Looking for a place to park your brand-new baby? While a crib is the best choice in the long run, a good bassinet can often be placed right next to your bed, making it easier to conduct nighttime feedings and diaper changes.
Bassinets are small and have a shorter shelf life—they can be used only until your baby starts to show signs of pushing up onto their hands and knees or until they reach the weight and height limit of your bassinet, whichever comes first, says Jennifer Shu, MD, a pediatrician based in Atlanta and spokesperson for the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). Still, it may be worth it for your family.
In this article
- Best Bassinets
- Best Portable Bassinets
- Other Bassinets CR Tested
- How CR Tests Bassinets
- 4 Things to Look for in a New Bassinet
More on baby products
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You’ll find our top picks below, and for a more complete look at how to shop for a bassinet, check our bassinet buying guide. And keep in mind the following safety guidelines when using a bassinet for your little one:
Babies should sleep on a flat—not inclined—surface. Inclines of 10 degrees or greater can restrict your baby’s airflow.
Babies should sleep alone in their sleep space. This means they shouldn’t be taking naps with your new puppy or other kids in their bassinet.
Keep toys, blankets, bumpers, and other items out of the bassinet. These items can potentially suffocate your baby. (Bumpers, in fact, are now banned under the Safe Sleep for Babies Act).
Bassinets have a short shelf life. Move your baby to their own crib when they reach the weight and height limit of your bassinet, can push up on hands and knees, or they can pull themselves up on the bassinet’s sides—whichever comes first.
If you decide to use the white noise or sound features on some the bassinets we reviewed, use the lowest possible setting for a brief time, and if possible, position your baby’s head on the opposite side of the bassinet from where the speaker is placed.
A quick note about our testing: Our testers looked at how easy each product is to assemble (How many pieces and steps does it have?); what features it has (Does it have a motion feature? A shelf for diaper storage?); and how convenient the product is to use, in general (Is it easy to access your baby? Is the height adjustable?).
We looked at the bassinets from several safety angles. First, we ensured that each bassinet adheres to federal safety guidelines. We used an inclinometer to ensure that the bassinets never reached an incline 10 percent or greater, which can be dangerous for a baby’s airflow. And on all bassinets that play noise, we looked at how loud the music or sounds get, as loud noise can be harmful to a baby’s ears.
We also assessed portability. We looked at how well each bassinet can be folded or disassembled and placed in a bag for travel. For reader’s ease, we separated the portable bassinets into their own category, which you’ll see below—but that doesn’t mean these bassinets aren’t a good option for families who don’t travel frequently. Even caregivers who merely want to move the bassinet from one room to another might appreciate a bassinet’s lightweight nature or ability to fold into a more manageable shape for carrying.
Best Bassinets From CR's Tests
Best Portable Bassinets From CR's Tests
Other Bassinets CR Tested
How CR Tests Bassinets
Our testers look at:
• How easy each bassinet is to assemble: How many pieces and steps does it have?
•What features it has: Does it have a motion feature? A shelf for diaper storage?
• How convenient the product is to use in general: Is it portable? Is it easy to access your baby? Is the height adjustable?
We don’t test how well any of the features work with any actual babies, nor do we test noise levels on any bassinet that makes sound.
4 Things to Look for in a New Bassinet
According to Joan Muratore, test program leader at Consumer Reports, you may want to consider the stability of a bassinet before you purchase. If it’s set up at a store, she says, push down on the side, as if you were a toddler attempting to reach into it, and see if it begins to tip. This is, obviously, a particular concern if you have other children or rowdy pets in the home.
You’ll also want to think about where you’ll be parking your bassinet, and whether there are any design features that may conflict with your desired placement. "With the Halo, the base is enormous, and if I’m a sleep-deprived parent and I have to get out of bed, I might well trip because the legs are splayed out,” says Muratore. “To me it would be a tripping hazard.”
Consider the adjustability of the bassinet height, especially if you intend to keep the bassinet right beside the bed. Some platform beds, for example, are quite low, so you’ll want to compare how high your mattress is against the base height of the bassinet.
Finally, keep in mind that babies don’t spend very long in the bassinet. Babies need to be moved out of their bassinet and into a crib by the time they’ve reached the product’s weight or height limit or are pushing up on hands and knees.
@consumerreports A bassinet that responds to a crying baby? Learn more about the Graco Sense2Snooze Bassinet and our full list of tested bassinets through the link in our bio. #babytok #bassinets #parentsoftiktok #parenttok #infantsafety #parentingtips
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Angela Lashbrook
Angela Lashbrook is a senior multimedia content creator at Consumer Reports. She has been with CR since 2021 and covers a wide range of topics, but she is particularly interested in anything health- or parenting-related. She lives with her husband, their son, and her dog, a Libra named Gordo.
