Bassinet or Amby?

With my first child I had a bissinet and hated it. I could not see my baby girl while laying down in bed, I also could not easily put my hand in there to soothe her if need be. I had to physically sit up.

With my second child I have the co-sleeper and I love it. The lowered ledge that goes along the bed is great. I often fall asleep while watching him (whether he is awake or asleep.) I can also put my hand on his chest and soothe him while I am still laying down. The co-sleeper has done wonders for me in getting more sleep. I don't have sit up in bed as much to help my child.

I cannot speak for the "Amby" but I really recommend the co-sleeper.

Tiffany,

I co-slept and had a bassinet as well. I wouldn't spend the money on an Amby. They grow too quickly!

Molly

I preferred a cradle to either of your suggestions> We used a bassinet in the family room and a cradle on the bedroom and the cradle was great! I could gently swing the cradle and get a few more winks.

A.

I used a bassinet for the first three months and then put my lil' one in her own room in her crib. Worked like a charm. Having them in bed is sometimes nice, but not recommended, and also having a bassinet gives you a little space to catch some sleep yourself. You will make the right decision for you, you'll know it because it will work for both of you! Enjoy!!

I have a baby hammock (a homemade one, not Amby), and I think my little guy sleeps longer in it than my daughter did in the bassinet. I like it--it's more like the sling, and they both love/loved naps in the sling.

(during the day. At night we co-sleep. I wasn't originally going to with my first, but it's just so much easier with nursing, & I couldn't bear to have her as far away as the bassinet next to our bed all night!)

I had a bassinet and it was good because I could move it around. my son made a lot of noise when he slept so he only spent one night in the room with me, then I moved him to an alcove outside our bedroom so I could get some sleep. I agree that they grow way too fast to spend much money.
good luck

I had an OLD bassinet. One of the white wicker ones, it was 2nd hand. She only slept in it for 1 1/2 to 2 months at night and rarely during the day during naps. I dont see how the amby is nesseary if you have a great swing!

We use the Arm's Reach Beautiful Dreamer Cocoon Sleeper and it's exactly like the Amby Sleep system only it costs between $135.00 - $150.00. We bought ours on the Babies "R" Us website, but you can go to the Arms Reach website and order it directly through them. Our daughter is almost 4 months old and has been sleeping through the night since she was 5 weeks old. We love it and so does she and at that price, it's no more than most bassinets. I highly recommend it. Feel free to contact me if you have any questions. My email is ____@____.com

Hi there Tiffany,
The main thing to remember here is that the tiny newborn phase goes by like a flash, so spending extra money on something you will use for a couple of months just isn't worth it. I got a hand-me-down bassinette that I put by our bed for the first 1-2 months and then all my babies were grown out of that by then. Then I went to a Pack-N-Play for quite a while with my first. My second and third kids went from the bassinette to the crib that I didn't have with my first baby. And my last one is 9 months old now and she sleeps in a Pack-n-Play because we only have 3 bedrooms for our 6 member family and we're working on getting a trundle for the 2 middle ones and then the baby can go to the crib. I'm sorry I don't know anything about the Amby, but in my personal experience, spending any more money on something that is going to last such a short time is a waste. I also don't recommend co-sleeping in the same bed because nobody gets good sleep that way, and it's not safe anyway. You can get 2nd hand store bassinettes for cheap or look on places like craigslist that sell bassinettes, cribs and pack-n-plays all the time for cheap. Remember, the babies don't care where they sleep. WE are the ones it bothers! I say go the cheap route with everything at this age. You blink your eyes and they're having their first birthday!
God bless.

