Did You Use a Bassinet? vs Pak N Play?

Unless you have an unusually small child, they only fit in a bassinet for a few months:( Get a co-sleeper instead. They use it longer, but it fits right up against the bed for easy night access!

Pak N Plays are not recommended for everyday/long term use. they do not provide enough support. I used a cradle - larger than a bassinett, but still much smaller than a crib for about 6 months. That might help you out more than a bassinett. The ads can also be misleading - trying to sell an item and "stretching" the usage to favor a quick sale.

Pak N Play is the way to go! You can use the bassinet portion until he or she is about 15 lbs, then if you don't want to transition to a crib that soon, you can have the baby sleep on the bottom, it worked out so great for my son he is 11 months and still sleeping great in the Pak N Play. The Pak N Play is going to come in handy when you need to get something done like laundry or cooking and you can set the baby in there for a little while once he gets older. The bassninet is only going to be used about 6-8 weeks anyways, and its just a big waste of money!

I used mine a lot! I got a beautiful natural wicker O. that was larger than the typical white ones you see everywhere and loved it. It's nice to have a pack N play on the first floor and the bassinet in your bedroom for the first months. I think newborns sleep better in a smaller space--they feel more secure.

well 1st off dont believe everything posted on craigslist and ebay..they will say anything to get a bite for the sale...i had a bassinet with all 3 of my kids (and have on for the new one) and we used them for awhile..my son was in his bassinet till he was almost 3months and he slept right next to my bed..BUT i did and do still use the packnplays because its nice to stick the baby in the playpen when there are older kids running around :) if your worried about the price and not getting your moneys worth,for sure buy the bassinet 2nd hand..nothing wrong with it..since they are so over priced hehe good luck ;)

as you can see each baby is different! My husband and I never used our pack-n-play. Our daughter still hates that thing. The bassinet, she was in for three months. We have one that detaches from the base so I could use the basket/sleeping part on the floor for naps and such. I have an Eddie Bauer from Babies-R-Us, and as soon as our new addition and I get out of the hospital, we will be using it again!

I used one with both of mine, we didn't have a bed room that was big enough for a pack and play in our first apartment with our second we had the pack and play down stairs and the bassinet up stairs.

I think it depends how you intend to use it. My husband and I actually used both the pack n play and a bassinet. We had the bassinet in our room so that the baby could sleep in our room for the first couple of months. I think my son outgrew the bassinet when he was about 4.5 months old (he was in the 90th percentile for height all along, or he might have been able to stay in it longer), and we moved him to his crib then. I liked this because the baby was in our room but not our bed (as is recommended by the AAP for SIDS prevention), and the bassinet certainly doesn't take up the same space as the crib in our room! The Pack n'play we kept downstairs, and my very tiny newborn was willing to nap in it, but as he got older, he came to associate the pack n'play with playtime, and refused to nap there. But of course, my bassinet is not for sale on craigslist, because I plan to use it for the next baby, too! I would think those who are selling theirs probably didn't use theirs the same way. I don't know what you're willing to spend, but I found my bassinet on amazon.com, and it was not terribly expensive and had great buyer ratings. You might check out the ratings of one you are considering before you invest. Good luck.

My first refused to sleep in one, my second used it though. But, they out grow them very fast, and I found it was better after the first month to have them in their crib so they could learn good sleep habits.

We actually have the newer (I believe it's a new design) anyhow it is the bassinet pack n play. They sell them at target, wheels through the doorways with ease, folds up for travel. It is our life savor with our third now 8 weeks old. I love, love, love it. Anyhow it is a pack n play that is about half the size (well a little bigger then half the size).

This is not a regular size pack n play with a bassinet option it is a different type.

http://www.target.com/Graco-Travel-Lite-Crib-Luna/dp/B002...

