Stroller Bassinets

[mlvmd]

If you had a stroller bassinet did you find it useful and,
if so, for how long? DH had been sold on the BOB Motion travel system but just used BIL's Uppababy Vista and now is insisting that DS2 needs a bassinet. I
I am just not sure if it's something we are really going to use. We go for short walks around our neighborhood and on uneven surfaces around the DC Mall. However DS2 is due in winter so I'm not sure how much outdoor strolling we are going to enjoy and I'm afraid DS2 will grow out of the bassinet before we get to use it heavily.

[teatimefor2]

I loved our bassinet, but we live an urban lifestyle with no car. We used it for five months, I think. I really think it depends on your lifestyle.!

[bananapancakes]

We have the Vista and the basinette was a selling feature for us. I wouldn't say we got a ton of use out of it. We maybe used it 10 times in the first 2 months. After that, DS was much too aware and curious about his surroundings and didn't like being flat on his back. We got the infant snug ride insert and that has been much more useful and he seems to enjoy that much more.

[Deleted]

I have an Uppababy Vista and I really liked the idea of the bassinet - we planned to use it on top of a Jolly Jumper stand in the bedroom too - but ended up not using it much. It wasn't that B didn't like it, we just exclusively used the RNP for sleeping once we saw how well he slept in it. As for bringing the bassinet out and about - I hope to use it for a future baby but I couldn't easily get the Uppababy down my apartment steps easily with the bassinet attached so I ended up taking him for walks with the car seat attached to the stroller so he would be more secure going up and down the stairs. FWIW I love our Uppababy but that was my bassinet experience.

[Deleted]

I had a Bugaboo that I used for all of five months. I mean, sure, it was great during that time but on the whole I think it was a complete waste of money. More often than not, I didn't even use the bassinet, but snapped the infant seat directly into the base. Then we got too lazy to convert it into the seat when DD started sitting up and just switched to the (lighter) Citi Mini and have not looked back.

So to sum: I used a $700 stroller for five months and a $250 stroller for three years. Awesome ROI for the Bugaboo!

[redheadk]

The bassinet feature was a selling point for the UBV for me but we ended up not really using it. DD had severe reflux and couldn't lay flat so stroller walks in it really didn't happen.

I would have really liked it if she had been able to lay flat but it wasn't a must have.

[brooklyn]

Ditto teatimefor2. We loved the bassinet! We used it daily until about 5 months or so. We live in NYC and had the bassinet stand. We don't have a car, so it was awesome to be able to use the bassinet on walks, and transfer the bassinet directly to the bassinet stand at home. (We live in an elevator building, so no issues with the size of the Vista). We used the bassinet for naps and overnight sleep for months until he outgrew it.

[curbsideprophet]

We have an UB Vista. I have been really happy with it. Our main use was walks around the neighborhood with DD.

I think we have used it three times while out shopping and one or two quick walks with DS so far (7 weeks).

[mlvmd]

Thank you for all of the insight! We have major stroller issues. I think we had four different ones for DS1 and didn't love any of them. Hence our search for the perfect one this time. DH's requirements were sturdy wheels that can easily go on uneven surfaces and no bar directly across the back (he found himself kicking it constantly). Now he has added the bassinet concept.

My requirements are easily foldable and can easily store in a car (we have a minivan so it doesn't have to be tiny). I like the stronger wheels but I do want to be able to navigate a store without taking out whole racks of clothing.

So we had the BOB Motion at the top of the list but were also considering the Britax B-Ready. That one may be edging forward because it has a bassinet. I also just looked at the City Select because apparently it has a bassinet as well. I like the BOB because the Britax car seat snaps directly into the frame and the B-Ready basically converts to a snap and go.

[jeaniebueller]

Jul 27, 2014 19:05:32 GMT -5 @starry said:

I bought one (on eBay) for our Phil and Ted's Dash and probably used it five times. She was born the wrong season for it and I preferred to wear her. I might get a Snap and Go frame for child two.

Fwiw, the snap and go is awesome.

[barefootcontessa]

Up until about two months I kept the stroller by my bed and used the bassinet as the baby's bed. I often strolled him to sleep that way.

[Velar Fricative]

I was strongly considering the Uppababy Vista until I saw how heavy it was (we live in a walk-up apartment), but I did end up buying the cheaper Uppababy Cruz - no bassinet but it can be used from birth with the Uppababy infant snugseat and the seat lies back flat. I'm glad I went this route because I've been able to use the same seat the whole time instead of figuring out how to store the bassinet after we were done with it.

[pb127]

We used the bassinet on our city select until about 6 months. Loved it! DD was fine in her snap and go for shorter outings but seemed to get a kick out of the extra space in the bassinet for longer outings.

[carolinagirl831]

We have the UBV, and we got it when DD was 4 months. We only used the bassinet for two months but if we had it when she was a newborn I would have loved it.
It was very helpful in training her to lie flat as she was so addicted to her rock n play. Baby #2 is going to use that bassinet from the beginning and hopefully get used to lying flat much easier.

[sent]

Jul 27, 2014 20:17:29 GMT -5 Velar Fricative said:

I was strongly considering the Uppababy Vista until I saw how heavy it was (we live in a walk-up apartment), but I did end up buying the cheaper Uppababy Cruz - no bassinet but it can be used from birth with the Uppababy infant snugseat and the seat lies back flat. I'm glad I went this route because I've been able to use the same seat the whole time instead of figuring out how to store the bassinet after we were done with it.

