Bassinet

Encyclopedia : B : BA : BAS : Bassinet

Modern reproduction of a medieval cot and rattle, c. 1465

A bassinet is a small bed specifically for newborn babies.

Because newborns are unable to sit or crawl, there is no reason to restrict their mobility in the way a crib does. Babies may be able to rollover by themselves as young as three months. At this point, depending on the construction of the bassinet, it is no longer safe for the baby to be left in a bassinet; the rolling baby may tip the bassinet. Babies can typically sit up at six months and no bassinet is safe at that age.

Bending over to place a child into a bassinet puts strain onto an adult's back, so often the bassinet is raised on a stand or other surface.

Research has shown that the mattress influences SIDS outcomes; a new mattress lowers SIDS risk. ^{[[Citing sources citation needed]]}

Metal frames with wheels are available into which the bassinet can be placed to create a perambulator and the term bassinet was often used for any sort of perambulator.

In a hospital environment, a special form of sealed bassinet is used in a neonatal intensive care unit.

See also

• Crib (furniture)

External links

• [Grisly tale] of an infant in a bassinette on wheels being killed in a road traffic accident - see August 10^th 1886.

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