co sleeper bassinet

Babies sleep a lot. By “a lot” we mean that you can expect your baby to sleep 16-18 hours a day throughout the first year of their life, waking in 2-3 hour intervals to feed, get changed, and be coddled back into peaceful slumber. (No wonder it’s so hard for parents who are sleeping with a newborn to wake up in the morning feeling rested and recharged!)

Adapting to your baby’s schedule is hard enough. But add confusion or concerns about the correct newborn sleep position into the mix and you’ve got a recipe for wakeful nights.

That’s why we’re about to break down everything you need to know about sleeping with a newborn, starting with the “where” of safe baby sleep and ending with the “how” of getting the best new-parent nights of rest possible.

Where Should Baby Sleep During the First Few Months?

According to the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), babies should sleep in the same room as their parents for at least the first six months of life, and ideally through the first year. This is a practice called room sharing, which refers to any sleep set-up where parents and baby sleep in the same room together, thought not on the same sleep surface.

There’s a reason why room sharing is so well-loved by the AAP: not only is it a more convenient choice (making nighttime nursing and responding to any cry easy-as-can-be), but it also puts you in the best location to respond to your baby’s needs in the event of an emergency.

To prevent incidents of SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome,) timing is everything. The faster you can respond in the event of an emergency, the better.

By sleeping so close with your little one, you’ll also familiarize yourself with the sound of their breathing over time. This will make you well-prepared to recognize any blockages or other concerns that might need to be taken care of for them to sleep peacefully and safely. 

I’ve Heard About Bed Sharing. Is That Safe?

It is completely natural to want to be as close to your baby as possible. It’s also completely natural to not love the feeling of reaching over crib bars multiple times per night (especially if you’re still healing from a c-section). And it’s totally natural to not want to risk waking up your hard-to-put-to-sleep baby by having to constantly take them out and put them back in their crib.

While it may feel like the best option is to let your newborn sleep on your chest or tuck them into your own cozy comforter for a night of sleeping on your own mattress, the AAP clearly states that parents should never share a mattress with a newborn. This also includes putting your baby to sleep on a breastfeeding pillow or placing them in-between you and your partner.

To understand the “why” behind this recommendation, you need to understand that modern means of comfort are not ideally suited for infant safety. To maximize infant safety, your baby needs a flat and firm surface without extra cushioning that could accidentally cover their nose or make it hard for them to move.

(Reminder: your baby just came into this world, they’re still learning how to roll out of unsafe situations or untangle themselves when their breathing is obstructed.)

The sad reality is, accidents from bed sharing account for 50% of SIDS cases. Most of these cases come about from babies becoming tangled into sheets, rolling off the bed, or accidentally getting covered by pillows. 

Luckily, there are now options on the market that allow you to get all the convenience of this close sleeping without having to worry about those risks.

Sleeping with a Newborn Without Risk: What to Know About Bedside Bassinets

When bedside bassinets and bedside co-sleepers first came on the market, they seemed like the answer to many parents’ prayers. Safe sleep tools like the babybay bedside sleeper keep newborns in close proximity to their parents all through the night (in fact, they get to sleep right by their parents’ side!), while still giving them a sleep space that’s perfectly designed to suit their safety needs.

Parents who choose to sleep with a bedside sleeper can still experience the nighttime ease of nursing and comforting without getting out of bed, while knowing that their little one is sleeping on a mattress that meets all crib safety standards. In this way, your baby can be nurtured through close-as-can-be room sharing, without you having to worry about any of the risks that come from bed sharing.

The Best Newborn Sleep Position: Sleeping on the Back

Back sleeping will always be the safest option for your newborn baby. This position keeps your baby’s airflow clear and open, which prevents chocking and leads to easy nights of catching Zs for both you and them. Unlike sleeping on one’s side or stomach, laying on the back allows for your baby’s natural gag reflexes to take over, which will prevent any obstruction of airflow from occurring. 

Though it’s not totally uncommon to see a baby sleeping on side, this isn’t the newborn sleep position most recommended by the AAP. That’s for one very simple reason: when you have a baby sleeping on side, it’s too easy for them to roll on to their stomach.

Experts have long warned against stomach sleeping, in part because it can lead to overheating or lowered oxygen levels. It will take a few months (normally 4-6) for your little one to learn how to roll to their stomach on their own. When this time comes, you should still continue to put your child to sleep on their back. If they naturally happen to roll onto their stomach during the night, don’t fret.

As long as you continue to put them to sleep back-down, you don’t have to worry about this kind of mid-night rolling.

