Our team spent the better part of two years sleeping (or trying to sleep) next to bassinets — rocking ones, mesh-walled ones, four-in-one convertible ones. Here’s what we’d buy with our own money in 2026, and why. All available on Amazon AU and Amazon US.
Our top picks at a glance
| Pick | Best for | Rating | Price | Buy |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Maxi-Cosi Iora Bedside BassinetBest Premium | Most parents, longest use | ★ 4.8 | $$$ | Amazon AU Amazon US |
BABY JOY 4-in-1 with MattressBest Convertible | Apartment / multi-purpose | ★ 4.6 | $$ | Amazon AU Amazon US |
Cloud Bedside Baby BassinetBest Portable | Travel between two homes | ★ 4.4 | $$ | Amazon AU Amazon US |
SNOO Smart SleeperBest Smart | Sleep-deprived parents | ★ 4.7 | $$$$ | Amazon AU Amazon US |
Graco Sense2Snooze BassinetBest Budget | Tighter budgets | ★ 4.3 | $ | Amazon AU Amazon US |
What actually matters in a bassinet
- AS/NZS 8005 (AU) or ASTM F2194 (US) compliance. The standards exist because babies have died in non-compliant sleeping products.
- Breathable mesh on at least two sides. Reduces re-breathing risk and lets you see baby at 2 a.m. without lifting them.
- Firm, flat mattress with no gaps. No padding, no inserts, no positioners.
- Wheel locks that actually lock. One pedal across both rear wheels beats two fiddly individual locks.
- Solid bedside-mode latching. Co-sleeper bassinets are great, but only if the side-down catch doesn’t wobble.
The picks — reviewed in detail
Maxi-Cosi Iora Bedside Bassinet
Eleven height adjustments to line up with almost any adult bed, a tilt function for reflux-prone newborns, and breathable mesh on both long sides. Sarah’s still using hers as a portable day-nap bassinet a year past the newborn phase.
BABY JOY 4-in-1 with Mattress
If you’d rather buy one piece of baby furniture and have it grow with your child, the BABY JOY takes you from bassinet to bedside sleeper to playpen to changing station. Heavier than the Iora, but the value-per-dollar is the highest in this list.
Cloud Bedside Baby Bassinet
Folds flat, light enough to one-arm into a hatchback boot, and the mosquito net is genuinely useful for outdoor naps. Mattress is fine but not great — we’d budget another $40 for a firmer aftermarket mattress.
SNOO Smart Sleeper
The SNOO uses motion + white noise to soothe babies back to sleep automatically. Polarising at the price, but parents who used one swear it bought them weeks of extra sleep. Rentable in the US, less so in AU — check Amazon for current availability.
Graco Sense2Snooze Bassinet
For roughly a third of the Iora’s price, the Graco Sense2Snooze gives you motion, sound and vibration with a cry detector that engages soothing automatically. Build quality is plastic-y but functional. A solid first-bassinet option.
What we’d skip
- Bassinets shipped with built-in padded bumpers, padded inserts, or branded sleep positioners. Red Nose Australia and the AAP both advise against these.
- Vintage hand-me-down bassinets without a recall check. Several wheeled bassinet models have been recalled internationally.
- Bedside cribs with wobbly side-down latching. Test by pushing on the open side — if it flexes, it’s not safe.
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