These findings are great news for safe sleep but may leave some parents wondering how they should share a room with their baby. Should they drag a crib into their bedroom? Or resign themselves to sleeping on the floor or on a mattress in their baby’s room? Many parents worry they might be setting themselves up for a never-ending slumber party, baby-style. One option many parents consider is placing a bassinet next to their bed. A regular bassinet, as well as a portable crib (also called a playpen or play yard), can easily be used bedside in a parent’s bedroom. Bassinets are smaller than conventional cribs, making them more portable and easier to fit alongside the adult bed. So, you don’t necessarily need a full-size crib in your room. Before choosing a bassinet or bedside sleeper to bring into their bedroom, however, there are some important safety considerations parents should be aware of.
What Is a CPC?
According to the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), manufacturers must certify in a Children’s Product Certificate (CPC) that their bassinet or bedside sleeper complies with the commission’s standards and requirements after the product has been tested for compliance at a CPSC-accepted, third party laboratory. Bassinets and bedside sleepers must meet strict standards, including the following:
A limit on the paint and surface coating, as well as lead that the product can containFabric-sided enclosed openings to prevent entrapment and suffocation hazardsMeeting all fundamental safety sleep requirements, such as protecting against suffocation, stability, small parts, pinching, shearing, unintentional folding, loading, side height, and sharp edgesMinimum heightsNo entrapment hazardsOther safety warnings and features
Choosing a Bedside Bassinet
The AAP states that as long as a bassinet has been given a Children’s Product Certificate (CPC) from the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), the product is likely to be a safe option for families who want to try room sharing. However, parents should know that there has not been enough research on bedside or in-bed sleepers for guidelines on those options to be established. Since there is a lack of studies looking specifically at the risk of SIDS related to using these products, or whether they increase the risk of infant injury and death from suffocation, the AAP cannot recommend for or against them. This does not mean that they are unsafe, just that there is no definitive evidence either way. Bassinets, portable cribs, and cribs, however, are all proven to be safe options. Any sleep product you are considering for your baby should meet the standards set forth by CPSC. The following are some options to consider. Bedside sleepers are not considered to be the safest sleep environment because there is a lack of a side divider between baby and parent when these products are used. Halo offers several BassiNest product lines, all of which include the 360° swivel and rotation as well as its patented lowering bedside wall. The more luxe lines offer additional features like built-in soothing vibrations that may help calm a fussy baby and a floor light to allow you to check on the baby without disturbing them by turning on overhead lights. According to the company’s website, the BassiNest meets “all Federal, State, and Local regulations”. Like other bedside bassinets, this bassinet is designed only to be used for newborns and should not be used once the baby can move and rollover. According to the company’s website, the babybay Bedside Sleeper is ASTM, TÜV, and Confidence in Textiles (Oeko-Tex Standard 100 Class 1 for babies) certified. Like most other bassinet and bedside sleeper products, Babybay sleepers are designed to be used within the first five months of life. Arm’s Reach says that their bedside sleeper and the bassinet products are intended for use with infants up to 5 months or when the child begins to push up on hands and knees, whichever occurs first. The Arm’s Reach website states that its products meet the safety standards put forth in ASTM F2906 as well as ASTM F2194, the international standard for free-standing bassinets. The Co-Sleeper products also meet CPSC safety regulations.
