HALO BassiNest Swivel Sleeper review

What I love most about the bassinet is that the sides are fully mesh. This means I can easily see my baby when I'm laying down, which is comforting and reassuring.

It's a really soft mesh material which means if he wiggles around and ends up against one of the sides he doesn't mind at all. The product is a lovely neutral colour and the mattress came with a waterproof sheet.

I wish I had this immediately after giving birth because the full 360 spinning feature would have been life changing! A lot of recovering mums will be familiar with the uncomfortable shuffle down the bed to get around your bedside crib. This product eliminates the need for that!

I highly recommend the Halo BassiNest for any post partum mums. And finally, it has some clever features like white noise and the ability to vibrate which can soothe an unsettled baby.

Overall, this a really clever, game changing bedside crib that I would definitely recommend - I like it and so does my little one!

I was thrilled to be selected to review the HALO BassiNest Swivel Crib at beginning of December as my first baby was due just before Christmas and I knew that I would be having an elective C-section so was looking for a bedside crib that could help me have close contact with my baby without having to move too far out of bed.

This crib really stood out from other cribs as it has lots of extra functions, such as swivel movement of the bassinet and the battery operated control centre with vibration, white noise and nightlights.  It really does make it feel like a high quality product and I was excited to see if these functions really made a difference. Also knowing that I was to have a C-section and having had previous abdominal surgery, I know how difficult it can be to move yourself from a lying position.  The fact that the bassinet part can be rotated to move on to the bed was a real highlight for me!

Delivery was quick, however there was some damage to the external box which most likely happened in transit, but it did not affect the contents and all arrived in good order.  The instructions to put the crib together were very straightforward with only a few steps, so it is easy for just one person to do by themselves with help of a screwdriver. The only difficult part was to zip the fabric to the frame.

You may need an extra pair of hands to help with that. What I would point out is the crib is very heavy due to the metal legs and stand. It does make the crib very sturdy and is needed for the rotation functionality, but it does make it hard to lift in the box and you certainly won't be trying to move it once constructed.

The overall look is very modern, with the metal stand, hourglass shaped bassinet and mesh sides. The bassinet comes with a waterproof mattress cover, however you would need to buy specific crib sheets as the mattress is hourglass shaped and therefore you cannot buy standard sheets which does mean you can't shop around for different options. The fabric design is a pretty, neutral, ditsy print which I think will suit most nurseries or bedrooms.  If you like a traditional style nursery then this is probably not the crib for you as it doesn't fit that remit.  

The stand allows the crib to be adjusted to different bed heights with a simple lockable lever function. The crib sits higher than the bed to allow it to be swivelled onto the bed for easy access to baby without having to move out of bed.  It is not a co sleeping crib so you still need to be able to sit or stand up to pick baby up. 

However, with the mesh sides and the height of the crib you can see baby really clearly when lying down in bed which I think is a really nice reassuring feature. The side wall can be lowered with a sliding button and you need to press down on the wall to lower it.  It does not stay down so you need to keep your weight on it or it springs back up. 

I understand this is a safety feature but I found it really difficult to keep it pressed down due to my c-section as I just didn't have the core strength, so for me this wasn't a great feature, but if you have not had surgery I should imagine this works well. I will be honest, I have really struggled to get my little boy who is now 5 weeks to sleep on his back so it is hard for me to tell if he likes using the crib.  I can get him to take short daytime naps but he is not keen on it at night. He does like the vibration function and the white noise though, as this seems to settle him.

I think this crib would really suit someone who likes a modern looking nursery.  The extra functions through the control centre mean you don't have to buy a separate white noise machine or night light and the swivel function makes it really easy to get in and out of bed. The fact that it meets all safety standards in line with the guidance from The Lullaby Trust means that as a parent you have real peace of mind that your little one will be safe sleeping.

Overall it is great value for money and it stands out from the crowd if you want a crib that is slightly different with those little extra functions.    

The Halo BassiNest arrived quickly and packaged as expected, in a box. I would usually have my partner assemble pretty much anything in our house that needs assembling but as I was reviewing the product so I decided to give it a go myself…and I found it really easy to set up! I was surprised at how easy it was to follow the instructions and how quickly it was done (I had been expecting to ask my partner for help but I did the whole thing myself).