“I know it’s time to transition my baby out of the bassinet, but I’m terrified of doing it wrong and wrecking their sleep.”
Can you relate??
The transition from the bassinet to the crib is a common concern for newborn parents, so in this blog post, we’re going to walk you through it. In this post, I’ll share:
- When it’s time to transition from the bassinet to the crib
- Tips to transition from the bassinet to the crib
- Specific tips for how to transition from the SNOO to a crib
- How long it might take for your baby to adjust to the bassinet-to-crib transition
Let’s dive right in!
When it’s Time to Transition Your Baby from the Bassinet to the Crib
Every bassinet has a weight limit, often ranging from 15-25 pounds, so safety-wise, you must transition your baby from the bassinet to the crib once they reach that weight limit.
The other safety rule for transitioning out of the bassinet is once your baby is rolling over. Even if they’re still under the bassinet weight limit, they need to transition to a pack ‘n play or crib once they can roll. (This is the same with babies who are already in their cribs. Once they start showing signs of rolling, the crib height should be lowered if it’s still on the highest setting.)
However, I find that it’s best for most babies to transition out of their bassinet before they reach their weight limit or roll over. I recommend transitioning from the bassinet to the crib closer to 3-4 months old, to give your baby more space to move around as they sleep.
One, they’re getting bigger, and I don’t want my baby’s legs scrunched because they’ve reached the bottom of the bassinet. Or as they’re moving their arms around, I don’t want them flailing on the sides of the bassinet. That just doesn’t seem comfortable!
But two, because movement is an important piece of learning to self-soothe and just getting comfortable, even if not sleep training. Some babies like to sleep on their bellies with their bums in the air, some like to hug the side of the crib, or have their head touching the rails, or sleep in the touchdown position. And when in a bassinet, they just can’t move around much, or again, if they try, they’re going to hit the sides pretty quickly.
This is also why I recommend transitioning out of the swaddle by about 10 weeks old! Not because your baby’s startle reflex is gone, but because we want to give them extra time to figure out how to use that little body of theirs to get comfortable. You can learn more about the swaddle transition here.
Now back to transitioning out of the bassinet…do NOT hear me say that transitioning from the bassinet to the crib means your baby has to go to their own room! You can absolutely transition from the bassinet to a pack ‘n play in your room, or to the crib in your room.
Tips to Transition from the Bassinet to the Crib
1. Breathe!
My first tip is to BREATHE!
I regularly chat with parents who know it’s time to transition their baby out of the bassinet, but they’re terrified of “doing it wrong,” or messing with their baby’s sleep.
And I HEAR YOU! Especially if sleep has been rough and you’re finally in a good spot. Or maybe sleep is pretty rough right now and you’re afraid of it getting even worse. So first, I just want to say, I hear you.
I also want to be honest and say that transitioning from the bassinet to the crib is probably going to feel like a bigger transition for you than for your baby.
For them, it’s pretty much one flat surface in a dark room to another flat surface in a dark room. But for you, your baby is going to a bigger bed and that’s crazy! And a little sad – at least for me, who loves the baby stage!
In my experience with my own kiddos and so many families I’ve worked with, however, the bassinet-to-crib transition isn’t a huge deal for babies.
What might feel like a bigger transition to your baby is transitioning from mom and dad’s room to their own room. So if transitioning your baby out of the bassinet also means transitioning them to a new room, my next tip is…
2. Spend time in the baby’s new room (if they’re also transitioning to their own room)
If you are transitioning your baby out of their bassinet and transitioning them to a crib in their own room at the same time, I recommend you spend a lot of awake time in their room so the location feels familiar. Do tummy time in their nursery, read books in there, nurse them or give them a bottle in there, etc.
It might still be an adjustment when they officially move over to their room, but time and consistency will help!
3. Transition from the bassinet to the crib at bedtime first
My third tip is to make the transition from the bassinet to the crib at bedtime rather than for a nap. And that’s because melatonin (our natural sleepy hormone) is on our side in the evening, so any time we make sleep changes, I recommend those changes happen at bedtime first, and then continue with them the next day through naps.
4. Give it time!
And my fourth tip is, give it time.
If your baby has a rough night or two after transitioning from the bassinet to the crib, or they have a rough nap or two, give it time! Don’t panic and go right back to the bassinet; you’ll have to transition to the crib at some point anyway, so just keep moving forward and let time and consistency do their thing. You will get there!
