After a newborn joins a family sleep is a hot commodity. The precious time when a child is sleeping allows a moment of quiet for the frazzled new parents. The question that many parents ask when purchasing a bed for their newborn is whether they should purchase a bassinet or a crib.

There are many things to consider when purchasing a bed for an infant but the first priority should be safety. Regardless of which piece of furniture a parent chooses to purchase the first priority should be ensuring that it is safe and well-built. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission holds crib manufacturers to the highest standards during production, while bassinets producers do not undergo this same scrutiny.

This does not mean that bassinets are unsafe, but they cannot provide the assurance to parents that cribs can. While bassinets are typically as safe a crib they do have a few obvious disadvantages. Because of their small size they are more likely to be accidentally knocked over by a large dog or young sibling. Also, an infant can typically stay in their crib until they are two years old; while a bassinet can only be used for a few months before the child will outgrow it.

After evaluating the safety aspect of an infant's bed there may be more issues for parents to consider. Some parents may want a very portable bed to easily monitor their child during nap time or at night, and a crib is anything but portable. Bassinets also consume far less space than a crib does and takes less time to assemble. If an infant will be temporarily sleeping in its parents bedroom a bassinet may be the right choice for the early months of life as disassembling and moving a crib could be difficult.

Bassinets are typically cheaper than cribs also, but parents will inevitably have to buy a crib regardless when their infant grows out of the bassinet. So a bassinet could just be an additional cost that could be avoided with the purchase of a crib initially. When purchasing an infant bed parents should not let cost sway their purchase decision too much or drive them to purchase a second hand bed, as cheaper beds may lack the durability and require replacing down the line.

After evaluating all of these criteria it is important that parents visit a reputable baby furniture retailer, either online or in-store, to ensure that the bed, whether it be a crib or bassinet, is sturdy and well-reviewed. When searching for baby furniture parents should educate themselves on any recent recalls to avoid returns or accidents.