HALO BassiNest Swivel Sleeper: Worth the Investment?

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The Halo Bassinest Swivel Sleeper is a beautifully designed crib specifically made for co-sleeping with your baby.

According to the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), it is recommended for babies to sleep in the same room as their parents during the first months. The Halo Bassinest Swivel Sleeper is an adjustable and versatile crib designed to provide a safe and comfortable space for your baby right next to your bed. It’s especially convenient for smaller bedrooms and highly favored by mothers who have had c-sections. With this crib, you can easily feed your baby at midnight and create stronger bonds through shared experiences.

So you’re considering the Halo Bassinest for your new arrival? You’ve come to the right place! In this article, we will cover everything that you need to know about the Halo Bassinest series, as well as the information behind safe sleep recommendations.

If you like to get a quick insight into the Halo Bassinest, this is the short version of my research on this co-sleeping bassinet:

Quick Snapshot of the Halo Bassinest

Halo Bassinest Swivel Sleeper
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The Halo Bassinest Swivel Sleeper is a well-designed crib for co-sleeping with your baby. It’s the only one that swivels 360 degrees and the height of this bassinet fits most beds. That makes easier to get in, lift or take care of the baby in bed. It’s a smart choice for mothers with c-sections. Because of this, it’s one of our best choices for the best bassinet.

​What We Love

  • It’s really easy to use: adjustable height​, swivels ​and good access to the sleeping surface.​
  • ​​Nightlight is excellent for baby’s night feedings​. ​
  • ​Mesh walls offer good visual contact and great breathability.

​Cons

  • ​It’s a little heavy and has no wheels: it weighs 33 lbs and measures 36.9″ tall x 45.3″ long x 33.8″ wide.
  • ​It uses a non-organic foam, also used by many other brands.

A Bit of Information about Safe Sleep and Room Sharing

Though cuddling up to your newborn at night might be the only thing you want to do, bed-sharing with infants is not recommended as it can increase the risk of overheating, suffocation, airway obstruction, and exposure to tobacco smoke. All of which are risk factors for SIDs.

Research has found that a baby who shares a bed with a mother who smokes is 16-100 times more likely to fall victim to SIDs. And even if you don’t smoke, bed-sharing still increases the risk of SIDS by 5 times.

Room sharing, however, is recommended with babies under 1 year old – but if you can’t do it for this long you should try to for a minimum of 6 months. Research shows that room-sharing can lower the risk of SIDs by 50%.

There are a few reasons for this – you’re more likely to wake up and respond to your baby and breastfeeding (a protective measure against SIDs) is easier. But the primary reason is that the background noise of your presence in the room will help to prevent your baby from falling into a deep sleep.

Deep sleep is dangerous because babies are unable to recognize and communicate what they need. A hungry baby or a baby with an obstructed airway may not wake from a deep sleep due to not recognizing their needs and that they might be dangerous.

Why is the Halo Bassinest great for Room Sharing?

This crib is ideal for room sharing because it takes up very little space and can be used with all adult beds (apart from platform beds). It requires only a 36” space between the wall and the start of the bed, and due to its 360 swivel design can be easily moved to make space for you to get in and out of bed as well.

The features of this crib make it perfect for safe sleep recommendations – mesh sides and a firm sleeping surface are just two components that will keep your baby safe at night.

​Halo Bassinest Swivel Sleeper – Complete Review

The company Halo Innovations has devoted to making inventions to avoid the risks to babies’ sleep. This is how they first developed the SleepSack Wearable Blanket. This sack for a newborn replaces the blanket and is safer because there are no loose fabrics. The SleepSack is one of the most common purchases by parents and Children’s Hospitals.

Halo Bassinest Swivel Sleeper is another innovation for safe sleep. It allows parents to sleep closer to the baby and reduce the risks of co-sleeping.

​Now let’s talk about each of the features of this bedside ​bassinet.

Halo Bassinest 2

Ease of Use

Some bassinets require bulky installation straps to anchor to the bed. In contrast, Halo Bassinest will be ready when you adjust the height and slide the base under the bed. That’s it. The American Academy of Pediatrics has made several prescriptions for reducing the risk of sleep-related death, including SIDS. It suggests sharing a room but not bed-sharing. Halo Bassinest ideally fits this safety tip.

This mini crib has a mechanism to lower the sidewall so you don’t need to get up if you’re going to move the baby. Excellent if mom had a c-section or needs more rest. This sidewall is retractable and automatically returns to its upright position with gentle pressure. As the Bassinest can rotate 360° then it’s convenient for feeding the baby at night or taking him out of the bassinet.

You can take out the Bassinest’s mini crib and put it on the parents’ bed if needed. The baby may co-sleep but in the safety of its own space.

Some models of the Halo Bassinest include a soothing center with soothing sounds and lullabies, a back to bed reminder, vibration, and auto shutoff (Halo Bassinest Premiere and Luxe Series come with this feature).

Accessibility

I already mentioned some of the features that make this bassinet one of the best in accessibility. It’s easy to reach the baby because the sidewall of this bedside crib lowers. If you need more access to the sleeping area, the bassinet can rotate 360 degrees.

The height of the sleeper adapts to your needs. So it fits exactly to the height of your bed.

Quality

The materials and structure of the HALO are of excellent quality.

