How to Choose a Bassinet

Bassinets -- baskets on legs meant to provide a sleeping place for tiny babies for their first few months of life -- are handy pieces of baby gear, but they aren't essential the way a car seat is. Because they're small and often have wheels, they're easy to move from room to room. But bassinets can also have safety issues. Choosing the right bassinet and using it properly will ensure your baby's safety while providing the convenience you need.

Instructions

    • 1

      Look only at traditional bassinets. The Consumer Product Safety Commission defines a bassinet as " a small bed designed primarily to provide sleeping accommodations for infants, supported by free standing legs, a stationary frame or stand, a wheeled base, a rocking base, or swing relative to a stationary base." The CPSC warns against bassinets with extra bedding and, according to "Consumer Reports" magazine, you should avoid Moses baskets and hammock-style cradles; both have soft sides that pose a suffocation risk for infants.

    • 2

      Choose a bassinet that has a Juvenile Products Manufacturer's Association seal of certification for safety. A bassinet with this designation meets the safety standards of ASTM International, according to the "Consumer Reports" website. ASTM International, formerly known as the American Society for Testing and Materials, develops voluntary technical standards for consumer products.

    • 3

      Purchase a stationary bassinet that doesn't swing from side to side. A bassinet that swings can cause your baby to shift too far to one side, trapping his face against the side and leading to possible suffocation.

    • 4

      Look for a bassinet with sides that allow air to pass through, such as mesh. This decreases the risk of suffocation if your baby's face becomes trapped against the side.

    • 5

      Ensure that the bassinet mattress lies flat and fits snugly against the bassinet walls. Any gap between the bed side and the mattress should not exceed two finger widths, the CPSC advises. A larger gap can trap your baby's face in the space, causing suffocation.

    • 6

      Dress your baby in a warm outfit for sleep so he doesn't need a blanket. Keep blankets, pillows, stuffed toys and other soft material out of the bassinet. Of the 53 babies who died in bassinets between 1990 and 2004, 85 percent died of lack of oxygen or suffocation, the Children's Hospital Colorado warns.

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