Modern bassinets are built to be safe, but often contain volatile organic compounds (VOCs), potentially harmful chemicals, and allergens. Thankfully, you don’t have to settle for second best. If you’re looking for a breathable and non-toxic bassinet, there are some great choices out there that will create a safe and comfortable sleeping environment for your young baby.
Best Choice | Best overall | The Best on a Budget |
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BabyBjörn Cradle | Monte Design Rockwell Bassinet Modern | SNOO Baby Bassinet |
Best Baby Bassinets On the Market Today
In our search for the best bassinets, we covered following products to choose from:
- Babybjörn Cradle (Our Winner): Designed to be moved around for families with a busy home life, your baby will love the gentle rocking motion while they sleep and you’ll love the value for money.
- Halo Bassinest with Swivel (Our Runner Up): This bassinet is perfect after a C-section or for parents with back problems, and is one of the best bassinets for co sleeping without bed sharing.
- Monte Design Rockwell Modern (The Upgrade): A simple design with special attention paid to the environment and your baby’s health. This bed is also gorgeous, and great for design-forward modern nurseries.
- Snoo Smart Sleeper (Best for Sleep Deprived Parents): Created by a doctor, this is a bassinet for baby and parents! It imitates the womb to encourage better sleep for your baby – and therefore for you.
- Stokke Sleepi Mini Crib Bundle (Best Convertible): An expandable crib made from sustainable beech and non-toxic lacquer. With conversion, your child can sleep in it up to 10 years-old.
- Oeuf Fawn (Best Adjustable Height): This multi-mode bassinet has several mattress height settings to better suit baby’s sleep needs, and considers parent’s needs, too.
- Guava Lotus with Bassinet (Best for Hitting the Road): It’s easy to take this bed to go, as it fits into its own backpack. Baby will be able to sleep in something familiar, even when you’re away.
- UPPAbaby Bassinet and Stand (Best for Multi-Tasking): Works when paired with other UPPAbaby products for home and travel. Approved for overnight sleep.
Our Top Non-Toxic Bassinets for 2019
While we love all nine of these non-toxic bassinets, the Babybjorn Cradle is the clear winner for growing families. With super breathable sides and a minimal use of materials containing toxic chemicals, it’s a great product to get through those first difficult months of parenting.
The Babybjörn cradle is simple, yet sturdy. Just as importantly, it’s generally made without harmful chemicals and is fire retardant free. The frame uses natural beechwood, which is a great, non-toxic choice. The sides and mattress are 100% polyester and a 100% cotton mattress cover is also included. The mattress included in the Babybjorn is made of polyester, which is considered safe, but isn’t all-natural. You made want to upgrade to the Naturepedic oval bassinet mattress (sold separately) if you don’t love the ideas of polyester.
The mesh sides make it easy to see your baby and you can easily carry the cradle from room to room. The feet are flexible enough to rock your baby, yet very stable against tipping.
This cradle measures 23 x 31 x 26 inches when assembled and collapses to 23 x 31 x 5 inches for storage. Your child can use this bassinet until they are 6 months, 18 pounds, or can sit on their own.
One thing we don’t love about the cradle is the MDF mattress base. Worth noting, however, that the company uses low-emission Class 2 MDF. If you’re worried about this, you may want to let the bassinet “air out” a bit before using it with your baby, as off-gassing decreases over time.
Runner Up (Best for C Section Moms & Back Pain): Halo Swivel
We give the HALO Swivel Bassinet a rating of 5/5 stars.
The HALO Swivel is ideal for moms who’ve had a C-section or parents with back issues. It can turn a full 360 degrees, raise and lower to match your mattress height, and the side lowers for immediate access to baby. The sidewall can be locked in place for extra safety.
Its mesh sides provide breathability and visibility and has two built-in storage pockets. A four-point base can fit most beds between 24 and 34 inches and the base can tuck part way under your bed. The bed measures 33.5 x 22 x 36 inches when not raised.
The Halo Bassinest has several electronic features. These include a nightlight, three soothing sound options, three lullaby options, a back-to-bed reminder, and vibration for babies who love movement. All fabrics are 100 percent polyester.
