arms reach bassinet Archives

Kind to Earth

Dock-A-Tot’s Kind Essential Bassinet is fully sustainable. It is made of responsibly harvested corrugated cardboard (WHAT?!) that folds flat for portability. The light-weight allows petite mamas such as myself to carry it around the house and on travels effortlessly. Plus it ships for less! The cardboard acts as the frame of the bassinet, and a Sorona foam core mattress lies on top of the cardboard base. It comes with a machine washable, OEKO-TEK standard 1 certified cotton sheet as well. Shipped in a box that doubles as a carrying case (reuse, recycle), this bassinet is as easy to stow away as it is to assemble. Plus, with each bassinet purchase, a tree in planted on baby’s behalf.

Things I like about the box. It is fully recyclable. Simply remove mattress and sheet, and place box in recycle bin. But not so fast! A better option is to up-cycle the box. This could serve as a toy bin, doll crib, pet-bed, and more. Store their favorite books for easy reach. Use it to corral their toys. I would even consider using this as an organizing bin inside the closet or pantry. With boxes, the possibilities are endless.

Kind to Mama

With this bassinet, we can walk down the street to grandparents’ house and have a place to rest baby and mama’s tired arms. That is, without lugging more stuff that would require a car or wagon. It is also easy to move from room to room. Sometimes, mama just needs her space. Being able to put this bassinet in the living room so that someone else can have baby duty while mama gets some shut-eye is heavenly. Bonus points for the fact that any of the grandparent’s can lift this, too! The bassinet weighs a total 5 pounds. Look, in my fourth trimester, I am not planning on carrying ANYTHING, if possible.

Kind to Baby

The Kind Bassinet is a safe space for baby to sleep or nap. The cotton sheet is super soft and the mattress is water-resistant. The sheet is washable in case of accidents during those early months of life. I know baby will be comfortable on the Sorona foam mattress, which by the way is made up of 37% plant-based recycled fibers! Producing Sorona® uses 30% less energy and releases 63% fewer greenhouse gas emissions compared to the production of nylon 6. At the end of the day, the product you get is a firm, flat surface on which to lay baby down while being mindful of your impact.

The Kind Bassinet is compliant with US standards applicable to bassinets and meets children’s product safety standards. Just ensure that it sits firmly on the floor, and has no additional products inside while baby is sleeping. Of course, this works best in a pet-free home. Curious critters may want to snuggle along with your babe, so always keep an eye.

Kind to Our Wallet

As a frugalist, I always talk price. The price of the Dock-A-Tot bassinet is at a mere $119, thereby making it one of the more affordable bassinet options out there. Sure, it isn’t fancy. It doesn’t rock or wheel. But it is space saving, and in an urban, minimalist tiny home, that is the exact thing we need right now. It stores away quickly and well. It moves. The thing is, when it comes to adding a member of the family to a home, the question of space and whether there is enough of it will come up. This was the FIRST concern both of our parents had. But small living is a choice many young people make, because frankly, it is financially savvy. Any product that provides function given a small footprint is a winner in my world.

Final notes:

The Kind Essential Bassinet was designed well, in beautifully colored prints that engage baby’s imagination during awake time. There are many prints to choose from, all of which keep the home looking stylish. We chose to go with the Strawberry Thief print, to match my Dock-A-Tot nursing pillow (La Maman Wedge). However, I also liked the Willow Boughs print for a woodsy vibe. The prints are sealed with a non-toxic protective varnish that makes clean-up easy. Cute pedestal feet add stability and ornate detail to this cardboard box. Tool-free assembly takes me less than 30 seconds. Simply open the carboard box, lay down the base, followed by the mattress.

As we will both be partly working from home (me with the blog and dog-sitting, and him on a hybrid schedule), we need a place to set our loved one down nearby. This bassinet can be at the foot of our desks, by the couch, near the bed … anywhere else for that matter.

Bottom line: baby stuff is required for such a short period of time. Anything we can do to reduce the waste for 6 months of life is something worthwhile. I could croon all day about design and beauty, function and fit, but let’s be real. The sustainability that this bassinet option provides puts what we are doing as parents into perspective. Babies of the past have thrived on waaaay less stuff. Forego the most complicated bassinets that add to the headache, the bulky cradles that require an upgrade in living space, or the expensive tech that forces you to pick up additional work days. Your baby simply wants to be near you. You want them to have a safe space. And you want rest. This Kind Bassinet provides.

lt is easier to curate a home for yourself than it is to curate one for someone else. Who am I to decide what’s right, functional, or preferable by this tiny human on the way? Yet here we are, as future parents, with that exact job. Deciding baby stuff can be overwhelming. But sticking to your values lends light at the end of a dark, long tunnel. For our home, my requirements are to live simply, choose ethically, prioritize function, and seek beauty. If you think that’s too big an ask, then you haven’t heard about Baby Bay. They provide bassinets that meet this small space dweller’s dreams.

