted it into his cot and he slept fine. The one we had reclined right back.

I did the same as you decmum with both mine.

jess lived in her moses basket til she was about 3 months old and then put her straight into the cot - she didnt seem to mind! had her in my room til about 8 weeks and then her "muttering" in her sleep was keeping me awake too much!

With the new baby (just found out im pg) ill probably do the same, use the moses basket for the early weeks and then straight to cot - so much easier when they are in the cot.

jess always went down for her nap upstairs anyway.

Moses baskets can be a bit of a waste of time, especially with bigger babies. I did have a Moses basket - DS1 slept okay in it but DS2 and DS3 who were bigger both hated it, especially DS2 who spent about half an hour in total in it.

I'm expecting no.2, but have just sold my moses basket as DS only fitted in it comfortably till he was 9 weeks, then he slept in his cot - which was so much better.

I've been lent a wooden crib this time, will take baby up to 6 months.

My SIL (who is also expecting) has not bothered buying a moses basket. They are going to use the carry cot until baby goes into the cot.

I'd say - moses basket - look sweet - but waste of dosh.

Mine both made the transition with minimal fuss. Think it has as much to do with the consistency of putting them down as the environment although did put moses basket in the cot for a few nights with ds. Mine weren't large babies though.

i had a moses basket given to us and it was handy, but if you do use one don't lift it by its handles, as they're usually not v strong and have been blamed for quite serious head injuries in a number of babies

We borrowed a Moses basket (new mattress) and DS slept in it for about 8 weeks. He got too big for it, then went into a sleeping bag in his cot with no problems. He'd napped in his cot too though, and we co-slept some of the time after his transition to the cot, but because he still fed during the night, not because he didn't like his cot.

A Moses basket is fantastic for the early days when all you want to do is sleep, but you don't necessarily want to co-sleep. Some babies take to them, some don't - you won't know which until he or she is born

Congrats on being pregnant JM!

Reason I have doubts is that I feel DS was never as secure in his cot and at the very start we would settle him on a large square pillow on our knees and then pop him in the cot still on the, bye then, warm/familiar pillow.
Have to say we bought a new pillow but it still contravenes the SIDS advice and Gina would have thrown the book at me.

DS was a ten pounder but slept really well in his moses basket, did swaddle him (babywhisperer devotee!) which may have helped though. He grew out of it by about 3 months and moved into his cot in our room with no hassle. Loved the moses basket because he could sleep downstairs in it so I was close to him and also had it right next our bed at night so I could just reach over and get him for middle of the night feeds.

Thanks everyone....feel my friend thinks I must know everything now I have DS but the first year was such a blur I struggle to dissect the good decisions from the bad and of course every baby is a new challenge!

decmum - jess always slept on a pillow in her moses basket and then in the cot - we only took it away at xmas when my HV said she would report me!

We had cot in our bedroom with both babies until 6 months as per SIDS advice. Both were biggish babies. DS didn't settle v. well but DD did.