Bassinet or Cot??

Hi there,

I am due on the 14th of December and am having the baby in Saudi Arabia as my husband and I have just moved here for his work.

I was just wondering if it was worth buying a bassinet for the first few months and then move the baby into a cot once it has outgrown the bassinet.

Thanks!!

Ditto as to what lenabeanz said. We had a bassinet but IMO it was a waste of money as both our girls were in their cot by about 4 weeks and slept much better in a cot.

ditto to what Lizzie said, my Joey is definitely one to wave arms and legs about. He is 6 weeks old and has been sleeping in his cot for about a week now.

Bassinet on the other hand was nice at first because he was in the room with us and obviously if he hadn't grown so fast he would still be in it!

As lenabeanz said, personal preference really!

PS Welcome to Oh Baby!

My baby was in the basinette for 3 months, and I only took her out because I wanted her to get used to a cot because we were going away.

I found it brilliant for the unsettled nights / days early on because you can move them around more, and when really desperate I would put the bassinette on the bouncinette & rock her to sleep. Also she had jaundice so I had to put her in the sunlight to sleep. Also it was easier to prop up one end for reflux / spilling.

She was normal height & weight (always right on the 50% mark), and I never had problems with her banging her arms because mostly I would wrap her.

Don't think I would buy one new though as they're quite expensive for the time you use it. Mine was hand-me-down. 2nd hand would be the go.

We tried the wrapping technique but he wouldn't have a bar of it!! He likes to suck his hands and would scream the place down if we wrapped them away!! There are things you can get to put in the cot/over the cot at first so baby doesn't have to sleep in the big bed straight away... or a moses basket is always nice and very portable...

Han has always been wrapped but I generally wrap her so she can get her arms free. But yeah, we had the same problem with the basinette. She would hear a noise and throw her arms out and wake herself. Putting her in the cot meant she didn't wake as easily. She was probably in the basinette for about 8 weeks.

My cot had a level you could put the base on which was quite high, so leaning over was never a problem.

But in all the basinette bagging I am doing... they are just so cute for little babes. I always wish I'd had a moses basket. It would have been great for carting around the house so that I could be in different areas and not have to worry about not hearing Hannah wake.

Thanks for all your replies. I have been offered the use of a bassinet so I think I will try the baby in that first. My mother thinks I should wrap the baby but I have no idea how to do that - Mum is not arriving until two weeks after the babies due date - can someone give me instructions!!!

Your midwife should show you once bub is born how to wrap him/her.

We had use of a bassinet when Ella was born, she slept in it for about 7 weeks - another baby who liked to sleep with her arms spread out so she was better off in the cot. Very handy though, can wheel it around the house and pull it close to the bed.

my midwife at the hospital showed me how to wrap Jake...and how to put on cloth nappies. i felt so stupid at the time, but she said she'd taught many a mum.

I don't have a mid-wife over. I have a Dr and then there is a separate birthing team who I haven't met yet. They also do not have antenatal classes but my Dr thinks they have a video which she is trying to find for me. At the moment I see my Dr at the hospital every two weeks, so am not sure what happens after the birth - will have to ask my Dr at my next appointment!