A glimpse into the baby sleep industry: Bassinets and cribs

Sleep. Ever elusive but a necessity for good brain and body development for babies and a requirement to keep parents level-headed and able to take care of babies. During my baby's first weeks, he slept like a champ but for 30 minutes at a time... lulling him to sleep took a much longer time! I thought that I had to find a way to encourage him to sleep longer... and this search led me down the rabbit hole of the baby sleep industry. And my impression is that it's HUGE!

Bassinets and cribs

As the wee one entered his third month, he was also approaching several weight and height limits. Aside from his swaddles, he was also outgrowing his bassinet (gasp!). His Graco pack 'n' play includes a bassinet, a napper, and a changing pad. I opted not to use the napper beyond a few weeks because it's not flat (flat surfaces are safest for babies when they sleep) and the bottom tends to sag with the baby's weight... also, I wanted my baby to sleep as much as possible in the bassinet.

Anyway, this brought me to the issue of choices for baby sleep zones. I already crossed cribs with wooden slats off my list because of the wooden slats. Also, I wanted something compact because the wee one is sharing the bedroom with me and my sister (there's no space for a nursery in my parents' place at the moment). Those bassinets that can be placed beside the parents' bed was also a no-go for me because of space limitations. So the best approach, I thought, was to get a pack 'n' play. And I really am very happy that this was the move I made.

There are many options for a pack 'n' play, of course. But I ended up getting one from Graco because the bassinet can be converted into a toddler bed in the (near) future. So we could actually use it until the wee one isn't so wee anymore.

The Graco pack 'n' play with the bassinet resting at play pen level. My son slept in the bassinet for four months, on top of the mattress pad that came with the bassinet. But he started to roll onto his side so now, the bassinet has been transformed into his play area in the living room and the play pen has been put in storage.

But there are caveats, as I am learning now. Once the baby starts rolling or he exceeds the bassinet's weight limit, he will need to move into the play pen for sleeping. At four months, he's spending more time rolling to his side in the bassinet, a precursor for real rolling for sure. Unfortunately, the play pen, which can easily be used as the sleeping surface once he outgrows the bassinet, is too deep for me to safely put him in there. We practised for two nights and I realised that if there's a zipper on one of the sides of this play pen, I won't have any problems.

And so I got convinced to consider buying a crib again. My first chance to try one out was with Gabriel's crib; perfect because its mattress is already set on its lowest level (for toddlers). I found that I couldn't even place my son on the mattress without dropping him (the crib has a high side rail; a major issue). I learned that there are low-profile cribs in the market albeit more expensive than the regular-height cribs. Doesn't matter, I thought, as long as I could use it, I'm willing to get it. 

I ended up purchasing the Babyletto Bixby convertible crib. It's a well-made metal crib (which makes it a turn off for teething when the wee one reaches that stage) with a wooden base. The side rails are high enough to prevent a sitting, standing, or rolling baby to escape from its confines but it is low enough for to safely place a fully asleep baby in. I paired this crib with the Newton breathable mattress because I want to make sure that my child will be able to breathe just in case he rolls onto his tummy and finds himself facedown. I know that he's going to complain loudly enough to wake me up of course. But still, a breathable mattress keeps my mind at ease.

The Babyletto Bixby, with a Newton breathable mattress, is now my son's sleep area. I'm keeping it bare for safety purposes. No bumpers, mesh liners, blankets, nor pillows.

I was dreading the possibility of my infant waking up at night because he's on unfamiliar territory ("namamahay" in Filipino). But he slept through the night (seven hours) on his first time in the crib! I'm hoping that he will consistently enjoy sleeping in this space because the crib also converts into a toddler bed (just like his bassinet).