One of the first choices that you will be making as a new parent, or preferably yet as a soon to be new parent, is what you will provide for your new baby to sleep in. Cradle, bassinet, crib, Moses basket, co-sleeper? It all gets a bit confusing for anyone who has not dealt with parenthood before.
Basically you have 2 choices. Will you be giving your baby somewhere to sleep that is small, convenient and easy to move around, and which your baby will look great in, but which you will need to replace in 4 or 5 months or will you opt for something for your baby to sleep in that will last for 2 or 3 years, is bigger and bulkier, harder to move around, less convenient but which you only have to purchase once.
Baby Bassinets
That's what it comes down to. Cradles and bassinets are the ideal way for you to provide a bed for your tiny baby for the first few months of life. A good bassinet should have an adjustable base so that height of the bassinet can raised or lowered depending on your requirements. It should be sturdy and stable with lockable wheels and hinges and the basket should be removable so that should you wish to go somewhere else for the evening you can take your baby with you and provide him or her with somewhere convenient to sleep.
A bassinet is easy to use as it does not have high sides. It does not need high sides because a young infant or newborn baby cannot stand up or climb. And a tiny little newborn baby looks wonderful in a delightful frilly bassinet.
But after 4 to 6 months your baby will outgrow the bassinet, will become too big and too heavy for it, will be at risk of falling out and your bassinet will then need to be replaced with a crib. So you have ultimately needed to purchase 2 items.
There is no reason why you cannot start your young baby sleeping in a crib from day one. However a tiny newborn almost appears lost in a huge crib. It is less easy to move it around should you wish to do so and it is not as useful, for example you cannot take it with you for your baby to sleep in on evenings out.
But once you have bought your crib you will use it for a number of years and only need to buy it once. There is no right or wrong choice. Whether you choose to have your baby sleeping in a cradle or bassinet for the first few months or to start him or her in a crib makes little difference, it's just a matter of personal choice.
And a matter of whether you are happy buying a cradle of bassinet first and then needing to buy a crib a few months later. Either way remember that the hottest prices for cradles, cribs and bassinets are always online.