Cruz does have a bassinet you can buy for $189.  It just doesn't come with it like it does for the Vista.  

DD was born in December during the worst winter in recent history. Add to that she was a preemie so I never took her out.  For what little we did go out, I used the Mesa car seat and snapped it straight from the car into the Cruz.  If she was sleeping in it when I got home, we left her in it until she woke up.  I wanted the bassinet but in retrospect it would've been a waste for my winter baby.

My husband says one day when we were in NYC "that baby has a stroller where the baby can lay down flat!" Dude, that's called a bassinet.  

[mcfelix]

Love my uppa baby vista! DS was born last July, so I took him for walks around the neighborhood using the bassinet all the time. He didn't sleep in it much, like I had hoped. He napped and slept in the rock and play.

So, while the bassinet was nice, we could have done without it. Especially if he would have been born in the winter.

[rugbywife]

I have an UB vista. I have never used the bassinet, not once, it is still in the box. We had a smaller bassinet to use in our room and I use her bucket seat on the stroller.

My vista is heavy but I got the entire system (with a bucket seat) from a friend for $200. If I had had to have bought new I would not have spent full price on it. But , I don't know what I would have gotten otherwise.

[imojoebunny]

I had the mountain buggy urban double with the bassinet. It was great. I had an older child and we did a lot of stuff outside. I also used the bassinet a lot on the sofa until he could crawl. I could lay DS in it or pull it out of the stroller without waking him, and have him nearby. He also slept in it for travel for about 6 months.

Neither of my kids loved the bucket seat, so having something else made things easier.

[stealthmom]

We used the basinette daily for at least three months. We used it for sleeping and walks. I loved it.

[starlily]

We used our UBV bassinet for around 5mos with DD1. We used it every time we went out - we didn't have any way to clip our borrowed infant seat onto the frame. We also used the bassinet for naps when we visited people, since it wad.almost always in the car trunk.

[catbear]

DS has been using the UB bassinet for sleeping overnight since day 1... We have it set up on the stand. I took him out in it once or twice, but he prefers strolling upright in the car seat or the regular seat with infant insert. I am still happy we have it since it is easy to travel with and he is content sleeping in it. He is going to outgrow it any day now, but we were certainly happy to have it.

[loskadoodle]

I love the Ubv. But we didn't use the bassinet that often. I got the adapter for our car seat so se used that much more.

[rupertpenny]

I think having a car seat that snaps directly into the stroller frame (and there are plenty of ones compatible with the UBV) would be more helpful and convenient than a separate bassinet.

I would definitely prefer an UBV over a BOB system.

I have an UB Cruz and I think it could handle the terrain around the Mall with no problems whatsoever.

[marina007]

We have a bugaboo and used the bassinette daily for 6 months. Definite depends on lifestyle though; I was on mat leave the whole time and didn't have a car, so would go everywhere with the stroller. DD would take all naps in it, and we used it as a "travel bed" if we were away or visiting friends.

Also, I think it depends on how long you will have the baby in the stroller at a time. Younger babies shouldn't necessarily spend hours on end in a car seat/"sitting position" daily, but I can't see any issue if you're just using the stroller to get for a to b.

[grosnl19]

Jul 27, 2014 19:02:42 GMT -5 teatimefor2 said:

I loved our bassinet, but we live an urban lifestyle with no car. We used it for five months, I think. I really think it depends on your lifestyle.!

Us too. We didn't have a pack 'n play so we used it all the time...detaching bassinet from the stroller and carrying it around the house. Say if I needed to shower I would just put DD in the bassinet and place her on the bathroom floor.

[meij]

Our stroller is one that the seat turns into a bassinet. I love it and actually haven't used it as a regular stroller! I didn't get it until he was three months and I wish I'd had it from day one it would have made things SO much easier (didn't use an infant car seat bucket).

He's five months and we still use it in bassinet mode. It's also really nice to have somewhere clean and safe to change his diaper wherever.

[CloudBee]

We had the Britax bassinet that attached to our B-Agile stroller. Loved it. I used it until he was about 6 months old. DS had torticollis, so it was important to get him out of his car seat and either strap him to me in a carrier, or lay him flat in a stroller. We even did tummy time in the bassinet on occasion.

One huge perk with the bassinet is that you always have a clean and private place to do diaper changes. I changed many diapers on the walking path at the beach in the bassinet, and would even change him right in the bassinet in the family room at the mall, vs. using their changing tables.

I sold the bassinet on Craig's List, and almost made my money back.

Well worth it, and if we have a 2nd child I will absolutely re-purchase the bassinet attachment. I didn't have a car seat that attached to my stroller, so this was a great item to have.

[potatopie]

we used ours as a bed for the first few months since it was cozier than the crib. and it was nice for walks and for having a place to sleep when we were out and about.

[quickstepstar]

We used the bassinet a lot (UBV). We probably used it for 5-6 months with DD3 and she was born in November. We lived in a town where we could walk everywhere, so I think the fact that we didn't need to put the stroller in the car ever made us use it a lot more that we would have used it otherwise. We also used it frequently for her to take naps in the apartment We sold it when we moved to suburbia (when she was 1.5) and have used our city mini ever since.

[niq]

We had the Bugaboo Bee cocoon. It's not a full-fledged bassinet. We used it quite a bit until he was sitting up at 5 months or so. He was born in August, but it's not exactly warm here.

The Bugaboo cocoon isn't usable for sleeping, we bough the babybjorn cradle for sleeping. He loved it. We never used a PnP or swing, the bassinet was fine for sleep after the first few weeks.