What Is Best – Crib, Cradle, Bassinet, Bedside Sleeper?

We have covered a lot of baby products on this blog. We thought that we had covered almost all of the essentials that any parent would need. However, it turns out that we forgot about something very important. We realized that we had not picked out a cradle. A lot of our friends recommended that we get one. We were a little confused because we had already picked out a crib for the baby and were under the impression that it would be enough. We even covered the best crib mattresses in a previous blog post. A cradle, however, is a little different, and the discussion surrounding it is far more nuanced than we initially thought it was. 

Is A Cradle Not Enough?

Since our friend recommended a cradle, we headed over to Amazon to find the best one for our baby. We soon realized that making a choice is not so simple as there is a lot of variation in this category. Depending on the purpose you are trying to serve, you can pick one of many options. If you go down this rabbit hole on Amazon, you can either go for a crib, cradle, bassinet, or bedside sleeper. We were surprised to find out the differences between them. We definitely recommend spending some time analyzing your needs before biting the bullet. Our research should fill in all the gaps in your knowledge.

We are sure that after our research, we have more experience in this category compared to our friends who recommended a cradle to us in the first place. So strap in as we explain exactly what the difference is between the following items – crib, cradle, bassinet, and bedside sleeper. There is a lot of variety between these terms when it comes to overall construction, features, and materials. Our guide will help you make the correct choice that perfectly suits your needs.

What Is A Crib?

Firstly, let us understand the baby’s crib. The crib is going to be where the baby will spend most of its early life, peacefully sleeping and dreaming. It is supposed to be a hefty piece of furniture in the baby’s room that offers a wide area for a mattress, strong construction and high bars or slats on both sides to keep the baby protected. It is not meant to be portable and will usually be the centerpiece of the baby’s room.

What Is A Cradle?

The cradle is where the baby will relax after a long day filled with play, before being whisked off to the crib. The most important thing that defines a cradle is its ability to rock the baby to sleep. The rocking motion is very important to put the baby at rest and to induce sleep. Cultures all around the world have different versions of a cradle. It is a universally known, almost intuitive motion that every mother relies on to put her baby to sleep. It is not only an important part of the house but over time it has even become symbolic, to some extent, of the concept of life and genesis itself! We were kicking ourselves when we realized that we had not planned for one yet.

However, when we tried to get a cradle we realized that there is another category that we should consider.

What Is A Bassinet?

Here is where the lines get blurry. A lot of people will use the words cradle and bassinet interchangeably. A cradle and bassinet had distinct roles when those words were invented. They were meant to describe two different things. Cradles were meant to be stationary, solid, and they needed to have a rocking mechanism. Bassinets were meant to be lightweight, portable, almost like a basket and they may or may not have a rocking mechanism. Cradles were meant to be stronger and more secure than a bassinet but not as bulky as a crib. A cradle can be thought of as something somewhere in between a bassinet and a crib.

The only important distinction between a cradle and a bassinet is that bassinets are not meant to rock. However, you will find many models on Amazon that claim to be bassinets that can also rock in a gentle motion. We recommend that you don’t put too much stress on this category as over time, there has been a lot of intersection. Instead you should focus on real things like portability, materials, features and reviews. We will help you along this decision.

What Is A Bedside Sleeper?

This is a great category as it sort of gives you the features of all the three before it. The distinctive feature as we understand is the presence of a collapsible side wall. This is important because it means that you can place it right next to your bed to keep a watchful eye on the baby. Hence the name, bedside sleeper. This is what we recommend that most people who live in apartments should pick up as it allows you to enjoy the benefits of all the categories listed above in a small space.

What Should I Get For My Baby?

The answer is that it depends on the space in your house and your budget. From our point of view, you need two things. You need the ability to rock the baby to sleep and the ability to lay the baby down in a portable cot that can be moved around your house. These two things are critical. If you can afford the space and money to have separate devices achieve that, then go ahead. Once you have space and money left over, you can consider getting a dedicated crib. If you have to make do with a little, put some thought into it before committing to a particular product. Be sure to follow our blog for the best picks in each of these categories.

So we are thankful that we did our research regarding a crib, cradle, bassinet, and bedside sleeper. We have put in the work to research the best options currently available on the market for each category. We are going to explore them in future blog posts. Stay tuned for those. We are sure one or two of these options will match your needs regardless of the size of your house, budget, and preferences.

Love,

Scooch and Steve