Wooden Bassinets & Cradles

A bassinet spends its short working life in the room you sleep in, which is usually the room you've spent the most time getting right. A wooden bassinet reads as furniture rather than baby equipment, so it sits in that space instead of interrupting it.

Why Timber Over Fabric and Mesh

Most bassinets are built around a fabric shell on a metal frame, and they do the job perfectly well for a few months. Timber changes two things. It holds its shape and its finish through daily handling, so it still looks presentable at the end rather than sagging and pilling. 

And it takes being dismantled, stored and rebuilt, which matters if you're planning a second baby or intending to pass it on. There's a practical benefit too. A solid frame doesn't rock or flex when you lean over it at three in the morning, and that steadiness is reassuring when you're half asleep and lowering a sleeping newborn.

Choosing a Finish for the Room

A white wooden bassinet is the flexible choice, since it works against almost any wall colour and doesn't commit you to a scheme before the baby arrives. Warmer natural and sandstone tones suit rooms where the rest of the furniture is timber, and they hide the small marks that come with use, because the scratch is the same colour as the wood underneath. 

If you already know which cot you're buying, it's worth looking at whether the bassinet comes from the same range or a similar tone, since a bedroom holding a bassinet, a cot and a dresser in three different finishes never quite settles. Ask about the coating as well. Water-based, low-emission finishes are standard on good nursery furniture and worth confirming.

How Long It Lasts and What Happens After

Bassinets are a short chapter. Most babies move to a cot somewhere between four and six months, or sooner if they're rolling or pushing up on their hands, and every model sets a weight limit worth checking. Timber is where that short life stops being a problem. 

A wooden bassinet holds its value, stores flat in a garage without perishing, and comes out for a second baby looking much as it went in. Plenty are handed between siblings or friends, which is the sort of thing the fabric versions rarely survive. Buy the mattress made for the bassinet rather than a generic size, and check the sheet sits taut with no loose fabric.

Timber Bassinet Brands We Stock

This is a deliberately small range, because a bassinet sits beside your bed for months and we'd rather stock two we're confident in than ten we're not. Seena is Australian and works in a contemporary, pared-back style, pairing white with sandstone in a way that suits a main bedroom rather than a nursery. 

Boori has been building timber nursery furniture for Australian homes for decades, and brings the same solid construction and finish quality to its bassinets as to its cots. If you'd like to see more sleep options, our bassinets and cradles range is broader.

Building the Room Around It

A bassinet is the first piece of furniture your baby uses and the first thing you'll need sheets for. The cot comes next, and the finish you choose here tends to set the direction for everything after it. Our full nursery range covers the rest, and these are the categories that usually follow: 

• Bassinets & Cradles
• Bassinet Sheets
• Wooden Cots
• Cots
• Mattresses
• Dressers & Change Tables
• Bedding
• Nursery Bundles

See the finishes in daylight atAlexandria orMiranda, or order online and we'll deliver it to you.