We debated between the arms reach mini co-sleeper and the cocoon (amby-like product). We went with co-sleeper. In hindsight, we wish we had gotten the cocoon. We thought that the cocoon would take more effort to get baby in and out of, but even with co-sleeper, I found I had to sit up to get him in and out of co-sleeper and to burp him. The co-sleeper is actually lower than the bed so mechanically it is hard to scoop baby out of it from a lying down position. After 6-8 weeks he had significant reflux and now he sleeps in carseat or swing. Once, I found him leaning precariously off the side of the swing. I wish we had gotten the cocoon instead. Supposedly, it helps babiescwith reflux (due to incline) as well as fussier babies (due to the motion). Presume it is better than swing because motionless sleep helps babies sleep better and the cocoon gives them motion only when they are restless. Also, it fully encapsulated your baby so you don't have to worry about him falling out. Good luck and enjoy!

I have 2 boys. 3yrs and 7months. My frist son was so easy and slept in his crib at 7 weeks. To this day he is a great sleeper. NEVER wakes up unless he is sick/nightmares. He was in his bassinet for 7 weeks and never slept well in it. It soothed vibrated all of the great features. However, when he was in bed with me he slept great. So i decided to try his crib and that was the end of that. He was sound asleep and happy. 7pm-7am he slept through. My second son not so much. He is just now starting to sleep through the night at 7 months. Both my boys were big babies and outgrew the bassinet by 2months. My second son doesn't like to be in anything but open spaces. they both hated the pacifier and being swaddled. Very challenging to sooth them as infants. But Im lucky he still likes his carseat. He didn't like the swing after 2 months where my first son lived in it till he got too big and it stop swinging. Every baby is different so it is really hard to know what will work and not. The things my fist son loved my second son hates. So its hard to say what is the best to get. My second son was crawling at 5 months and now trying to walk at 7 months where as my first was just rolling over at 7 months so that is why im sure he doesn't want to be strapped down in gear. I don't know anything about the Amby but hearing a lot of good things about it. You can go broke on baby gear and

Good luck and this is a very excitng time. Enjoy every minute as it goes by so fast.

SAHM/Zombie 40yrs old 2 sons that are the love of my life.

Hi Tiffany -
I know there are so many choices! Our daughter is 8 months now and, was our first - I felt so overwhelmed at what we should get. I ended up with a bassinet/pack n play combo for by our bed and also got a Moses Basket with a rocker base. She liked the Moses basket during the day for naps in the family room. It was also nice to lay her down in the basket in our bathroom while I showered and often the sound of the water and fan would put her to sleep. She did NOT like her bassinet so we ended up pulling her in bed with us and that always freaked me out with a newborn - I worried constantly and got no sleep at all. We tried something called the "Snuggle Nest" my friend recommended and out daughter didn't like that, either. In hindsight, I would have bought the co-sleeper for sure. They can be at arms - length / very close but be safe and I could have had more peace of mind. Also, look for one with a higher upper weight limit so they can sleep in it longer. My daughter is a big baby and the pack-n-play bassinet only went to 15 pounds which she was up to by 3 months! The cosleeper I saw at Babies R US was also endorsed by Dr. Sears and went up to 25 or 30 pounds. So if you want to co-sleep longer, you can. It also can acted like a bassinet if you pull the side up. I don't know anything about the Amby - haven't had anyone I know use it but if your baby ends up with colic it looks worth trying if you have the ability to buy a few different things and try them. I hope this helps and congrats on your little one! It is SO fun!!

When I had my first child I figured that I would not need a bassinet, and choose to save the money. Two days later I was out getting the Arm's Reach Mini Co-Sleeper at Toys r us. It came in very handy to nurse in at night. It has very easy access, and when my children got to big to sleep in it it became a good toy keeper. My two children slept in it until they were 6 months each.

I have a 9 month old daughter, when she was first born I too wanted her in our room until I felt she was old enough to sleep in her own room (which she did after 2 months). We used a Graco Pack-n-play which was perfect, it's under $100, and now we use it whenever we travel. My daughter sleeps very well in it I think because she is quite familiar with it. When she was younger she slept in the "bassinet" insert that it comes with and now that she's bigger she sleeps down low. The pack n play has wheels so it is also mobile, and it packs down quite small for travel. You can purchase a quilted cover which makes the pad a little more comfortable. I say save yourself some money and get something that's dual purpose!

