New Born Babies: Cots, Baby Cribs, or Moses Baskets?

This is a collaborative post. 

Parents sometimes spend an inordinate amount of time preparing a nursery in anticipation of a new baby. Cots, baby mobiles and wallpapers are meticulously picked to ensure their soon-to-arrive baby will feel comfortable and instantly at home. However, many paediatricians actually recommend holding off from using a cot until babies are at least three months old. In fact, in the United States, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) actually recommend parents to share a room with their babies to reduce the risk of sleep-related deaths.

 

The reason is simple: new-borns require constant supervision of parents, and since they sleep up to 16 hours a day, it’s not practical to expect parents to stay by their side for entire length of time. As such, the perfect sleeping options for babies are bassinets, baby cribs and Moses baskets, which should ideally be placed in the same room or bed as the parents. However, parents must absolutely refrain from smoking in the room, or consume any alcohol or drugs if they are sharing a bed with a baby. Placing babies in one of these beds also allow parents to move their baby around the house without disturbing their sleep.

 

Bassinets

 

Bassinets are actually designed for babies up to four months old. They can be placed directly on beds, or on top of wooden stands – located by the bedside – that are frequently equipped with caster wheels. Pay attention to the mattress though. Off the shelf units sometimes use thin sponge mattresses that may cause discomfort to babies.

 

Moses Baskets

 

Moses baskets, which derived its name from the biblical story of Moses, bring a touch of traditional elegance to bedrooms and nurseries. Designed from natural palm, wicker, rattan or other types of aesthetically attractive material, Moses baskets are breath-taking to behold, especially if matched against beautiful fabrics and quilts. Babies also look very snug inside the canopied design. Speaking of designs, in recent years, Moses baskets have undergone a Renaissance of sorts and are experiencing a massive surge in popularity. So much so, there are even designer Moses baskets sold by fashion houses and high end retailers, which all looks absolutely lovely.

 

However, it is worth remembering that unlike cots, which are legally required to adhere to the

BS EN 716-2:2008 manufacturing safety standards, Moses baskets are not regulated by any laws.

 

Baby Cribs

 

For all intents and purposes, baby cribs are almost identical to bassinets. The only major difference between the two is that, baby cribs are markedly larger. While this gives more room to babies, they also reduce the mobility baby cribs, which sometimes can’t even be fitted inside certain cars. Similar to bassinets, baby cribs can also be positioned above a stand. Owing to its size advantage, baby cribs also have a longer usage life, and can comfortably fit babies until they are one year old. Additionally, baby cribs can double up a baby’s play area since there is sufficient space to store toys.