Oh, how happy I am that my husband and I decided to use a co-sleeper the second time around. And what a gift that we’ve had the Halo Bassinest to enjoy these first few weeks at home with our #2.
Due to limited space in our San Francisco home, we have chosen to have our daughter sleep in our room with us for her first few months. We were a bit nervous about doing so as our son has slept in his nursery ever since he was 3 weeks old and loves his crib. The bassinest has been terrific. We knew in advance I’d be having another c-section this time around, so wanted a bassinet that we could keep close to the bed and would provide an easy way for me to get the baby in/out. The spring-loaded side of the bassinet does just that, allowing me to gently place her inside without having to stand up and get out of bed. The swivel feature also helps tremendously in maneuvering an easy way in and out.
The nightlight has proved to be incredibly helpful for night time changes. The light is dim enough so as not to jolt her (or me) more awake, but bright enough to allow me to see what I am doing. I find that the multiple vibration settings are also soothing and I personally don’t mind the noise as I’m used to the white noise my son still sleeps with. I haven’t used the lullabies or the nursing timer much, but I do appreciate the nursing timer feature as a way to prevent dozing during a feeding. Since we’d never used a co-sleeper before, I wanted to make sure we had something that would prove to be sturdy with a very active 17 month old brother around. While we’re teaching him to be gentle near his new sister, I have to say I was a bit nervous having him around the stand. The full structure is about 30 pounds and quite heavy and tip resistant. So, even with him getting on his tippy toes and perching above the bassinest, I find that there isn’t a risk of it tipping over. Still I am cautious when he is around. One tip – I am glad I read a review before the baby came about wanting to get a waterproof mattress pad and sheet for the bed as it doesn’t come with one. I had planned on just using a standard crib sheet, but then read that the pad was a must and figured I’d buy the sheet as insurance as well. I’m glad I did as we have definitely had a few accidents. All in all, the decision to use the bassinest has been a great one for our family. Co-sleeping has allowed me to enjoy plenty of time with my daughter in a way that I hadn’t with my son and it’s been a much lower stress night time – perhaps because this is our second time around, but I also think it has to do with this more relaxed sleeping arrangement.