My second child is on the way. I'd like to get her an auto-rocking bassinet (so we can sleep better without me rocking until my arm falls off) but I don't really want to spend a lot of money on something we won't use very long. I never used vibration with my first child, but I'm seeing that a lot of bassinets come with it. Does this work as well as rocking, for those of you who have tried it with your babies? Or have you found a self-rocking bassinet that isn't over a hundred dollars and works well? I was tempted by the Auto Rock n Play, but I keep seeing comments about safety hazards with that, so I would rather have something flat for her to sleep in. This isn't intended to replace our involvement with her; I plan to keep her close enough to touch during those times when she doesn't sleep well.
Edit: Just as extra information, my question is really more about bassinets and similar products that other moms have used and which features worked. We're not planning to send her to daycare, so I don't really have to get my style to gel with a babysitter's, if you're wondering. I know not everybody uses a bassinet, so I'm not really wanting to debate methods, but I think the bassinet would be helpful in our case. So if you have a favorite one, fire away! Thanks.
Thank you for the suggestions. For those of you who shared your experience with equipment, that's helpful. I'm not planning to constantly hold my baby all night long-- you're right, that would be nuts. With my son, I just rocked him in his other thing close to me after he failed to fall asleep in his crib and we were trying to get some sleep ourselves--which is the main goal, lol. We didn't do it at times when he didn't need it, and he was better by about three months. I'm just hoping to have a better secondary sleeping area for baby number two. Thus the curiosity about what other people loved or hated.
You will NEVER know which your baby prefers until he/she comes into the world. It doesn't matter if you're keeping the baby at home or sending to day care - you have NO IDEA what your child will like.
You play it by ear. You don't need to hold your baby until he/she goes to sleep. That's insane and creates more problems down the road. Just like keeping the house quiet during nap time.
Good luck!
Read your question and I myself didn't have a self rocking bassinet, so I probably shouldn't answer. My niece is using some contraption that seems between a swing and a bassinet that self rocks so I will check with her later today - she researches everything and is in all these groups where they discuss this stuff so she likely has bought a good one.
Just something I found - I didn't have anything for my first (like you) but with the rest of my babies I was blessed to have a bouncy seat (very reclined so they fell asleep every time they went in it) that vibrated but it also had the bubbles (aquarium style). Nothing so over the top that it overstimulated them, but it was very soothing. Every time my babies sat/laid in it with the vibration on and bubbles, off they went to sleep. It was very handy when they were sniffly or colicky (all my babies went through about 2 weeks of general fussiness around 6 weeks). If I didn't want them to nap (if they just needed a place to sit and be involved with the family) I didn't turn the bubbles/water sounds/vibration on. So it was very dual purpose. It folded up and went everywhere with us. My kids did not need bubbles or vibration to put them to sleep once they outgrew it. It's my #1 recommendation for my friends who are having babies. My niece also has one of these (the one who reads everything) and that's the one she uses at my sister's house (transports easily).
Just ignore this if it's not helpful - I know you're more interested in bassinets. I will add to this once I talk to my niece :)
it's sort of like asking 'do babies like apples or bananas better?'
babies have a lot of similarities, but this is an individual thing. no one else can say which one YOUR baby will like better.
my babies didn't have anything that rocked or vibrated them automatically to sleep. sometimes they slept in a swing, sometimes in their own (non-rocking or vibrating) crib. my younger in particular loved to sleep in the car, but would also sleep on a blanket on the floor. they both slept a lot in a backpack on my back.
why does your baby HAVE to have something that vibrates or rocks? why not at least try to let her sleep without a lot of aids?
it just strikes me as setting her up to have unnecessary issues.
khairete
S.
You don't HAVE to rock a baby til your arms fall off. And you don't have to use vibration either. What you need to do is swaddle her and lay her down after she is fed, when she is groggily full and sleepy, but NOT YET asleep. Do it from the start! Don't set the precedent with her by rocking her. She will get used to falling asleep without you doing all the work. It's called self-soothing.
Babies sometimes need to fuss some to fall asleep, and it's okay for you to allow that. If she does that, you can pat her back a little. When you get her up in the middle of the night to nurse or give her a bottle, keep a pad underneath her that will stay warm while you feed her, and lay the pad down under her in the crib. That way the mattress isn't cold to shock her when you put her back down.
I don't know if you plan to work outside of the home and have her in daycare, but if you do, they cannot and will not rock her to sleep all the time. They will lay her down in the crib as they do all the other infants. Don't make their jobs harder by taking the ability of your baby to self-soothe away from her.
Unfortunately, every baby is different, so it's hard to predict. One of mine loved to sleep rocking. The other one hated it. Neither of them liked to be vibrated, but I know that some babies do like it.
Can I suggest that you look at a second-hand baby store like Once Upon a Child or Kid to Kid? You can get small furniture like rocking bassinets (if that's what you really want) for a fraction of the original price there.
who would hold their baby until their arms fell off? Really? unless you are in an emergency situation? Your child will not need to be comforted and held 24 hours a day.
Do you know already if your child is going to like purple or pink? You don't know, right? Just like you won't know what they will like to be soothed in after they are born.
I hated bassinets. They were clunky and my boys outgrew them very fast. I loved bouncy chairs!! My oldest LOVED the Johnny Jumper. My second one LOVED the sit and spin and HATED the Johnny Jumper. My third? couldn't care less what he was in. there was ALWAYS commotion around him so he was active. My last one? He's a mama's boy. Likes to be close. But not too close!! LOL!!
We did NOT co-sleep either.
my pack-n-play had a bassinet option for it. and with that was a thing that did music and other sounds, and had vibrations on a timer. the music and vibrations soothed my son but my daughter never wanted it.
in the beginning of their lives, my son would only sleep in a bouncy seat with the vibrations going. then i transitioned him to the vibrating bassinet. then to a regular crib for bed.
my daughter wanted to co-sleep or sleep in the swing. so i used that till i could transition her to a crib for bed.
every baby is different and if you don't want to spend a ton of money i suggest getting to know the baby for a month or so and then make a purchase
I bought two gently used bassinets for each of mine. For my oldest I bought a wheeled bassinet (we were in a one story) and a vibrating type. He hated the vibration but the wheels were invaluable for me after a C section. I wheeled him all over the house which was so convenient. For my youngest I bought a wheeled bassinet based on my experience and a basic rocking type. He tolerated the rocking but I would not say he was a fan. By buying used I was not investing so much in a short term use item and I was more willing to try styles out. We learned neither of our babies enjoyed rocking or vibration but never broke the bank figuring it out. We were big advocates of buying used for baby items. Good luck whatever you decide.