Bassinets are cute - but even my tiny preemie grew out of it in about 3 months. I used a Pack-n-Play and LOVED it. It has a detachable changing station and adjusts from bassinet to travel crib/playpen - it came with a little night light so I could peek at kiddo without waking him up and even a mobile - like a real crib. We still use it when a baby visits and needs a place to nap.
Graco and Evenflo make these and you can check them out at Babies R Us and then order off the internet to save money. ;) Overstock.com. Amazon.com Ebay, Walmart etc. etc.

I'd vote for the Amby hands-down! We used one for our daughter's whole first year, so you do get your money's worth from it, for sure - no worries on that. It's very easy to break down and take on trips (it checks with baggage if you get the carrying bag with it) - it was worth its' weight in gold to have our baby's very own bed on cross-country or international trips.

Our baby had infant reflux and the Amby is one thing that was recommended and was very helpful in making her more comfortable. She also learned to soothe herself very well during nighttime sleep due to the gentle rocking of the Amby.
It is safe to use up to one year (or more if the baby is very small).

If you're concerned about costs, there are used sets and accessories often available on eBay and sometimes on the actual Amby webpage as well (gently used) - and/or you can resell your own equipment when your baby outgrows it...that's what we did to recoup the majority of our investment and everyone was happy. :)

Good luck in making your decision!

S. M.

Go for the co-sleeper. You'll have more flexibility with it. We got the Amby and my baby slept in it once. I don't like it for newborns b/c of positioning (our baby slept with us in a Snugglenest first) but at 3 months we moved him to the Amby he he thought it was fun. He wouldn't sleep. I resold it on Craiglsit at a big loss.

My advice:

Don't buy either until after the baby arrives. Some moms love to have baby sleeping next to their bed. Others find they can't sleep at all with baby so near (they're usually not quiet sleepers!) If you got a playpen (I highly recommend them), it should have a bassinet feature. Use that the first week if you want to try out baby sleeping in your room. If, after a week, you want to continue, buy a bassinet or the other sleep system you mentioned. But if not, you'll have saved a lot of money by waiting!

I loved the Amby that we borrowed for our second child. I swear that it is what taught my son to fall asleep, he was always put in it awake and still can put himself to sleep. It is also really easy to use if you travel, it is small and easy to set up after you get the hang of it. You can also use it for up to one year or until they can crawl out of it.

http://www.babyhammocks.com/
Hi Tiffany, I think it is great that your up to date on whats new I don't have babies anymore but I am a mother of four beautiful children I also used a bassinet, but then I had a portable bed made by Graco that I would take when visiting so my baby could stay on his or her routine even though away from home, I went and checked out the website because I was curious about what an Amby was, it looks awesome to me it's portable looks like it takes less space then a bassinet and if your planning on any other children it will be worth the money although it didn't say the price. And its portable so if you go on vacation or visiting your baby can still have his or her bed. My kids didn't stay in a basinet passed 5 or 6 months they grew fast and were ready for a crib I also didn't put the basinet or Amby in my room for more than a month babies make a lot of strange noises and I needed my sleep between feedings thats why I think its great that it is so portable Congratulations on your pregnancy and to your amazing down to earth husband too!

I had my kids really close together so I had a crib already but wanted to have my son sleep closer to me at first, so I got a co-sleeper bassinet. I really liked it. I could but him down at night and once he woke I was right there I could just grab him to nurse without getting out of bed. That made it much easier for me to fall back asleep once he was done with his nighttime snack. I only used it for the first few months but it really was a life saver.
I still have it and don't need it anymore, if you want you can message me about it. I would be happy to free up some space, and with a new one on the way you could prob. stand to save a few $$$. Let me know. :)