How to Guarantee a Safe Sleep Surface

Though getting your baby a safe and made-just-for-them baby bed is a good start, you can help your baby stay safe and secure all night long by sticking with a few best practices for sleep accessories.

We completely understand the desire to make your baby’s crib as cozy as possible, but, the AAP recommends keeping cribs clutter-free. For the first year, your crib should only contain a firm mattress and a fitted sheet. Extra pillows, blankets, and toys can all quickly become dangerous if your baby rolls or if something gets pushed over their airways in the middle of the night. 

So keep it simple and remember: when it comes to sleeping with a newborn, less is more. 

The parent-loved website Stork Mama created the ultimate buying guide for new parents when they recently reviewed the different baby co sleepers on the market. Choosing a crib — especially one that checks off all the right boxes when it comes to sustainability, safety, and looks — can feel like a “scrolling for hours” kind of chore. So to make things easier, Stork Mama broke the products down into two categories: side sleeper (which are more commonly known as bedside sleepers) and bed-sharing sleepers. And at the end of it all, the best luxury co-sleeper went to (*drum roll please*) the babybay co-sleeper. Here’s a greater breakdown of what Stork Mama had to say about babybay…

The Bedside Co-Sleeper That Beat Them All Out in Terms of Style and Sturdiness

Stork Mama’s review highlights several key factors, with safety, ease of use, and overall quality as some major standouts. Overall, Stork Mama’s verdict on the babybay bedside co-sleeper was that…

 “The babybay is the best luxury co-sleeper on the market. The brand is new to the USA but a bestseller in Europe. It’s a very stylish option that gives a classic crib look rather than a metal frame.”

 Read more of what Stork Mama had to say about babybay…

“Safety – The Babybay is the sturdiest co-sleeper on our list. The frame allows you to fix the dropped side to your bed frame with straps to keep it flush. The mattress height can be adjusted making it level with your mattress. There is also the option of a removable barrier if you want to be extra cautious about baby rolling between mattresses.

Ease of Use – This co-sleeper takes about 15 minutes to set up. Without the barrier, it is the perfect solution for breastfeeding moms. Pull baby over for a feed, then slide them back when you are done. It can be used as a freestanding crib in other rooms, but you’ll need an additional bed rail. The wheels make it easier for you to move around the house.

Bedding – The Babybay doesn’t come with a mattress provided, however, there are 4 options to choose from. The curved shape means you can’t use a generic brand. Separate machine washable sheets are also available.

Modular –Although not available for the US market yet there are accessories, which help you convert the baby bay into many different forms. This includes a playpen, highchair, child’s bench, desk and chair and freestanding crib. You may be able to have these item shipped over from Europe.

Best for – We highly recommend investing in the baby bay if you plan to have more children. It’s a sturdy piece of equipment and will see you through many years of use. The spacious design also makes it suitable to use for newborn twins.”

[Get your own babybay, the best luxury co-sleeper on the market]

It brings a sigh of relief to Mom and Dad when this peaceful moment occurs. Naturally, all parents want to have their infant fall into a deep sound sleep, because a baby that gets the required sleep is less likely to be a pool of crying eyes afterwards.

Creating the right sleep environment for infants and using recommended sleep guidelines from health professionals can make all the difference to both the parents and the infant’s well being. When parents follow proper sleep guidelines for infants, it can lessen the risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS).

To help young parents, we’ve collected these helpful tips from the American Academy of Pediatrics to check to see if you’re helping your infant’s sleeping practices. We hope so!

Sleeping guidelines for infants

• Babies should sleep on firm, flat sleep surfaces. We recommend the original babybay bedside co-sleeper to start out with when you arrive home with your infant. You can then convert this sleeper into a bassinet as your baby grows.

• Babies under 12 months old should be carefully placed on their back to sleep for naps. The AAP notes that your baby can be left in a side or front position, if your baby is already able to roll from the back-lying position to the side or stomach.

• The AAP strongly discourages bed-sharing habits for infants under a year old with parents. But we definitely recommend letting your baby sleep in the same room, and alongside your bed in a baby bed.

• Try not to let your babies sleep with any kind of soft pillows, plush toy animals, comforters, blankets or extra bedding parts until at least a year and a half old. Just a baby in a onesie often works best.

• Keep the baby’s crib or bassinet within reaching distance of the parent bed. This helps to comfort the baby or breastfeed without having to stand up and walk over to a crib.

These are just a few of the highlighted guidelines recommended by the AAP for the safety of your child. It’s important that your baby sleeps on the back for a more restful sleep. And that’s why we think that our babybay is the right baby bed sleeper to have the whole family sleep better!