The Upgrade: Monte Design Rockwell Bassinet Modern
We give the Monte Design Rockwell Bassinet Modern a rating of 5/5 stars.
Monte Design Rockwell Bassinet (Photo via The Tot)
The Monte Design Rockwell Bassinet is made of high-quality chrome with solid walnut rockers. Its removable basket has a washable protective covering. The bassinet includes a waterproof mattress made from low-VOC, fire retardant-free, plant-based CertiPUR-US® certified foam, and two 100 percent cotton fitted sheets.
Monte Design believes in responsible manufacturing free from as many toxic chemicals as possible. All materials are guaranteed low VOC. They only use LEED-rated wood adhesives and biodegradable glues. All wood is certified sustainable by the FSC (Forest Stewardship Council). Additionally, everything passes both US and Canadian safety standards. There are no CFCs, or flame retardant chemicals present, including toxic PBDEs and TDCPP.
Even though it’s CertiPUR-US® foam, and Monte confirms there is no flame retardant chemicals used in the bassinet, we do understand some families won’t love that the mattress is polyurethane foam. We’ve included it here though, so you can decide for yourself.
The bassinet rocks with your help or may be locked to prevent rocking.
It measures 33 x 23 x 25 inches while the basket height is 10 inches, making access to your baby fairly easy. Your baby will outgrow it when they reach 18 pounds or can roll on their own. Comes in several beautiful color options.
Best for Sleep Deprived Parents: SNOO Sleeper
We give the SNOO Baby Bassinet a rating of 4.5/5 stars.
SNOO has a lot of qualities we love. Dr. Harvey Karp of Happiest Baby created this bassinet using both his medical and psychological experience. The result is a cradle that replicates the feeling of being in the womb, while also keeping your baby on his or her back for safety.
The bassinet measures 30 x 16 x 32 inches, putting it at easy bedside reach. It will cradle your baby until they’re 6 months, 25 pounds, or can sit on their own. It can even detect when your baby cries and rock them to sleep.
The set includes three 100% organic cotton SNOO sacks (swaddles in small, medium, and large), an organic cotton fitted sheet, a mattress, a water-resistant mattress cover, and the SNOO Smart Sleeper. The SNOO Sack is meant to be used together with the bassinet to make your baby feel swaddled and secure, and to keep him securely on his back.
Despite having a lot to like, we feel there are some downsides to this bassinet. For one, the mattress is made from polyurethane foam, which can emit VOCs. These days, there are plenty of alternative mattress ingredients, like polyethylene or coconut, and we’d prefer to see the SNOO use a mattress made from one of those.
Further, this bassinet is Wifi enabled, meaning it can expose your baby to EMF. Happily, you can turn the Wifi off on the SNOO. While this means you won’t be able to use the App-enabled options, it will also protect your baby against the potential harms of EMF exposure down the road. Instead of using the Wifi-enabled App function, you can use the built-in rocking function, which responds automatically to your baby’s cries.
If you have a particularly fussy baby, you may choose to use the SNOO with Wifi enabled, so you can use the App to adjust rocking and sound manually. Happiest Baby has responded to questions about EMF – and the safety precautions they’ve taken – via their Youtube channel, which can watch below and decide for yourself.
Best Convertible: Stokke Sleepi Mini Crib Bundle
We give the Stokke Sleepi Mini Crib Bundle a rating of 4.5/5 stars.
The Stokke Sleepi Mini Crib uses cultivated beech for its frame. This wood comes only from sustainable European forests. The crib also meets international safety standards for structural stability.
This bassinet measures 32 x 26 x 34 inches and can expand into a crib, daybed, and bed – it’s nice to have options, right? The four swivel wheels all lock securely in place, so you can move it when needed, and keep it steady when not.
Stokke uses a formaldehyde-free lacquer. All bedding is allergen and VOC-free materials, meeting environmental standards against toxic chemicals.
The glue has trace amounts of formaldehyde, but Stokke has clearly put a lot of effort into making this bassinet as baby safe as possible. They also offer an expansion kit, organic mattress, and other accessories options.