Now I want to switch gears ever so slightly, yet still importantly, and talk about how to transition your baby from the SNOO to the crib.
How to Transition a Baby from the SNOO to the Crib
I’m not a huge fan of the SNOO, but I have friends who have used and loved the SNOO, and we work with families all the time who have the SNOO as their bassinet. It’s super popular, so we can’t not talk about it with the bassinet-to-crib transition!
So, everything I’ve already shared about transitioning from the bassinet to the crib still rings true for transitioning from the SNOO to the crib, because the SNOO is a bassinet! But it’s also not your average bassinet, so I want to get a bit specific here…
The SNOO website says to wait until 6 months to transition your baby out of the SNOO, and as a sleep coach, I say that’s way too long. Because your baby needs space to move around when they sleep!
The website also says that by about 6 months old, babies aren’t craving constant rocking like when they were younger. But if rocking is all they know, there’s a very high chance they still need it to sleep! That doesn’t magically just stop at 6 months old – if it did, Via Graces wouldn’t exist.
So if your baby is currently sleeping in the SNOO and your goal is to transition them to a crib soon, you have two choices:
- Transition your baby from the SNOO to the crib cold turkey, like you would out of a normal bassinet
- Use the wean mode on the SNOO before transitioning your baby to a crib
The SNOO website recommends using the wean mode for 1-2 weeks, and then transitioning to a crib.
As a sleep coach, I think transitioning from the SNOO cold turkey or using the wean mode are both good options! Cold turkey kind of gets it “done and over with.” Or if that feels too abrupt, try wean mode!
With wean mode, the SNOO website says to use wean mode for a week or two, but it also says that after 1-2 weeks of wean mode, the transition to crib will “be a snap”.
That’s maybe and hopefully true for some babies, but I will say from my experience working with countless families transitioning out of the SNOO, that’s pretty misleading. Just because you turn the motion down for a week or two doesn’t mean your baby, who’s been relying on motion for however many months, will all of a sudden just be able to sleep without it!
So again, I truly think transitioning from the SNOO to the crib cold turkey or with a week or two of wean mode are both options. Both could have bumps in the road, but you will make it out on the other side! Either because your baby slowly but surely adjusts, or because you realize some more changes need to be made to better support your baby’s sleep.
How long it takes to adjust to transitioning out of the bassinet, whether it’s the SNOO or not
Now you might be wondering how long it takes for babies to adjust to the transition from the bassinet to the crib, regardless of whether they are in the SNOO or a standard bassinet.
There’s really not a magical answer, but I’d say to expect a week or two.
Could your baby transition more quickly? Absolutely, I sure hope they do! Especially if they’re in a standard bassinet without motion, because again, they’re moving from one firm, flat surface, to another.
But I also want you to know that’s definitely not always the case! Especially if your baby is transitioning to a new room, as well, or maybe coming out of the swaddle around the same time, or if they’re in the midst of the four-month regression. If your baby’s sleep seems more off for a week or two after transitioning out of the bassinet, I’d call that a little regression as they adjust to a change.
And I’d say time and consistency are on your side.
If, however, you’re four weeks out from transitioning from the bassinet to crib and sleep is still just haywire, we’re more in the realm of a “new norm,” and it’s only going to change once we make changes.
And that’s when families often come to us! So if your baby is under 16 weeks old, we’d support you through our newborn sleep course, Newborn Sleep from A to Z. Or if your baby is 16 weeks or older, we sleep train as you make the bassinet-to-crib transition (or after), and then after that two-week plan, we’re smooth sailing!
Conclusion
The goal of this blog post is to make something that can feel so scary much more doable. We want to help newborn parents feel confident about when and how to transition their baby from the bassinet to the crib, or from the SNOO to the crib.
Yes, it’s an adjustment, yes, it’s a change, but probably more so for you than for your baby. And it doesn’t have to be as scary as it sounds or feels!
Also, remember that if transitioning from the bassinet to the crib feels like a big step or a big milestone, that’s okay! Celebrate, take extra bassinet pictures, take a deep breath, and then do it!
And if it’s hard? That’s okay! Don’t panic, you’re not doing anything wrong, keep moving forward, and let time and consistency do their job.
Finally, if you’re still stuck after you transition your baby out of the bassinet, or you’re ready to make some more sleep changes and want some help doing so, our team of sleep coaches would love to help.
With Grace,
Lauren
