If you are soon to welcome a little one into your life, shopping for baby products is sure to be on the top of your list. Bassinets are one of the top choices for newborns as they are more affordable and don’t take up a lot of space. If you have been looking forward to buying one for your baby, it is most likely that you have come across a vibrating bassinet that promises to help babies sleep better.
This feature does make vibrating bassinets popular among parents because it takes over their task of soothing the baby to sleep. But is vibration bad for babies? Many parents may feel apprehensive regarding their baby’s safety on being subjected to such vibrations on a daily basis.
And being a parent myself, I was concerned about the same, and the best way to reassure myself about the safety and functionality of a vibrating bassinet was to do my own research on the same.
If you have been wondering whether a vibrating bassinet is safe for your newborn or not, this article is for you. Here I have covered everything you need to know about vibrating bassinets and their effect on babies. Read on for more!
Are Vibrating Bassinets Safe For Newborn Babies?
Is a vibrating bassinet safe for a baby? The answer is yes! Vibrating bassinets meet all the safety standards set by the JPMA and CPSC, so you need not worry about any negative effects on the baby.
Actually, vibrations are not bad for a newborn. Instead, it has been found that babies respond positively to vibrations – for example, they fall asleep faster when you are rocking them to sleep. Vibrating bassinets help parents in this aspect, as you don’t have to get up in the middle of the night to soothe a crying baby.
But how do these bassinets work? Vibrating bassinets are similar to other bassinets in all but one aspect – they have some vibrating mechanism that you can switch on or off at your convenience.
Also, a number of smart bassinets available in the market come with a music box in addition to the vibrating mechanism. So not only does your child sleep better, but they are also soothed instantly if they wake up crying!
This is a lifesaver for mothers recovering from birth, as they won’t have to bend and pick up their baby from the bassinet to calm them every time they start crying. The bassinet does the job at the press of a button (or automatically, in some cases).
Therefore, a vibrating bassinet is not only safe for a newborn but also helps in making life easier for new parents!
Why Do Newborns Like Vibrations?
Parents might wonder why babies are fond of vibrations to the extent that they become calm instantly. Well, the answer is very simple – this is something that they are familiar with!
The baby experiences vibrations while in the mother’s womb. All the activities that the would-be mother does while pregnant – such as walking, singing, or talking reach the baby in the form of gentle vibrations.
After they are born, a baby still responds to vibrations since that’s what they have been accustomed to, and it makes them feel safer. On careful observation, you would notice that tapping babies gently on their backs or singing to them also calms them when they cry. These same gentle repetitive movements also help them relax and fall asleep without any fuss.
Actually, these gentle motions remind the baby of the mother’s womb and help them calm down. Therefore, a vibrating bassinet is safe for newborns as it can mimic the movements that the baby experiences while still in the womb and make them feel safe and secure.
What Are The Benefits Of A Vibrating Bassinet?
Manufacturers of baby products have shown immense innovation in recent years in coming up with smart and useful products for babies, and the vibrating bassinet is definitely one of them. These have become a boon to the parents as they help make the babies calm and comfortable at the same time.
Parents would know how huge a struggle it is to put a fussy baby to sleep, and having a product that does the job for you is no less than a blessing. Unlike cribs or normal bassinets, you do not need to lull your kid to sleep before putting them in the vibrating bassinet. You just need to place them in the bassinet and press a button, and the inbuilt mechanism creates a soothing motion that induces sleep.
As a result, your baby falls asleep much faster and without any fuss – which is a relief for parents. Moreover, they sleep for longer hours since the comforting motion reminds them of their memories of being in the womb. And finally, even if they wake up, it is easier to lull them back to sleep with the motion.
But that’s not all. Modern vibrating bassinets come with a ton of features, making your life easier. And now that you know using a vibrating bassinet is safe for newborns, let’s look at the many benefits of this awesome product!
1) Vibration Adjustment
We know that a vibrating motion is excellent for soothing babies. But being able to adjust the vibration is even better! Many models of vibrating bassinets come with buttons to adjust the speed of vibration to suit the baby’s mood.
You might be wondering what’s so great about it? Well, imagine that your baby is crying and you need to soothe him or her – a faster-vibrating motion is sure to do the job for you. And when your little one finally calms down and falls asleep due to the gentle movement, you can set the vibration to a slower speed so that they can sleep more comfortably.