We recommend upgrading the Stokke Sleepi with a Naturepedic oval mattress. Whereas the Sleepi ships with a foam mattress, buying the Naturepedic bassinet mattress separately will make your little one’s sleep environment even better!
The Oeuf Fawn has a very simple design based on traditional cradles. It measures 29.5 x 21 x 32.25 inches and has three mattress positions (two are adjustable), making it easy to access baby at a height that feels best, and put them back down to sleep without waking them. A space underneath provides storage for extra bedding – while there are lots of cribs with storage underneath, it’s a rarity for bassinets.
We also love that you can convert it into a 53.5 x 29.5 35.75 inch crib. A separate conversion kit further turns the crib into a toddler bed, one of the coolest features of this bed. The basic set includes the bassinet to crib conversion kit.
The crib uses sustainably-produced and eco-aware Baltic birch plywood. It is GreenGuard Gold certified and free of chemicals that may harm babies.
Our only issue with this product is the price tag. The full kit can be too expensive for families on a tight budget and doesn’t include a mattress or sheets.
We love a product that can grow with your child. We also love products you can take with you. Guava’s Lotus bassinet does both!
It can be assembled or broken down as fast as any Pack’n’Play and weighs only 13 pounds when stored in its travel backpack. All materials are free from fire retardants and phthalates. Both modes conform to Consumer and Federal safety standards. The Lotus is also GreenGuard Gold certified.
When Baby outgrows the bassinet mode (around 18 pounds or when they can sit up), the Lotus converts into a crib/playpen mode. It measures 45 x 29 x 27 inches as a bassinet and 45 x 32 x 25 inches in crib mode.
The Lotus has one drawback when converted into crib mode. The mattress ends up at floor level, so you’ll need to unzip the side to put your sleeping child inside unless you have very long arms.
The Lotus is sold as a travel crib. The bassinet option is sold separately through their website, which is a bit inconvenient. Unfortunately, they also only ship to US addresses.
Most Modular: Uppababy Bassinet
We give the UPPAbaby Bassinet a rating of 3/5 stars.
The UPPAbaby bassinet that you use with the Vista (2015 onwards) or Cruz strollers is also approved for overnight sleep, and can be attached to a bassinet stand for use at home.
It has a washable mattress cover and zip liner and the UV 50+ sunshade and canopy can be unzipped. The base is also breathable, however we do wonder about how well the sides perform, breathability wise, compared to the mesh sides found in many of the competing products we’ve listed.
You can attach the bassinet to the UPPABaby stand or any of their newer strollers to suit your immediate needs. It can hold Baby until they’re 20 pounds, 25 inches long, or can get on their hands and knees.
The stand elevates it, giving it a total size of 30.5 x 20 x 29 inches and providing a storage shelf underneath. When Baby outgrows the bassinet, the stand convert into a two-bin laundry basket.
Both the bassinet and stand meet the most stringent regulations for chemicals and safety, making this a great choice when you want a modular system.
Non Toxic Bassinet Buying Guide: The Research
Nothing beats having a bassinet by the bed during your newborn baby’s first weeks or months at home. It gives you easy access for feeding, allows you to monitor your baby’s breathing, and ensures you’re always within arm’s reach.
Bassinet features may include castors, rockers, a drape bar, or a hood. They most often resemble baskets and get their name from an old French term meaning “little basin”. Modern bassinets may include convertibility features to grow with your child like some cribs, whereas others are designed only for the newborn and infancy stage.
Here are some things to consider when choosing the perfect bed for your newborn to sleep in.
Your Newborn Baby’s Health
No bassinet is completely free of chemicals. Some have trace amounts of naturally-occurring formaldehyde in the wood, for example. However, the best bassinets will use a low level of chemicals to protect your newborn from potential harm.
Before accepting a hand-me-down, note that family heirloom bassinets may contain lead paint or other dangerous chemicals. We also recommend avoiding plastics, which may contain phthalates and VOCs, and manufactured wood (pressed board, plywood, etc.) if possible.
