The HALO Bassinest Swivel Sleeper Bassinet can rotate 360 degrees and be pulled straight onto your bed for easy access to your newborn. How perfect! But it is also bulky, unportable, expensive and can only be used for a short amount of time till your baby becomes more active.
Reviews
The HALO Bassinest Swivel Sleeper Bassinet overall has good reviews, however, there really are not that many of them. Since this is a fairly new product it hasn’t been thoroughly tried by enough users to get an over abundance of reviews to get a really good sense of the worth. Particularly for baby products, I like to have a minimum of several hundred reviews, preferably above a thousand, before buying a big ticket item like a bassinet.
- 4.6 stars, 89 Reviews: Toys R Us
- 4.2 stars, 13 Reviews: Buy Buy Baby
- 4.5 stars, 12 Reviews: Target
- 3.9 stars, 14 Reviews: Bed Bath and Beyond
Key Features
Rotates 360 Degrees: By far one of the largest selling points of the HALO Bassinest Swivel Sleeper Bassinet is the fact that it rotates and swivels 360 degrees. This makes it an excellent option for Csection mamas who are recovering from surgery and need to limit their movement. The bassinet swivels over the bed so you don’t have to bend over as much to pick your newborn up. It’s also really useful for breastfeeding moms who want their baby close by for midnight feedings.
Side Wall Lowers: While normally the sides of this sleeper lock into place you can also unlock the sides so that you can more easily lift and care for your newborn. This feature takes a lot of the pressure off of your abdomen and back when lifting your newborn.
Mesh Siding: When parents bring their new babies home from the hospital it’s common for them to want to constantly check on them to make sure they are doing ok. The mesh siding on this HALO allows parents to see their baby at all times. This siding is also a huge safety feature as babies can breath through the mesh.
Storage Pockets: There is a storage pocket on the very end of this sleeper that would be an excellent place to stash a few diapers and wipes for mid night changings, or a chocolate bar for a midnight snack!
Adjustable Height: Much like a bike seat there is a knob on the base that will allow you to change the bassinet height. This is helpful because it allows you to tailor fit the Swivel Sleeper to your bed height or personal preference.
Solid Sturdy Base: One of the things the HALO Bassinest Swivel Sleeper Bassinet is most well known for, in addition to the 360-degree rotation, is that they are incredibly sturdy. Weighing in at close to 50 pounds this HALO sleeper likely won’t budge for anything. It is excellent for people who have big dogs, other children who are enamored with the new baby, or even adults who are prone to bumping into things. The base doesn’t have wheels so it will sit in place securely until you move it.
Includes Washable Fitted Sheet and Mattress Pad: The fitted sheet is made of polyester and can be easily washed with a damp cloth or thrown straight into your washing machine. The mattress bed which comes with the swivel is completely waterproof. Being waterproof is excellent because it will make cleaning up after blowouts, spit up, or other accidents smooth and easy.
Safe Alternative to Bed Sharing: Cosleeping is a touchy topic for a lot of people. While it is considered to be unsafe by a lot of people others think that it promotes bonding and is simply the easiest way to cope with the sleepless newborn days. The HALO Bassinest Swivel Sleeper Bassinet is an excellent solution as it promotes bed-sharing without any extra risks involved with co-sleeping.
The American Academy of Pediatrics say that one important way of reducing the risk for Sudden Infant Death (SIDS) is by having your baby sleep in your room with you, though not in your bed. This sleeper does an excellent job fulfilling those safety requirements.
You can see all of the best co-sleepers that we recommend here on Experience Mommy.
Easy Set Up: The HALO Bassinest Swivel Sleeper Bassinet is very easy to set up. It has a base, legs, a pole and then the bassinet. However since it is so heavy most parents opt to set it up and leave it one place.
