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Best Baby Cradles Reviewed
For most parents, the nursery isn’t complete without a comfortable and safe cradle. With that level of popularity comes many, many different models to sort through, which can make finding the best cradle for your baby a bit challenging, but very worth it.
Cozy napping is important for newborns and infants. Unfortunately for us parents, constant napping isn’t likely in the foreseeable future.
Instead, getting the to-do list reduced to within reason is often more pressing. Today’s best baby cradles are very helpful in that regard, particularly for newborns and infants.
Few pieces of baby furniture are as truly versatile as a well-made cradle. From the bedroom, to the living room, to the in-law’s house, a reliable cradle can keep your baby comfy-cozy.
Moving the average-sized crib around the house isn’t really an option, so a baby cradle can serve a lot of purposes that a crib just cannot.
For a mom who is spending every waking moment tending to the needs of an infant, the ability to do some self-care and keep up with the home is a welcome change. Since a cradle can go where you go, it really can provide some freedom and let you keep up with your routine.
The Firefly Mommy team are here to help you find the best cradle for your baby. We are parents too, and we know how helpful the right baby accessories can be. That’s why we reviewed 5 of the top cradles for babies. See our top picks!
Check Out Our Favorite Baby Cradle
We list a few suggestions below that might shed some light on reasonable features to consider before you make a purchase. You can also jump down to the comparison chart below for quick answers and details.
Top Baby Cradles Comparison Chart
Best Baby Cradle
1. Chicco LullaGo Primo Portable Bassinet
Chicco LullaGo Primo Portable Bassinet
The Chicco LullaGo Portable Bassinet had see-through sides, which means that you can easily see your baby at any time. This also makes the bassinet extra ventilated. And, for extra comfort, it has a large soft memory foam mattress. The mattress has a zip-and-wash pad, and a bonus fitted sheet, which is and extra-soft knited fabric.
If you like to jet off for last-minute weekends away, or even longer holidays, the snap-on metal lets aid you in the speed of breakdown and reassembly. It also makes it easy to store. You’ll find a travel carry bag in the box with two sturdy straps to make carrying the bassinet simple and easy.
For extra interest, there is a cute canopy that has two soft birds hanging from it. The canopy is half made from mesh, so you can peer in to see the baby without having to disturb them, or stand directly over the bassinet.
All of the fabric is easy to remove and can be washing in the washing-machine, though like most it should be air-dried rather than put in the dryer.
What do parents love about it? They love that it is a little bit deeper than it looks, meaning baby has room to grow and that it has a storage pocket that fits a spare sheet, or perhaps an extra diaper or outfit. The disassembly takes minutes, and putting it back together is equally as quick. And, that can be moved quickly from room to room is a big bonus.
2. Green Frog Baby Rocking Cradle
Green Frog Baby Rocking Cradle
Inside the box, you will find that it has a stylish travel bag. The cradle can be set up in minutes, and the lightweight frame makes it easy to move around. The Green Frog Baby Rocking Cradle folds down quickly and easily, and for this reason, it is ideal for taking with you when traveling with your baby.
The setup is easy, and the rocker itself glides on built-in wheels. And due to the portable nature of the cradle, it is easy to store away if you like to save on space or when not in use.
We all know that safety is a top priority when it comes to baby’s sleep, so you’ll be happy to know that the Green Frog Baby Rocking Cradle meets all of the safety standards and only uses materials that meet FDA standards. Green Frog pride themselves on producing side sleepers with safety at the forefront of their minds.
Of course, being able to clean the material is essential. You can easily remove the aluminum frame and wash the fabric when you need to.
Buyers are leaving many 5 star reviews and comment on the beautiful color, the great size, and the ease of use. Making the Green Frog Baby Rocking Cradle parent-approved.
3. Simmons Kids Deluxe Gliding Bassinet
Simmons Kids Deluxe Gliding Bassinet
The activity mobile has a range of features designed to help you find what works best to help baby get to sleep. It has 3 preloaded lullabies. However, it is MP3-ready so you can play your own range of relaxing music for your baby instead. There is a soft glowing nightlight that provides comfort to the baby should they wake during the night, or may help them settle down in the evenings when they are initially placed in the bassinet. And, plush lambs that slowly spin to provide baby something to look at if they are awake.