Many of the baby beds in this list contain one or more somewhat “questionable” material, such as polyurethane foam. In our search for the best non-toxic bassinets, we found it near impossible to get one that’s totally toxin free. However, the ones included in this list do a pretty darn good job, and are better than many of the other products on the market.
Baby’s Safety
Bassinets have either legs or rockers. Those with rockers should not be able to tip over with rough handling. Bassinets that need assembly should fit together without any flexible joints.
Always check for recalls when choosing your bassinet. It is also best to avoid using hand-me-downs, as the joints may be loose or fragile. Old wood may feel sturdier than it is due to internal decay.
Breathable sides are one of the most important features to look out for for safety reasons.
Worth noting, most of these products are only meant for the newborn stage, until your baby can roll over and sit up. Once your baby is more mobile – usually around 6 months or so – it’s time to look for a non-toxic crib, or a speciality crib such as a crib with storage underneath or a crib with changing table combo. If you’re short on space, there are special small cribs or mini cribs which might be worth considering.
Always follow manufacturer instructions carefully. And always follow safe sleep guidelines, including keeping the bassinet free of blankets, pillows, stuffed animals, etc.
Access to Baby
The perfect bassinet will be portable in one way or another. Some have castors (locking wheels), while others have a removable basket. Never carry babies in a removable basket unless the manufacturer has designed the basket for transportation.
Portable bassinets allow you to have your newborn in the same room while doing housework or relaxing. They also make it easier to clean without having to strain your back. This is a key advantage over cribs.
Bassinets are meant to be kept beside your own bed at night and provide immediate access when your child needs you. The perfect bassinet will allow your baby to sleep at about the same level as your mattress.
Adjustable height mattresses are a useful feature to look for. These help if you’ve had a C-section or have back problems.
Chemicals to Watch out For
Modern products are full of chemicals, and unfortunately baby products aren’t exempt. These chemicals may affect an infant’s health and lead to lasting problems such as allergies and asthma, so we recommend looking for products that are free of the following:
- Formaldehyde: Formaldehyde exists in trace amounts in wood and some organic materials. Processed materials will contain more formaldehyde. This chemical is used in embalming and can be deadly in large quantities to even healthy adults.
- PBDEs (PolyBrominated Ddiphenyl Eethers): This is a class of fire retardants which accumulates in humans and animals. Some types of PBDE are still used, while discontinued ones may be present in older products. PBDEs may be a carcinogen and have other negative health effects.
- TCPP/TDCPP (trisphosphates): TCPP and TDCPP are fire retardant chemicals which are often used in polyurethane mattresses and wood. The exact health risks are still being explored. These chemicals are known to also be used in certain nerve gasses.
- VOCs (Volatile Organic Compounds): Chemicals are classified as a VOC when they emit gasses at room temperature. These can have short or long-term health effects on even healthy adults. They’re found in cleaning products, solvents, paints, varnishes, and manufactured materials.
When it comes to products your little one is going to sleep on (including a bassinet, crib mattress, mini crib mattress, nap mat, kids mattress, etc), we think looking for products made from mostly natural, mostly organic materials is a good rule of thumb.
Choosing YOUR Best Bassinet
Your own needs are unique, so we suggest comparing bassinets by the following criteria and choosing the model which best fits what you want.
- Size: Pay attention to the dimensions of a bassinet to find one that best fits your space.
- Height: Do you need adjustable height and/or lowering sides as with the HALO Swivel?
- Mobility: Do you want a Bassinet you can easily transport, such as the BabyBjörn Cradle or Guava Lotus?
- Visibility: Do you need a bassinet with mesh walls so you can see baby from a distance?
- Toxicity: Does the bassinet contain any allergens or potentially harmful chemicals?
- Inclusions: Do you need the bassinet to include a mattress, drape rod, or bedding?
- Company: We recommend buying from a reputable and well-known brand.
Final thoughts
While all of these bassinets are great, we feel the BabyBjörn Cradle is a clear winner, followed by the Halo Swivel and the the Monte Design Rockwell.
