Bassinet or Swing

In my opinion, I would make sure you get something for your baby to sleep in as opposed to a swing if money is tight. However, I don't know if it would be near you at all, but I know of a children's consignment shop in Dobbs Ferry with very affordable prices and quite a good selection of clothes, toys and necessities for babies. I bought a used pack n play there in great condition for $30! Their website is www.affordablechild.com. It might be worth a look. You can always call them before you go and ask if they have specific items that you are looking for too. It's another alternative to new items, and they don't take things that are not of good quality, so you can always trade in things that you are not using anymore for store credit. Good luck!

Both items have a short shelf life - a bassinet you only use for about the first 6 months, and a swing they outgrow also. I think sleeping in a swing would be weird, and might present some transition problems down the road - but that's only my opinion. Why do you NEED a bassinet? Why not just use a crib from the beginning? They have affordable and reasonably-sized cribs at IKEA FYI.
Good luck.

Personally I would not consider a swing a "safe" place for the baby to sleep if you have a toddler. I would look into a bassinet or even safer in my opinion because I've seen how the bassinetts can tip when older siblings are trying to lean in to look at the baby, I'd go with a pack and play with the bassinet attached. They come with the vibration and mobiles now sometimes. I'll tell you, my third didn't even use the swing but once or twice. He was not a fan of it and he used the pack and play/bassinet probably more than my older two sons did. I just think with older siblings the pack and play is a sturdier piece of furniture.

For saving money, check out the store through Baby Center. Then do a Google search for Baby Center promos/coupons or something similar. I bought a lot of our things (double stroller, cosleeper, etc.) online through there with 25% off and free shipping promotions! :)

If money is tight, i would skip the swing, some kids just don't like them.

I wish I had seen this when my now close to 1 yr old was born, he HATED his bassinet, and I would have used this instead:

Arm's Reach - Beautiful Dreamer Cocoon

I asked on here if anyone had used it or knew of it, but got now answers. maybe this is the best of both for you, maybe not, but is something to look into.

My daughter lived in her swing for the first 4 months, but I heard that other babies don't like them. The Amby Baby swing/bassinet is a good recommendation, but it is expensive. I heard that the "Arm's Reach" brand is much cheaper and pretty much the same idea. If I have another baby, I think I would get it. A Pack'n'play with a bassinet attachment is another fairly affordable option that can be used until age 2 or so.

Only one of our 4 liked the swing.
I agree with the idea of a pack n' play, our twins loved it and spent the first 6 mos of their lives in the bassinet attachment. Once they wer too big for that, it was a safe place for them to play without a toddler being able to poke or fall on them.

Congratulations and best of luck!

It's not a good idea to have the baby sleep in the swing because it's not good for his hips to be bent up like that for long periods of time. It would be best to have him sleep so that his body can move or stretch the way he likes. I had a moses basket which both of my boys outgrew at about 4 months. Now my younger son (7mo) sleeps in a pack and play because my older, 2yo son, is still sleeping in his crib. Also, like others mentioned, he may rely on the rocking to fall asleep and there will come a time when you will have to fix the "accidental parenting". Best to start as early as you can with sleep habits that don't need to be fixed later on!

What about the Amby bed? I don't have personal experience, but it seems like a good mix of swing AND bassinet. http://www.ambybaby.com/

Hi there. My 14 week old son sleeps in a swing due to his mild reflux and he loves it. I just said to my hubby I hope we can get him to go in his crib soon!! LOL. Good luck!

Hi H.,
A baby can sleep in anything. A bassinette is nice but a luxury - baby can nap in his crib in a room with the door shut or baby gated to prevent toddler from getting to him. If you're keeping baby in your room, a bassinette/cosleeper at the bedside is nice, but you can improvise. I wouldn't want to get baby used to sleeping in a swing - makes them dependent on needing rocking/movement to stay asleep. Good luck.

I definitely couldn't have lived without my swing for daytime usage, but I didn't think of it as a nighttime sleep option. Yes there were times with reflux where my kids slept part of a night in their carseats, but I didn't want to have to wean them from requring motion to sleep at night. One thought is that Pack-n-Plays have bassinets and at least you would be getting something more for your money with one of those. Also, if you have a crib there is nothing wrong with letting your baby sleep there from the beginning. Good luck!

Our 3-month-old has been sleeping in her Fisher Price Little Lamb swing since she was 3 weeks old. And she loves it! Way better than flat sleeping for when she is gassy. And the automatic rocking is fantastic for me. It has a flat back, and then her legs go up a little bit, so you can put in a little baby. I would use it side-to-side for the first 3-4 months. It does go back-and-forth, too. Has a mirror and a great mobile. Best spent $160 at Babies R'Us. Of course, one day, you'll have to teach your baby how to fall asleep and stay asleep without motion, but that's a way away, and you know that.

IF you go with a bassinet make sure you get one that swings like a pendulum and not one that rocks like pn rocking chair type legs.
Also, you could spend all that money on the swing and have a kid who hates the swing.
My son practically lived in it and I couldn't put my daughter down in it for more than a minute.
At least the bassinet will help with the transition to a crib later.

All 3 of my children slept in a Pak N Play instead of a bassinet for the first 5 or 6 months (in our room). They have an attachment for infants that goes on top. Then you can use it when you go out of town or when you have people visit. I don't know how old your other baby is, but we kept our 2nd in the Pak N Play until the 1st was ready to leave the crib - so he slept there until he was almost 2.
They're pretty inexpensive so you should be able to also get a cheapo swing (plus you won't have to buy bassinet sheets). Trust me, you'll want a swing to put him down in while you do 100+ other things for the big kids. Mine took their naps in the swing (it was helpful to have them in the same room while I was tending to the other kids). I have a pretty standard Graco swing without all the bells & whistles.
Hope this helps. Congratulations on your 4th!

Oh - and I have 3 children - 4-1/2, 2-3/4 and almost 1.

What about a moses basket instead of bassinet? Our baby never liked the swing!!so maybe a waste of money.

I would also recommend the swing. My son had reflux and spent quite a bit of time sleeping in the swing. I loved the bassinet, and loved that he was right next to our bed... but looking back now, he was in the bassinet for such a short time. I think that if we hadn't received it as a gift, I probably wouldn't have spent the money on it myself.
Good luck and congratulations on being blessed with another baby!!!

I would recommend the swing. As for the bassinet they only sleep in it for a short amount of time. My daughter only slept in it for about a month and then wanted nothing to do with it. Also since money is tight (and I know how that feels) I would recommend getting one that is a three in one. This way you can use it for a long time. The one that we choose was a 3 in 1. It goes from a swing to a rocking chair to an infant chair. And most of them have toys to play with that are removable. They also play music where a bassinet doesn't. For the price that they want for swings you can get more use out of the 3 in 1. I think that bassinets are a waste of money. I hope that this helps. Good Luck and Best Wishes!

Go for the bassinet.

Swing are good for a time but if the baby stays in them too long, their backs grow at a curve.

Nanc

I myself would go with the swing. but, others might have a different reason to go with the bassinett, however if you go to www.freecycle.org, you can locate a local freecycle group in your area and you might be able to find the other item there. I have gotten some beautiful items there. T.

I'd get the swing. He'll probably use that longer than the bassinet, which he will only fit in for 3 months.

Since it seems like some babies don't like the swing, I would get the basinette. You can likely find a swing on craigslist later anyway--I got lots of cheap, gently used baby stuff from there.