For extra convenience, the bassinet is fitted with a storage basket underneath. This handy storage space can hold diapers, baby wipes, cream, and other outfits too. Making it very easy to have everything you need at arms-length, for those middle of the night and early morning changes.
The frame is lightweight and has lockable wheels so that you can secure it in position. And the mobile is attached via a swivel arm so it can easily be moved to ensure easy access to baby.
An added extra comes in the form of vibration. Some babies prefer vibration to rocking motions, and the Simmons Kids Deluxe Gliding Bassinet has that option. And a fitted sheet is provided.
Parents love how it looks and features like the mobile, storage, and how sturdy it is once put together. The main criticisms are that the vibration, lights, and music don’t last quite long enough, and the wheels and frame are too large to fit through some doorways. There are 5 different styles available, which means there is one for any style of interior or nursery.
4. Dream On Me Rocking Cradle
Dream On Me Rocking Cradle
If you don’t like the idea of a rocking cradle but find the design beautiful, you’ll be happy to know it comes with support pins fitted so that the cradle will be stable and not move.
All of the edges are smooth, and so are the corners, and it is ergonomically designed too.
The Dream On Me Rocking Cradle comes with a mattress pad. You can purchase a range of brands in terms of fitted sheets, so it gives a lot of choices.
It is recommended that once your baby can roll or push themselves up, they no longer use the Dream On Me Rocking Cradle.
Parents love this cradle for a range of reasons. It is easy to assemble for most people, and they love the classic style. While the Dream On Me Rocking Cradle is spacious, it doesn’t take up too much space when next to the bed. Although most reviews do recommend that you replace the mattress that it comes with and swap it for something more suitable. Because of the traditional design and sturdiness, this cradle is something that could be kept and used again – or passed down to others.
5. AMKE 3 in 1 Baby Baby Crib
AMKE 3 in 1 Baby Baby
It comes with a range of welcome features that’ll ensure they’re comfortable throughout the night, and has won plenty of plaudits for the safety and overall construction of the item, which means you’ll be able to rest easy knowing that your little one is secure.
Part of the appeal of this bassinet is that it’s flexible. You can set it up wherever you are as an individual baby bassinet, so your child can rest. But at night, you can quickly convert it so that it can become a bedside co-sleeper. The setup of the item means that you can put it flush against your bed, so your child will always be within easy within throughout the night.
It comes with an adjustable height, with six different heights included, so that you can choose the one that’s right for your bed. One of the main advantages of this co-sleeper bassinet is that it is light. You’ll be able to move it from room to room without too much difficulty.
Your child will like it too, since it provides enough room to move around in, yet is fully secure. There are mesh walls so that air keeps on circulating around. This is good for you parents, too, since it’ll allow you to keep a close eye on your baby from a distance. The easy set up — it requires no tools — has also been highlighted by previous consumers as a big plus point.
Top Baby Cradle Features To Consider
Ventilation
As adults we sleep better when air can flow freely around our bed. Infants and newborns do as well. Air flow is important for safety reasons as well, but those same mesh fabrics that allow air flow also provide for easy monitoring from a distance. Being able to see your baby sleeping soundly, or maybe beginning to stir, can be helpful to set your mind at ease.
Rocking
If you want to be able to rock your baby while they are in the cradle then this is an option you’ll need to look for. Not all baby cradles offer this feature, while some models will provide both stationary and rocking configurations so you can use your cradle either way.
Portability
This is a big benefit for us, as a quality cradle can serve as a day bed for your napping newborn. Moving your large crib around the house is all but impossible, and becomes entirely unnecessary if you find the best cradle for your baby. Aside from moving the baby cradle throughout your home, some of the top baby cradle models can really help by providing your little one a place to rest when you are visiting friends and family outside the home.
Easy Assembly
Setting up furniture for your kids can get pretty demanding, depending on the designs. And having an extra pair of helping hands isn’t always realistic. Fortunately, some of the best baby cradles offer easy assembly, as well as disassembly. This aspect becomes important if you need to transport your baby cradle to another house, and the cradle doesn’t easily fit in your vehicle.