Ours is the pink one. we found it on craigslist for $30

we had the p-n-p with the bassinet in it. dd used the bassinet until 4 mos and then moved to crib but we still use the p-n-p today as a play pen - she is 20 mo.

we went the bassinette all the way. Got ours from Babies-R-Us also. But I also bought the $15 oval shaped bassinette mattress pad because I wanted her to have more spinal support (infants grow so fast that having good skeletal support was important to me). The pak-n-play didn't appeal to me at all because of the spinal support aspect.

I'm not sure I'd totally believe advertising on craiglist. They are trying to sell it. However keep in mind that bassinettes only fit babies up to 25-26 inches. The average baby length at birth is 20 inches, so the bassinette will only work for 5-6 inches more. Basically, after 3 months, you'll have to move the baby to a crib. (My bassinette looks brand new also, although it has definitely been used.)

I loaned out my bassinette to several friends (since it wasn't being used). One told me she used a pak-n-play from her first born and the baby would not sleep long in it, would cry whenever put in it. So she used the bassinette for her second and said the difference was night and day-?! Maybe it was the added bassinette mattress? Might just differences in her 2 babies... I dunno. But my friends whose 5 other babies that used it never told me there were sleep issues... Even the preemie apparently slept better in it-?

I had my 3rd child 10 months ago and we used a Pak N Play that had a 'bassinet' in it. It also had a changing 'table'. We had so much success with this arrangement, that we just put up her crib last month.:)

With my middle baby, we used a co-sleeper (like a bassinet except it can be attached to the bed). It worked for two weeks but he ended up sleeping better in his crib because noises easily woke him up.

The first, well, we were new parents, he never, for two years, slept anywhere except inbetween us, and believe me we tried!

I think the advantage of the Pak N Play is that it might last longer. Our is now in the family room with toys just in case I need her corraled.

Our bassinet lasted 3 days, although we kept it for a month. I could lay him down anywhere else (floor, bed, couch, chair, carseat, yard, bathtub, table, changing table) and he would be happy. But within 10 seconds of being in the bassinet he was screaming. If truely exhausted he'd sleep in the bassinet for about 20 minutes. If he was in the bed or crib he'd sleep 2-3 hours.

He was also 23 inches when he was born. By the end of the first month, he was longer than the bassinet was.

My mum bought a pac'n'play with bassinet option for her house. He also hated that. But he would sleep in the twin bed (bolstered to keep him from rolling later, and me from having a new-mum-heartattck earlier) lickety split, and would sleep in a dresser drawer with a blanket under him no problem.

I used a pak n play for my 2 kids. My pak n play had the bassinet insert and they were close to my bed. They both slept in that for the first 2 or 3 months and seemed fine.

I had a bassinet with all 4 kids and then the last kid was knocked over in it 2 days old and freaked me out. That was the last time I used it. I hope there are better ones now.

I used a pack n play but my grandma told me when they didn't have bassinetts in the olden days or were short on space they would put the baby in a dresser drawer till they got to big. dont know if you need temporary bedding or permanant. I was limited on space in a trailer bedroom and used a pack n play. it had plenty of growing room but small enough it didn't take up all the space. i had a bassinett with my oldest he used it about 2 months and outgrew it.

it depends... we live in a colonial. so we put the basinett in our living room ..(our was similar to the eddie bauer wooden variety... it actully had the same bed but our frame was different..)

it was great.. could watch the newborn sleep and not go up and down the stairs checking on her.. MY daughter slept in the bassinet for 6 1/2 months..

fast forward to second child.. the bassinette in the living room didnt works so well as the older child made noise and woke the baby.. my second was a bigger child and grew out of the bassineet at 4 1/2 months. and he reallyl didnt use it much after the first 2 or 3 months..

we did take the top of our bassinet camping and it was a very comfy bed for our little one.. did nt take up as much room as a pack and play.

we had a pack and play and didnt use it but we had 2 kids 18 months apart and we just didnt travel. it was too hard.

