Infant Nest

An Infant nest, also sometimes called a snuggle nest, is not a bed but an oval-shaped mattress with soft sides or edges to prevent the baby from rolling out. It’s light and portable so you can easily move it from room to room and also take it with you when traveling. It’s the perfect item to make your baby feel at home, wherever you are, and the next best thing to being in your arms.

What is a baby nest?

Baby nests are becoming more and more popular worldwide as more and more parents learn about the practical advantages. 98% of the German parents surveyed can no longer imagine having a infant nest in their initial equipment and find it extremely useful and helpful.

What can the infant nest be used for?

• Cuddly nest
• Changing place or where you can change the baby
• Safe place where baby can relax
• sleeping place
• Play mat & motor skills trainer
• Protection from well-meaning but often wild sibling cuddling

How does a infant nest work?

Many children sleep much better in a infant nest. A infant nest or baby bed serves as a safe and quiet place for your baby to sleep. Babies are usually in a close and warm environment for 9 months. When babies are born, they can initially feel a bit alone because they are no longer in their usual environment.

Nests are usually oval in shape and consist of a padded mat and border. The border of the cuddly nest protects your baby and gives him a boundary. Your newborn is reminded of the familiar tightness from the months in the womb.

Infant nests help your baby to calm down and relax. A infant nest is not only good for your baby, but also for the parents. The baby can be taken anywhere and your hands are free – be it when cooking, in the bathroom, doing sports or with friends. A baby bed gives you more flexibility in everyday life.

Today, a infant nest is usually an oval-shaped, padded mat with a border. On the one hand, this border protects your baby from rolling off the bed or sofa, for example, and on the other hand, it offers infants the boundaries they are used to in the womb .

This makes them feel more secure and allows them to relax better. So it’s no coincidence that the infant nest was invented in a premature baby ward in Sweden. Thanks to the protection and security of the nest, newborns can sleep better and can be carried more easily from room to room.

Padded bed frames for cribs are also known as nests, which have been criticized for years as being a risk factor for sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). What exactly this is all about, how the different types of infant nests differ and what you can keep in mind when using them so as not to endanger your baby unnecessarily – we have summarized the most important things about infant nests for you.

Infant nest in bed – yes or no? 

A cozy bed frame, a bed canopy and possibly stuffed animals, pillows and a baby bed blanket – that’s not what a safe baby bed looks like! The more textiles there are in the child’s bed , the greater the risk of overheating or of the child snuggling up with their mouth and nose so close that they can only breathe in their own exhaled air, resulting in a life-threatening respiratory congestion .

To prevent this scenario and as a preventative measure against Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS), only a suitable baby sleeping bag is recommended for a safe sleeping environment in the baby’s bed . All other textiles, apart from the mattress and fitted sheets, should be avoided.

Thick infant nests in particular, which are attached to the head end with straps to pad the hard bars, have proven to be dangerous in an American study (published in the “Journal of Pediatrics” in 2015). And in the infant nest test by ÖKO-TEST (2014), thickly padded bed borders were also strongly discouraged because they would not only hinder air circulation, but could also become a dangerous step and strangulation trap for mobile babies.

But the fact is that a newborn who suddenly has to lie alone in an empty cot with no boundaries feels rather uncomfortable and often cannot calm down. In order to create more security in the bed – a small extra bed is best , in which the infant can feel mom or dad close to them – a thin, flat nest  can still be a good solution. Many manufacturers have now responded to the criticism of infant nests and are making them as air-permeable as possible .

For example, this is the airy nest from baby bay Made of mesh that has been tested for harmful substances, which visually creates a barrier in the cot and still allows air to circulate unhindered.

Attention : Not only bed frames, but also portable infant nests are recommended for the bed by some manufacturers. Be it to create a cozy cuddly nest in the baby bed or because the infant nest with a border should form a safety barrier to the parents in the parents’ bed. However, extreme caution also applies here: Although a infant nest that is portable does not have any straps that could become a strangulation trap and may also be made of breathable materials,

You should only use a snuggle nest if you can monitor your baby Don’t press your face too close to the frame . If he sleeps in the infant nest all night, this is not the case. We therefore advise against using a infant nest at night.

When a infant nest makes sense 

At night, your baby sleeps best in a sleeping bag on his back in his cot. But what to do with the newborn during the day? The portable infant nest is now a practical alternative to the classic bassinet that makes everyday life a little easier for new parents. Because during the day it offers your baby a comfortable place to sleep wherever it is needed . This can be on the bathroom floor while you take your well-deserved shower or just next to you on the couch. In the cozy nest that is familiar to him, your child feels like he is in a protective cocoon . The border not only simulates the boundaries of the womb and thus contributes to greater security, it also provides better protection from the many new environmental impressions and allows your baby to sleep more peacefully.

Infant nest or bassinet – which is better? 

A baby nest that is easily portable has replaced the cot in many families. No wonder, it does not take up nearly as much space and is also cheaper to buy. It is also more flexible: you can also take it with you on the go, on a trip or to your grandparents’ house and thus offer the baby its usual sleeping environment when abroad .

Compared to the infant nest, a bassinet has the advantage that you can let your baby sleep unattended in it for a long time without having to worry about overheating or congestion in breathing. The bars of a bassinet or the air-permeable mesh material of a travel cot are much more breathable than the border of the infant nest.

What alternatives are there to the infant nest? 

Despite all the advantages that a infant nest can offer babies and parents during the day, the nest is certainly not an indispensable part of the initial equipment. Your baby will feel at least as safe if you carry it with you in a baby carrier or sling. And for those who like to have their body to themselves for a few hours, a light, small travel cot or a Moses basket can also be used made from breathable palm leaves offer similar benefits to a infant nest in the living room.