Its stable design allows it to tilt and swivel smoothly. It has strong metal legs. Also, its edges are even. The mesh is well crafted and tight enough. It has a clean, modern and functional design.

Breathability

Breathability is a prominent factor in this mini crib. That’s because the bassinet has sidewalls made of mesh. On the sides of the head and feet of the crib, there are fabric panels. All this makes it easier for your baby to have eye contact with you and helps you take care of your baby’s sleep.

Parents Experience

In the review of parents’ comments and evaluations, we found many positive impressions from c-section moms. They felt that “the idea was great and the functionality was fabulous”. They liked that it allowed them to have their newborn close at hand. They highlighted the possibility of tilting the bassinet. “It has made my recovery a lot easier”. Another mom with a c-section said this bedside crib “was so beneficial for the first 6 weeks that it was totally worth it”. A few mothers felt that the maximum angle of inclination of the Bassinest was perhaps not the best, without implying any real risk to the baby.

This bassinet is ideal for newborns and “we were able to co-sleep without putting our baby at risk”.

Some parents already had a traditional crib, but after a c-section, they bought a Bassinest. “The crib had solid sides and I couldn’t see my baby and had to sit often, and it was very painful. Two weeks later we bought Bassinest and it saved my life. We used it for my daughter’s first 6 months.

Other observations were: “you can see from the sides, it’s easy to check the baby”, “it’s easy to take the newborn out because one side is lowered”, and “it’s easy to turn it to get closer or further away from me”.

Is It a Good Purchase?

Halo Bassinest is a worthy investment to share with your newborn

This crib is an excellent choice among the bassinets available on the market. If your idea is to co-sleep and have a bedside crib, the Halo is one of the best choices to adjust in height and attach to the bed. There are other nice mini cribs like the Chicco Next2Me or the Fisher-Price Soothing Motions, but Halo is easier to maintain and wash.

Sharing a room with your baby brings excellent benefits, being one of the main ones that you and your little one can sleep better and safer. The Halo offers the added comfort of not having to get out of bed to feed at night and cuddle. This difference alone makes it worth buying. It’s the right size and saves space. Because of this, we believe that a Halo Bassinest is a worthy investment to share the first months with your newborn.

Halo Bassinest Swivel Sleeper
Halo Bassinest Swivel Sleeper
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FAQs about Halo Bassinest Swivel Sleeper

How safe is the Halo Bassinest?

The Halo Bassinest meets or exceeds the CPSC and ASTM safety requirements in the US for bassinets and cradles. From a simpler perspective, the surrounding side panels are made from mesh to allow easy visibility and maximum breathability. This means that if your baby moves during the night to be pressed up against the side, you’ve got nothing to worry about.

Is the Halo newborn insert safe?

The Halo newborn insert meets safe sleep guidelines and is the only item that can be safely used inside the Halo Bassinest. The mesh sides make for optimal airflow and the mattress below provides a firm sleep surface to keep your newborn safe through the night. The snug sleeping surface of the Halo newborn insert increases your baby’s comfort and security and is recommended for use with babies up to 15lbs (or when they start showing signs of rolling over).

How stable is this crib?

The four-leg base of the Halo Bassinest means that even a hectic toddler won’t be able to accidentally knock it over! Some parents have reported a slight tilt to the bassinet itself when a baby is sleeping towards one side of it – Halo has ensured that this is normal due to its ability to swivel and that it is completely safe. Note that when using the Halo Bassinest on an area rug, it’s important that all four legs are on the rug for stability.

Why is it ideal for nursing and C-section moms?

The patented lowering wall feature of this bassinet makes it easier to get your baby in and out. There’s no need to get out of bed to bring your baby to you for night feeds – you simply swivel the bassinet and push down the side.

How long can baby use the Halo Bassinest?

You can use the Halo Bassinest until your child reaches 5 months of age, and for multiple children! This bassinet could last you a lifetime of babies.

When should you stop using the Halo Bassinest?

You should stop using the Halo Bassinest when your child reaches 5 months of age or 9.1kg/20lbs. It’s also not safe to use the bassinet when your baby starts to move around more during sleep.

Can the Halo Bassinest be used with all kinds of adult beds?

The Halo Bassinest can be used with all adult beds – it raises and lowers between 24-34 inches to the height of your bed – with the exception of platform beds.

What kind of mattress comes with the Halo Bassinest?

The mattress that comes with the Halo Bassinest is waterproof and contains no flame retardants.

What is the difference between the Halo Bassinest Essentia, Premiere, and Lux?

The table below shows the differences between each of the Halo Bassinest models!

Essentia series

Premiere series

Luxe series

Luxe plus series

360 rotation

Lowering wall

Updated base

Storage pocket

Two prints

360 rotation

Lowering wall

Updated base

Storage pocket

Two prints

Soothing centre

360 rotation

Lowering wall

Updated base

Soothing centre

Removable storage

Removable bed

Machine-washable

360 rotation

Lowering wall

Updated base

Soothing centre

Removable storage

Removable bed

Machine-washable

Newborn insert

* Note: The soothing center included in the Premiere Series and above models includes various sounds, lullabies, and a vibration setting to help soothe your baby to sleep. It also has a dim light that is perfect for use during night feeds or night changes, as well as a nursing timer that you can set to let you know when to switch sides. The soothing center does have a reputation of breaking easily – but Halo is usually more than happy to send a replacement!

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