Baby Bay Bassinet In Small Spaces

An important deciding factor on any furniture purchase for us is how much real estate something takes up. Our total square footage in our upstairs living area is less than 900 square feet. Always has been, to be honest. I am a small space dweller and I love it. But it comes with serious decision-making!

I prefer minimalist products. No bulky pieces of wood for me. My side chairs in the living room are made of wire instead of being arm chairs. My couch is low as can be to give the mirage of taller ceilings. The headboard to the master bed isn’t solid. The stools at the kitchen counter have no backs. My desk sits on rails. And our Baby Bay bassinet has slats all the way around. My rule of thumb, to state the obvious, is to choose furniture that maximizes light, air, and the feeling of space.

The Baby Bay also wins in design. It has a half-moon shape, which allows it to fit bed-side. It also fits in a nook by my desk, next to the dining table, or in the small hall by the kitchen counter. The flat end tucks nicely against a wall, counter, table, or bed. And underneath the adjustable mattress base is plenty of room for more storage or a pet bed.

Baby Bay Bassinet’s Small Footprint

When I say small footprint, I am referring to the carbon kind. The bassinets are made in Germany. They are constructed with solid beechwood that is naturally anti-bacterial. Sourced ethically, the wood remains untreated, making it safe for baby. The company also provides organic jersey sheets and takes pride that their products are manufactured responsibly.

More importantly, the bassinets are upcyclable. Meaning, there are all sorts of ways in which to turn this bassinet into alternative furniture once it is outgrown. Unlike other bassinets that remain just that, this one is multi-functional! It converts to a larger crib if you place two bays together to form a rectangular crib. It can also double as a bench for little folk by removing the rail and lowering the base. Some mothers turned the bassinet into a work desk by removing the mattress and placing a seat at the end. Lower the mattress even more and it can turn into a pet bed. Or a doll bench. Or a toy ‘box’. I could also see it functioning as a coffee or bar cart. Entertain guests with this wheelable cocktail counter! Which brings me to my next point…

Baby Bay Bassinet’s Functionality

When it comes down to it, I chose this bassinet for its functionality. I’ve already given examples of its variability, but it doesn’t come close to its function. Since I plan to nurse as best I can, I wanted a bay that was bedside. Reason being, I want to avoid getting up in the middle of the night to walk to a crib, even one in the same room. Especially in those early weeks, I will be tired and recovering. However, I also knew that keeping the baby in our bed would cause anxiety in me, as I am such a sound sleeper! This bassinet gives baby a place to sleep safely while still being within arms reach for those nightly feedings. Having him bedside will allow me to bond and nurture, without having to physically go to him.

The first few nights after the hospital, one of my main priorities is rest. With the help of my husband (who can also position the bay next to his side of the bed), I will be able to recover while providing for my newborn. My husband has the task of waking him, changing him, burping him, and putting him back to sleep before and after each feeding. Since the bay can sit on either side of the bed, it doesn’t always have to be me, me, me. Therefore, Baby Bay gives back to mamas, too!

Rest assured of this bassinet’s safety. There’s a function that locks the bassinet into the base of parent’s beds. In a state like California where earthquakes are possible, that might be the bay’s selling point. I also liked that my baby would always be within arms reach, in case of emergencies. Lastly, I can peek over my side of the bed and make sure the baby is safely sleeping.

Life After Baby with Baby Bay

This bassinet has the option to add caster wheels, making it wheelable. The portability of the baby around the house gives us more flexibility. So many parents say that they can’t even shower or use the restroom because they’re too afraid to leave their baby alone. With Baby Bay, we can bring the baby close to the glass shower stall, where we can keep an eye. Actually, we can bring them anywhere in the home!

The wheels give me hope that, in due time, I will have a remote part of my previous life back. I don’t want to be a parent tied to a baby monitor, or hovering anxiously over a crib. But I also want to be near my baby. For those who say you cannot have the best of both worlds, I’d like to step up to the challenge and try.

Call it the stuff of dreams, but I would love to be put-putting around the kitchen, writing blog posts at a desk, entertaining guests on the balcony, or reading a book in the living room while still being a present mom. The saving grace of our small space is that there is a centric spot reserved for the bay wherein we can keep an eye from multiple rooms. Additionally, the living space is consolidated on the same floor. She may be small, but our space is mighty functional. I think that the Baby Bay bassinet provides solutions that mothers could only once dream of. This mum, anyway!

This post was sponsored by BabyBay USA. The minute I learned of them, I was enamored by what they were doing. All thoughts and opinions in this space are my own. I do my best in sourcing what I believe to be the best products for the personal values this blog represents. For those wishing to try BabyBay (highly recommend!), you can take advantage of my discount code SAMANTHA10 if you purchase on their site. Thank you for supporting the brands that support this space.