2) Cry-detection Technology
This feature is like a lifesaver to me, and I am sure, to all the parents out there too! Several smart bassinets come with a cry detection technology along with a vibrating mechanism to ensure that your baby sleeps better.
So how does this work? The bassinet is attached with a music box and a cry-detecting sensor that can recognize crying sounds coming from the bassinet. Once it detects any such sound, the machine automatically tries to calm down the baby by using a combination of music, white noise, and vibrating motions. This also works because the baby feels that the parents are near and hence calms down.
As a result, you won’t need to get out of bed in the middle of the night if your baby starts crying. Another benefit of this feature is that you don’t always need to be near your baby when they are taking a nap during the day, thus giving you more time for yourself and your work.
And the best part, some bassinets also allow you to select the type of music, vibration speed, or white noise that would be used to calm the baby in advance!
3) Auto Shut-off Feature
While a vibrating motion is not harmful to your baby, it is not a good idea to keep it on for the whole night. Turning it off a couple of hours after your baby falls asleep means you have to stay awake for that long. But with this feature, you won’t need to.
Many vibrating bassinets come with an auto shut-off feature that lets you set the period of time for which the vibration should continue. This saves you the hassle of manually shutting off the machine, which means you get a little extra time for sleeping too!
4) Smartphone Compatibility
This is the best feature of the lot, in my opinion! While not many bassinets come with an app to connect them to your smartphone, some actually do! These smart bassinets allow you to set the duration and speed of vibration through your smartphone. And if it comes with the cry-detection technology, you can decide on the type of white noise or music too!
Imagine not having to get down from the bed – just a press of a button on your smartphone can activate the bassinet. Or you can turn off the vibration when you see that the baby is asleep, all from the comfort of your bed!
It is to be noted that not all models come with all the features listed above, so you need to make sure you check the information before making the purchase.
What You Need To Know About Using Vibrating Bassinets
Vibrating bassinets come with an extra vibrating mechanism attached to the bassinet, often combined with a music box too for soothing babies.
Well, all these additional features come at a price, literally. Most vibrating bassinets are much more expensive than a standard bassinet (without any vibrating mechanism), although the price differs based on the model and included features. But, if you look well enough, you will find a few models within an affordable range, although these are few.
2) Try To Avoid Keeping The Vibration Mode Always On
While you may be tempted to put the baby in the bassinet and turn on the vibration mode if you want some free time or have to complete a chore around the house, it’s best that you don’t. While the vibration in itself does not pose any risk to the baby, some other disadvantages are associated with it.
The issue is that your baby may tend to become used to falling asleep to the vibration and making a fuss without it. This would make traveling difficult, as your baby may take longer to fall asleep and wake up multiple times during the night.
Therefore, my suggestion is to keep the vibrations on till your baby falls asleep and then turn it off. This also ensures that it is easier for them to transition to a crib when they outgrow the bassinet after a few months.
Conclusion
So, back to the real question – is a vibrating bassinet safe for a newborn baby? Well, it indeed is. And I am sure that this article would have cleared your doubts regarding the same.
Putting your baby to sleep in a vibrating bassinet is a good choice for both you and the baby, as they find it more comforting than regular cribs and bassinets. And all parents would agree with me on this point – if your baby sleeps peacefully, you do too!
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Are Vibrating Bassinets Safe For Newborns?
Yes, they are! Vibrating bassinets meet all the JPMA and CPSC standards, making them perfectly safe for a newborn. In fact, newborns sleep better and faster when there is a gentle vibrating motion as they are reminded of being in their mother’s womb.
The only issue is that they might get addicted to sleeping with the vibration mode on, which might create problems when they are older. But you can easily avoid this by turning off the vibrations while they are almost asleep, instead of keeping it on for the whole night.
Is Vibration Good For A Newborn?
The answer is yes! There won't be any danger to a child’s health due to being exposed to gentle vibrations such as from a vibrating bassinet. On the contrary, it has numerous positive effects on the baby - they stay calmer, sleep more easily, and stay asleep for a longer duration.
The reason behind it is because the child experiences everything in the form of gentle vibrations while in the mother’s womb. Every activity of the mother - walking, talking, and even their heartbeats reach the baby in the form of vibrations. Therefore being subjected to such rhythmic motions is comforting as it reminds them of the conditions inside the womb.
Carly Link, a 33-year old mother of two toddlers. She is a parent and goes through a lot of the usual parenting difficulties herself. Carly shares all her experiences and knowledge about the best baby products through this blog.
