Everything sleep-related with a newborn is terrifying. Almost every parent feels a sharp stab in the heart every time they set their kid down for the first few weeks. It’s biology.
So who the hell do you trust to make a safe space for them to sleep? Where is it safe to put your little one, nestled in a straitjacket so that it can’t roll anywhere and suffocate itself while you sneak into the living room for a doomscroll about 529 plans? The Brits have the answer: The SnuzPod4, a simple wooden bedside cell that now occupies a permanent space next to my mattress, has been popular in the United Kingdom for years.
Given that my first child is only a few months old, I have limited experience with the best bassinets. But I’ve found this one to be simple, good-looking, and shockingly sleep-deprivation proof. I have yet to do anything sketchy with it on accident, which I can’t say about some other parenting tools I’ve tried (I’m looking at you, strollers and carriers).
Pod People
With midcentury-modern-meets-Ikea vibes (and assembly), the SnuzPod4 and its associated base come together in about half an hour of frenzied pre-birth building. There is a bottom section that acts as a cradle for the bassinet up top. The bassinet itself can sit atop the base, or you can just rock it on the floor (nice for travel).
Once you build the top and bottom sections (basically just putting fabric over some metal rods and screwing things together), you’re essentially off to bedtime. It comes with a breathable mattress so you can be less worried about your kiddos suffocating in the night (though that fear will never go away entirely, I’ve realized), and it has a gentle reflux incline position if your baby spits up more than the already large amount all babies spit up. Enjoy!
It is JPMA-certified, which means it meets the ASTM safety standard for infant beds, and I particularly love that it rocks really easily back and forth when my daughter just can’t seem to fall perfectly asleep and just needs a little extra soothing.
Photograph: Parker Hall
Close To Home
This is a bedside bassinet, which is increasingly popular among parents who don’t want the potential dangers of cosleeping but who want easy access to their kids during sleep (and the benefits of being in the same room). It squeezes in at just under 20 inches, which easily fits beside my bed, and the smooth bottom of the base helps it slide into place on wood or carpet.
You can adjust it to the height of your bed (there are seven positions to choose from). Ours turned out to be right about in the middle, go figure. If you sleep super close to the ground, you can just forgo the base entirely and use the bassinet straight on the ground, where it also has a sloped, flat bottom that you can rock. We found this particularly helpful right after my daughter was born, when a snowstorm (and associated mayhem in Portland, Oregon) had us crashing at my folks’ place for a few days.