The First Years 5 in 1 Carry Me Near Sleep System, Cream
by Learning Curve
|
List Price: Our Price: $150.03 Availability: Usually ships in 6-10 business days Buy Used: from $98.95 (click here) Category: Baby Product See more product details |
|---|
Baby Products Reviews of The First Years 5 in 1 Carry Me Near Sleep System, Cream
Customer Review: Very Nice Product
Summary: 4 Stars
Our baby is almost outgrowing this bassinet- something that makes me sad, as I've enjoyed using it.
Here's what I liked and didn't like:
* Carrying the bassinet around was a bit of a nuisance (if the baby is in it, it's kinda heavy- if not, you gotta put down the baby, relocate the bassinet, get the baby again...).
* I never used the changing table- you have to take the bassinet off the unit. Who wants to deal with that in the middle of the night? Easier to use a real changing table.
* The rocking feature is nice, but I didn't use it that often. It was a bit of a hassle popping the wheels in and out.
* An extra fitted sheet for the mattress would have been nice.
* This may be just a problem with our particular unit, but the vibrating control sometimes works and sometimes doesn't despite fresh batteries. Not a big deal since the sounds work fine.
* Ability to adjust height. If you have a tall bed, low bed, don't worry: there are lots of height options here.
* Cute toys hanging off tall hood. If you don't want them there, you can easily remove them. The toys are in sight, but beyond reach.
* The Number One reason I like this bassinet a lot is because of the mesh siding. It lets air circulate- something that is very good if your baby, like ours, moves around and ends up with the head turned facing the side. I always move my baby toward the middle again, but it was reassuring to know that the mesh was letting fresh air in- just lift the outside ruffles out of the way.
All in all this bassinet has a whole bunch of extra features we really didn't feel were necessary. We might have been happier with a plain and traditional bassinet, except that we loved the breathable mesh siding. You can use this bassinet until your baby can roll over or push up or when your baby is 17.5 lbs- whichever happens first.
Customer Review: Good bassinet, but something needs noting
Summary: 3 Stars
We've been using this bassinet for 4 months now and plan to continue using for a few more at least. It sits beside my side of the bed. We have it on the lowest position, which is still a bit higher than our bed. Nothing I would really complain about. Getting the bassinet, my biggest concern was the mattress, but I find it really really fine. Based on the reviews I read here, I was worried about it being too hard and too thin, but it's really fine. No problems there. I did buy a very soft bassinet sheet and I use that over the sheet it came with. That's just personal preference though. I wanted really soft sheets. I really really love the rocking feature. With my first son, we used a pack and play. And my two biggest complaints with that were that I couldn't rock him, you more have to shake it, which is not so easy to do at 3am. And I think the space is too much in a pack and play when they're so tiny. I think (and my experience of two kids has shown) that they sleep better in a slightly more confined space. They've gone from this tight tight space and then we throw them to sleep in this huge thing with all this space around them. Um, no. So, I love the rocking. My biggest complaint, and the reason this is getting 3 stars, is the footing of the bassinet. It sticks out A LOT. And it's awkward the way it sticks out. My husband says to give it 2. I would give it 4, so I split the difference. You can see it in the picture. It's an unexpected way that those legs stick out. I'd say an extra two full inches on each side and it has been tripped over many times, with the baby in the bassinet, or the baby in our arms. Either way, you have to be extra careful. So, I wouldn't say it's a reason not to get this. I did extensive research, and found this to be the best one out there. But I would definitely want to be aware of this issue and to remain extremely careful.Customer Review: The best and worst
Summary: 3 Stars
We have bought a lot of the First Years products because they seem well thought out and a good value. The bassinet is very attractive and the light, sounds and vibration features are great. There are three drawbacks for parents using this product mainly as a bassinet: 1) it could be a safer design 2) it takes some time to put together and you must read the directions very carefully 3) the bassinet while portable, is rather heavy.