I would not buy one. Plus you said you are short on space, why add more stuff to your house. You will use a P&P for the next 2 years of your babies life, the bassinet will only be for a couple months. I say save your money and space and just use the P&P.
Good luck...congrats

We used a pack n play with the bassinet feature on it. The bassinet sits in the top of the pack n play. It's something that we were able to use way beyond the infant stage. I would think that would be the way to go, since you'd be able to use it for a lot longer. If you do decide to get a bassinet, I'd go ahead and get one off of Craigslist. Most of them probably are like brand new since babies outgrow them rather quickly.

my sister bought me the pack n play from target that has a napper (like a bassinet) and changer on it. it's like $179...so once my son outgrows it, I can just take off the napper and use it as a regular pack n play. she told me the bassinet wasn't worth it...

I probably wouldnt spend the money on a new one unless you're planning on having a couple more kids lol!! They are great, but you can't use them long, and you can buy a gently used one for a fraction of the cost. I bought one for our second on craigslist, and have gotten good use out of it for what we paid.

We used a bassinet for the first 2 months and then she got too big for it and couldn't move around so we switched to the pak n play. It was great at first cause we were limited on space in our bedroom. But after a while my daughter got fussy in the bassinet and would cry until we took her out. I think it was because she was getting too big for it and couldn't move around. We had the pak n play that had the changing table and a mobile. My daughter loved the mobile and the changing table was great for downstairs. We didn't have to keep running upstairs to change her or put her on the couch or floor. We used the changing table for about a year until she was too heavy for it and it started to bow from her weight. We still have the bassinet for when we have another and I will use it again.

I would skip the bassinet. I had one and barely used it also. They get so cramped in a bassinet so fast. Before all of my kids were 6 months their head and feet would be touching the front and back of the thing. And they can't really look around in one either. For my third kid I bought a pak n play that was not the standard size, it was smaller and still, though there was a little more room than a bassinet, it still felt a little cramped. I would just go with your standard basic pak n play. The ones with the little changing station are nice but I just had a basic one with no special features. There is way more room and you can use it much longer than a bassinet. Good luck!

I have a Graco pack n play with a built in bassinet in it...

I used a bassinet with both of my children for the first 2 months & will use it again if I have another child

I appreciated having one with my 2 older children and plan on getting another one for my soon to be new baby, but I couldn't justify purchasing a new one for only the possible 6 weeks you will get use of it. I am looking online at craigslist and ebay, garage sales etc., to find a quality used one that isn't so darn expensive. My daughter used the bassinet for about 2 days and then refused to sleep in it because she didn't like her feet or arms touching anything... ever. My son used the bassinet for about 2 months and loved it! So, it may depend on the kid too.

We tried the Pak n Play with our daughter and she wasn't on board with that either. By the time she was a week old she was in her own room in her own crib because she preferred it. My son liked the pak n play as a transitional sleeping spot until he was starting to roll, then we moved him to his crib.

Best wishes with your new one!!

I think you should have good luck with getting a bassinet off craigslist. People say barely used and they won't be lying. Babies are in them for such a short period and it is not exactly an item you'd be rough on. I'd at least check it out. I got my daughter's convertible crib and matching dresser for a steal on craigslist and they were in great condition.

Personally I think the bassinet is cozier however a baby can usually only stay in one up to three months. I used both. I kept my bassinet downstairs and used the paK N Play upstairs.

I used the drop-in bassinet in the top of the p-n-p for about 4 months in my room for my son to sleep near me. I really liked having him close but didn't want him in bed with me. Most of the p-n-p bassinets are a little larger than the stand alone bassinets, so you will get more use out of them. Some kids outgrow the smaller ones pretty quickly. It all depends how quickly you think your baby will grow, and how long you want them in your room, if that is how you plan to use it. Once he got a little older, I'd put him in the p-n-p in the living room to keep him contained or from getting stepped on by the dogs. I didn't use that part of it nearly as much as I thought I would though, so I was glad I got the use out of the bassinet part. I plan to use it again for the next baby.