Product Overview
Assembly
Cautions
Thin Uncomfortable Mattress: While it is important to have a firm mattress for infants for safety reasons the HALO Bassinest Swivel Sleeper Bassinet takes that a little bit too seriously. The mattress portion of the sleeper is incredibly thin and can’t be very comfortable. Some babies simply can’t get comfortable and will refuse to sleep in it. This would be quite unfortunate after having spent all that money, and likely foregone other sleeping arrangements, for this bassinet.
The bassinet also has a velcro strip that goes down the center of the sleeper underneath the mattress. Because the mattress is so thin the baby can probably feel it on their back. Another downside is that because of the HALO sleepers unconventional shape you can’t commercially purchase an additional mattress, you are simply out of luck if your baby decides they hate it.
Wide Base: The wide base on the sleeper provides much needed stability but it also takes up a lot of space. If your bed doesn’t have enough room under it you won’t be able to get the bassinet close to you on the bed and it will block your exit from the bed. The last thing a new mama needs is a 50 pound sleeper preventing her from getting in and out of bed. If you have a platform bed, a short bed, or a tall bed, the sleeper won’t function properly for you and will simply be inconvenient.
Only Safe Till Baby Starts Showing Signs of Movement: Though this product is marketed to work for babies up to five months or 30 pounds it actually is only safe until your baby starts showing signs of rolling over, pulling or pushing up. Your baby may not start doing these things till 5 months, but they could also start as early as 2 months. At which point your baby will be in huge danger if you continue to allow them to sleep in this bassinet because they are at risk of falling out.
Expensive for Temporary Use: As I mentioned above this sleeper can’t be used once your baby starts to push up and move more so depending on your baby it could only be useful for a few short months. I don’t know about you but I wouldn’t want to spend several hundred dollars on a product that is only guaranteed for five months but could certainly last for less. This product could take the place of a crib or other bassinet for a while but you would still need to purchase a more permanent sleeping solution for when they get bigger and more mobile.
Want a more permanent cradle option? Check out our best baby cradle list.
Acid Reflux and Babies Who Like Inclines: This sleeper may work great with some babies but for any babies who have acid reflux or prefer sleeping on an incline, this sleeper won’t work. Unfortunately, it is hard to know what your baby’s preferences or needs will be before they get here.
Heavy Not Multi Purpose: The HALO Bassinest Swivel Sleeper Bassinet is certainly not a portable bassinet. At around 50 pounds, with no wheels, it is hard to move so the only movement you’ll get is from the 360 degree swivel. It also isn’t secure on its own so it can’t be used anywhere except right by your bed. So if you are looking for a product you can use in different rooms, or a bassinet that can stand apart from your bed, this isn’t the bassinet for you.
Strong Chemical Smell: With any manufactured product there is always the possibility that your purchase will arrive with a strong chemical smell. However, when it comes to a product for your newborn there’s a lot more at risk. While the smell will go away with time and a few washes if you didn’t purchase this product before your baby is born you may be disappointed to find you can’t easily use it right away.
Side Doesn’t Stay Down: The sidearm of the sleeper can bend down to allow easier access to your infant. However this side doesn’t stay down, it only goes down when you are pushing on it. So it may knock your elbow, or hit your arm as you are trying to get your baby.
Only on One Side of Bed: One downside to this bassinet, as opposed to other bed-sharing products, is that this product sits on the floor and can only be accessed by one side of the bed. So if you are hoping to share the nighttime duties with your partner you may find it to be difficult.
Other Versions of the Sleeper
The Premiere series includes sounds, nightlight, vibrations, and nursery timer. It comes in several colors.
The Luxe series has everything the Premiere has and also includes a floor light and storage caddy.
And the Luxe Plus adds an additional cotton sheet and mattress pad.
Pros- Things Parents Love
- 360 Degree Swivel
- Sturdy
- Bed Sharing Alternative
- Easy to Setup
- One of the best co sleeper bassinets
Cons of the Swivel Sleeper
- Temporary Usability
- Expensive
- Heavy
- Thin Mattress
