I mentioned Kent’s Moses’ basket when I talked about my favorite nursing spot. A few of you had questions about it so here is the story on how we arrived on a Moses basket and how we decided which to buy. I wrote this post when we had our first baby. If you’d like to see what we tried for our sixth baby to sleep in, see the note at the bottom of this post.
Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links.
Moses’ Basket versus Co-Sleeper
When I was pregnant I spent hours and hours, seriously, hundreds of hours researching baby products and reading reviews on Amazon.com. It has really paid off as we’ve been very happy with all of my our choices. All of the decisions we made selecting a place for baby to sleep was the biggest stressor for me. We already had a crib but I wanted a portable place for him to sleep too.
I considered a co-sleeper like these ones. I was really put off by the appearance – plastic and mesh wasn’t my idea of a beautiful place for my newborn. The look didn’t fit in with our hodge podge of country decor. We went and looked at one anyway. Brian said no, and I agreed. It did not seem sturdy at all (partly due to the quick assembly at the store I’m sure) and it came with a lot of parts and pieces. We didn’t need another thing to put together. I didn’t measure our bed before we went but judging by the one at the store we might have even needed extra lifters or whatever to adjust the height.
Plus, co-sleepers are expensive! It would have been different if I was sure I’d use it. Everyone tells you something different when you’re pregnant: you’ll want him near you, you need to put him in his crib right away, you won’t sleep if you can’t see him, you can’t sleep if you can hear him. I had no idea what would work and I didn’t want to shell out that kind of cash for something we might not want or need. So a co-sleep was out for us.
Moses’ Basket versus Bassinet
Then, what about a bassinet? After all, I had always envisioned myself using a beautiful bassinet with a long, flowing, white skirt. I even had thoughts of making a bassinet skirt out of my wedding dress. Yeah, right! We have 4 dogs and a cat, and we live in a dusty farmhouse. A lot of floor length white lace? Not happening. Still, there are some nice bassinets out there. Research completed, I decided on one similar to this and registered for it.
They promptly discontinued it.
Moses’ Basket versus Crib or Pack N’ Play
Then I decided okay, let’s be practical. We have a crib. We have a pack n’ play that can go in our room. Wasn’t that enough? No. I planned to (and do) nurse on demand and I wanted the option of having baby where I could easily reach him in the night, in case that’s what worked for us. I started looking at Moses baskets. They were portable, charming to look at, and would fit in the tiny spot between our bed and the wall. The reviews pointed to Tadpoles brand as being the best for roomy size and durability.
Is a Moses’ Basket Worth it?
The problem? Still expensive. They come with a mattress, fitted sheet, bumper, and impractical little flat sheet. I was trying hard to avoid brand new conventional cotton products and stick with either secondhand or organic materials. The basket with organic bedding was well over $100. Not cool, again, in case we didn’t end up using it.
But then… I saw that they offer a Plain Moses Basket with no mattress or bedding – for around $30!! It arrived quickly and was everything the reviews said it would be. Don’t be tempted by the cheaper ones – I looked at one at a store and it was no where near as nice as the Tadpoles version.
DIY Moses’ Basket Mattress
I made my own mattress. It was super easy and anyone with a sewing machine can do it. I just cut two ovals and a strip a few inches wide to go around the edges. If you don’t sew ask around – I bet there is a lady out there who would love the opportunity to make a special mattress and bedding for your baby, especially in lieu of an expensive shower gift. I never did make a bumper pad or any sheets but some creative folding of receiving blankets got me through.
The basket was perfect for us. We moved our cedar chest to my side of the bed and sat the basket on that. I could easily sit up and pick Kent up for night feedings. I could sleep with my hand resting on his chest if I needed reassurance that he was okay. He was safe from Daddy rolling on him.
How Long Can Baby Stay in Moses’ Basket?
He just now moved in to his pack n’ play at three months old. I haven’t weighed him in awhile but he’s probably in the 13-15 pound range and not overly tall. He still fits in his basket but as he’s getting stronger I didn’t want the chance of him somehow flopping out of the basket. It seems like he sleeps better in his own little quiet corner of our room, too. He sleeps for 8 hours or more most nights now so reaching him for feedings isn’t an issue anymore.
So, is it worth it to buy a Moses’ basket? I would say definitely YES! It was the perfect affordable, safe, solution for us and we did not need to buy a stand. This is a great option for keeping baby near you in the night, and it’s easily portable if you need it in other rooms throughout the day.
I hope this helped a little and gave you some ideas for Moses’ baskets and which to buy, and what to do for sleeping arrangements. As a side note, going straight to the crib might be a good option depending on how your house is arranged. Kent’s room is too far away for that to work well for us.
Have a little grace and overlook any typos please. Time is too precious for much editing these days! 😉
Update 8 years (!) later:
We still have our Moses basket! We used it for two more biological babies and it has survived being played with a housing stuffed animals in our wild household of rowdy boys. It’s not broken at all. Our third bio baby ended up being an emergency c-section, and I found it really painful and difficult to sit up in bed and twist to pick him up out of the basket at night. I did some research and ended up purchasing a Halo Bassinest for our fourth bio baby, in case he ended up being a repeat cesarean. He didn’t, but I still really enjoyed the convenience of the bassinest. It swings right over your bed like a hospital tray! Depending on your needs and preferences, a Moses’ basket or a bassinest are both choices I’d use again.
I enjoyed reading about why you bought what you did! 😀 If we ever have another, I don’t think we’ll cosleep. I am cosleeping with Colton and I DO enjoy it and I feel that he needed it from the very beginning, so it was the right thing to do, …. but he is 18 months and still up every few hours and hasn’t slept through the night since he was about 8 weeks old. He did better back then than he does now… and NOW I’m too tired to deal with crying in the middle of the night, so (for now) I give him what he wants, which is a boob as a pacifier. I have mixed feelings about this!!! On the one hand, it’s a special, special time for us and I think emotionally or something he still needs it. On the other, I’d like to sleep with my husband and actually spend most of the night in my own bed! And I’d like to sleep for a few hours in a row without being awakened!!!!
Thank you so much for sharing that tadpole sells their baskets without the bedding. I’ve been looking for an option that isn’t so expensive and love this one!
Glad it helped! I’m still very happy with the basket, I just got it out for the second baby and it still looks like new.