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Tips on How to Conceive a Baby Boy
When you’re preparing to welcome your baby into the world, one of the biggest decisions you’ll have to make is where your baby will sleep. Given that new parents are advised to have their baby share a bedroom with an adult for the first six to twelve months to reduce the risk of SIDS, a bassinet is often a practical solution. Smaller than a cot, they take up less space so you can keep your baby close by for feeds and cuddles.
However, you might be surprised to learn that there is no Australian Standard regarding safety for bassinets. The most frequent accidents associated with bassinet use are falls and suffocation hazards, so the Australian government produces guidelines to reduce these risks.
When assessing whether or not a bassinet is safe for your baby to sleep in, you will need to ensure the following (as recommended by Red Nose):
Because there are no safety standards, CHOICE conducted independent testing in order to make recommendations to Australian families. Their in-house method is based on a typical home setting and other existing safety standards, such as for cots. The concerning results revealed that of the 33 bassinets tested, 24 of them had serious failures.
One incredibly popular trend has failed the testing, and that is the Scandi and natural looking nursery decor featuring bassinets woven from rattan or cane. They look lovely but carry risks such as splinters, rough jagged edges, and the serious risk of limb entrapment in the gaps of the design.
For a full list of bassinets that failed CHOICE safety tests, head to their website. To make an informed choice, you can also see here their reviewed bassinets and bedside sleepers to help you find the best and safest one for your baby. When it comes to decorating a baby’s sleep space, always choose safety over style. If you have the available space, a cot is the safest option. Here are the evidence-based recommendations to sleep your baby safely.
CHOICE, ‘How to buy a bassinet’, https://www.choice.com.au/babies-and-kids/baby-furniture/cots/buying-guides/bassinets
Red Nose, ‘Baby safe sleeping products’, https://rednose.org.au/article/baby-safe-sleeping-products, last modified 2018.