1) The bassinet sags because it folds in the middle and is supported by two pieces rather than one. I feel this is very unsafe. I'm not one for jerryrigging things but being exhausted and not necessarily wanting to dismatle the bassinet after taking 2 hours to put it together, I had my local hardware store cut a thin piece of plywood that I put in the bassinet for added support using the mattress pad as a template. This solved the sagging issue but First Years needs to fix this problem. It's probably an easy fix by doing something like I did in plastic so it is lighter. Also, I wish they had used the mesh "bumper" for the entire bassinet rather than the top third. I am always having to position my daughter just so to make sure her head is in the mesh part.
2) You must read the directions. Spend some time looking at the diagram of all the pieces and where they go before following the directions. If I did this at the beginning, it probably would have only taken me about and hour to put together. Also, it will go faster if you have two people since there were a few places where it would have been helpful to have someone hold the pieces in place while I screwed them down.
The bassinet is about as heavy as a car seat but less compact. I would say it is probably 12 to 15 lbs with my 8 lb newborn in it (sans plywood).
Customer Review: Great Idea; Not-So-Great Design
Summary: 3 Stars
The idea of this bassinet is great: just unhook the basket from the base and take your baby with you. Add the features of soothing sounds, nightlight, play seat, and changing table and it all just sounds too good to be true. Well, it is too good to be true.
Let me be clear, the bassinet is useful and I will continue using it. However, it does NOT work as expected. I would have been better off buying a simpler, cheaper bassinet.
Here are the problems:
- It won't go low enough to line up with my bed, so I can't just look over in the middle of the night, I have to sit up to check up on baby.
- The base is too wide to fit through doorways. When baby was sleeping, sometimes I tried to roll the whole bassinet our of the bedroom and into the office so I could get some work done. But no, the base would get stuck in the doorway.
- The rocker function, for me, was pointless. It was too cumbersome to switch from wheels or stable feet to rocker, so I never used the rocker.
- It's too heavy and awkward to carry around. Much easier to simply take baby out and carry baby around in my arms.
- The vibrator stopped working. The sounds still work, but the vibrator stopped working after just a few weeks of use.
- The straps to attach the basket to the top can get confused with the straps for the changing table. They should have color coded the straps or used a different method of attachment.
- The fabric is difficult to remove if/when it gets dirty.
- The mattress has holes for the play seat straps. It makes the mattress lumpy and weird.
- The play seat function should have varied reclined positions. Or perhaps it just shouldn't have a play seat function.
Customer Review: almost perfect...a few minor adjustments should be made
Summary: 4 Stars
As a lot of other reviews have stated...this bassinet has everything! I live in an apartment so space saving is crucial. The only feature that I haven't used on this is the bedside sleeper. The first week or so my baby slept in our room...I really didn't want or need something so big in my way of getting out of bed every morning. I got tired of pulling the big thing from my room to the living room...I just didn't like my baby practically sleeping on the floor all day when you use it as a portable bassinet, so I just moved the whole thing into my living room. I only use it during the day now, but it was still worth buying. (Plus it gave me a chance for me to get baby used to her crib at night.) She loves to nap in it & the vibration & the song Fur Elise helps soothe her. (She actually now perfers that song than the one her mobile plays...not a good thing at night!) I do use the changing table a lot...it is a little hassle to lift of the top since it is a little bulky...but no biggie for me. I also use it as a portable bassinet sometimes when she is awake & just wants attention.
There are a few minor complaints about this bassinet. One of the most important pieces of material on it (the material on the changing table) isn't removable...so I use the Huggies changing pads on it...they are big enough to cover most of the surface area. Also the sheet isn't a normal bassinet sheet so its not like you can use any store bought one without cutting out slits to pull the straps through, which isn't a good idea because you will get loose strings. Oh & the part that goes between the legs that the straps plug in to...sometimes that needs to be washed too..but no, that too is permanently attached.