The 5 Best Baby Bassinets

It has been proven that to aid in lowering the risk of SIDS, sharing a room with your newborn is ideal. While it's not recommended to co-sleep, having a crib or baby bassinet in the bedroom with you is key for at least the first six months, but ideally for the first year. While there are many options for baby beds, cribs, cradles, and rockers, this is a round-up exclusively for finding the optimal baby bassinet for your little one. With options that range from a co-sleeper version to a stand-alone, musical bassinet, you'll find exactly what you're looking for: these are the 5 best baby bassinets.

Mika Micky Bedside Bassinet

Mika Micky Bedside Sleeper Bassinet for Safety and Snuggles

While co-sleeping isn't recommended, sleeping next to or near your baby has some serious benefits. This co-sleeping bassinet is a solid option for parents that want to have their baby near them, but not exactly in bed with them.

Best Overall

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Whoever invented the attached baby bassinet surely knew everything there was to know about night parenting. There’s nothing like getting woken up during the night for the thousandth feeding or middle-of-the-night diaper change, and having to schlepp across the house to Baby’s room to do so, only to schlepp back across the house to your room to go back to bed. And then do it all over again an hour later. Keeping your baby in your room means better sleep for all of you. Yet, sleeping in bed with your baby is considered dangerous to your baby. Enter the bedside bassinet, a bassinet that safely attaches to the side of your bed.

Mika Micky’s Bedside Bassinet allows parents to feed, monitor, and sleep next to Baby all with the added bonus of being entirely safe. No need to constantly get up and down—a game changer in those first few months.

Pros:

While the bassinet can attach to your bed, it can also easily convert into a stand-alone bassinet.
Two side pockets built into the bassinet.
Neutral colors, low profile, and highly portable.

Cons:

Some beds don’t have the space for the bassinet’s legs to roll under. This means that it cannot be used in the bedside sleeper mode.

SwaddleMe Side Sleeper Bassinet

Simple and Sweet Baby Bassinet for the Bed

For those that want Baby directly in bed with them, but want the safety of walls, this baby bassinet by SwaddleMe is a solid option.

Best for Small Spaces

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For parents that want the closeness of bed-sharing without the risks, this SwaddleMe Side Sleeper Bassinet is the answer to all of your dreams: it’s a low-profile, portable sleeper that fits right into bed with you and yet keeps Baby safely tucked inside. The mesh sides are 100% breathable, so no need to worry about Baby overheating.

Additional features that make this an ideal co-sleeping bassinet? The side walls are compressible, which allows for easy monitoring, feeding, and accessibility throughout those long, first few months at night. If you’re worried about rolling over onto your little one, the built-in sturdy metal frame stops you from doing so. It’s also a great portable option for traveling, as the entire bassinet folds in on itself and is extremely lightweight.

Pros:

Ideal for small spaces.
Includes mattress pad and fitted sheet.
Removable, washable pad.
Compact storage.

Cons:

Only works until Baby becomes mobile.

Delta Children Sweet Beginnings Bassinet

Traditional Baby Bassinet with Updates

This darling bassinet is a sweet option for those that have a more traditional sense of style, but also want some gentle music built in as well.

Best Stand-Alone Bassinet

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This pretty little bassinet is decidedly old-fashioned in its style, with a skirt, neutral, baby-friendly colors, and overhead canopy. The lights, sounds, and safety features take this very much into the current century, however, so while it’s a delightful throwback to the first bassinets, you’ll still have modern features.

With a built-in, calming nightlight that allows you to check-in on your baby, and gentle music that softly lulls your baby to a rest, the only downfall to this bassinet is that it’s too small for you to crawl into. For added peace of mind, this bassinet is JPMA certified to meet or exceed safety standards set by the CPSC and ASTM.

Pros:

Large, attached storage basket underneath the bassinet keeps Baby’s essentials close by, yet out of the way.
Includes a fitted sheet, water-resistant mattress pad, and removable canopy.

Cons:

Only suitable for babies that aren’t mobile yet. Once they begin pushing on their hands and knees, you’ll need to retire this sweet bassinet.

Graco Pack ‘n Play Travel Dome

A Pack 'n Play, Bassinet and Diaper Changer All-in-One

For those overnight visits or the extra baby set to keep at the grandparents, this Graco portable sleep, play, and change set is a game changer.

Best All-in-One Portable

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We’ve all been there: it’s a sleepover at the grandparent’s house, but there’s nowhere to put the baby come bedtime. Enter the Graco Pack ‘n Play Travel Dome LX Playard system, a portable bassinet, full-size infant bassinet, and diaper changing station all-in-one. The infant bassinet fits on top of the pack-n-play, as does the diaper changing station, yet both are removable and can be used by themselves, as well. When it’s time to go, the entire system easily folds up and is lightweight.

Pros:

The infant bassinet has a UV 50 canopy and can be removed and used by itself, yet when attached to the pack-n-play, is at eye level when you’re in bed. This allows for you to easily keep an eye on your baby when you’re in bed, too.
The playard portion of this pack ‘n play is full-sized for a toddler, ideal for a mobile bed or play space for those times when you need free hands.

Cons:

The cover of the napper is not removable, which means you cannot wash it. Wiping it down with a wet rag is fine, but for those times when you’d like to really clean it, it’s not an option.

Dream On Me Karley Bassinet

Baby Bassinet with a Screen for a Bug-Free Outside Sleep Option

A stand-alone baby bassinet with a mesh inclosure to keep Baby protected from the elements.

Best Indoor-Outdoor Bassinet

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The genius of Dream On Me’s Karley Bassinet is in the mesh. With an option to fully enclose a canopy over the bassinet, bringing your baby into the outdoors to sleep is possible. While you might think this would rarely happen and thus not require a special bassinet for this reason, you’ll find this option quite useful. Whether at an outdoor family function, camping, or simply enjoying the deck, the soothing sounds of the outdoors can be brought to your baby sans pesky bugs and their sometimes harmful bites.

At 25 pounds, it’s lightweight and portable enough to move from the outdoors, in, so there’s no need to purchase an additional indoor style bassinet, either. It quickly folds into itself for easy, compact storage, as well.

Pros:

For infants and babies up to 25 pounds.
Includes a 1″ thick mattress pad. Mattress pad is 30″ by 15″.
Lower hanging basket, attached, for books, soft toys, or any lightweight essentials.

Cons:

Included mattress is very soft. If you’d prefer more support, you might want to swap one out with similar dimensions.

Frequently Asked Questions

Are bassinets actually something you need?

For about nine months, give or take, your sweet new little bundle was tucked safely inside the womb. It was cozy, quiet, and calm. Upon birth, your little baby was thrust suddenly into the world, and it’s a strange environment for them to quickly acclimate to. Thus, the idea of the bassinet was born: Baby can feel safe and cozy in a warm, calm environment that is similar in feeling for them to the womb. The safer and more soothing of an environment, the better Baby sleeps…and trust us, that’s something you’ll be willing to do anything to get in those first few months.

What’s the deal with swaying bassinets? Are they safe?

While the idea of a rocking bassinet sounds nice (it does, after all, mimic the movements from when they were in utero), there are certain hazards to be aware of with moving bassinets: mainly, suffocation. If the rocking rolls them without you realizing, the risk of Baby’s face being pressed against the side increases. It’s best to choose a stationary bassinet.