HALO BassiNest Swivel Sleeper Review: Is It Worth It?

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that parents sleep in the same room with their baby but never in the same bed due to the myriad dangers that coincide with co-sleeping.

For most parents, a bassinet is the best way to stay close to their little ones while maintaining a safe sleeping environment. Ultimately, both cribs and bassinets serve the same function: to provide a safe surface for your baby to sleep on. With bassinets, however, parents will often find more flexibility. Bassinets also have smaller footprints than cribs, meaning they’ll take up less space. While you’ve likely seen plenty of bassinet options as you prepare your registry and wish lists, the HALO BassiNest Swivel Sleeper is worthy of some real consideration. After all, it did just win Best Bedside Bassinet in our very first Baby Safety Gear Awards.

Before continuing, it’s important to note that HALO offers three BassiNest Swivel Sleepers (3.0, Premiere Series, and Luxe Series) ranging from budget to splurge. While all of the BassiNest Swivel Sleepers feature the brand’s patented lowering bedside wall, the bells and whistles of each vary. For the purposes of this article, the primary focus is on the new BassiNest 3.0.

While the HALO Swivel Sleeper looks like a traditional bassinet, it’s designed with new moms in mind. In other words, it can sit right next to your bed throughout the night and easily swivel atop it for easy access to your baby when it’s time for a feeding or some cuddling. In addition to the BassiNest 3.0’s drop-down side, it easily detaches from the stand to become a safe napping space anywhere in your home.

How does the HALO BassiNest Swivel Sleeper work?

The HALO Swivel Sleeper is a 2-in-1 system that transforms from a bedside sleeper to a portable lounger and nap space for use around your home. It features a flexible lowering wall for quick and easy access to your baby and 100% mesh walls for maximum visibility and airflow.

The HALO Swivel Sleeper was designed with new parents in mind. It keeps your baby close to you during the overnight hours without the dangers of co-sleeping. When your baby cries, the BassiNest allows for incredibly easy access courtesy of the lowering wall. All you have to do is press gently on the front wall to lower it and reach over for your baby. The wall lowers with minimal effort, and it returns to its upright position when pressure is released. The side wall can also be locked in its upright position, and doing so is easy enough — just slide the locking mechanism into the notches on both sides of the bed. The front wall can’t be locked in the down position for obvious safety reasons.

The BassiNest 3.0 is an upgrade of the brand’s best-selling bassinet and features a full 360-degree swivel capability. It’s over 30% lighter than the original HALO BassiNest, and users will find that it has a sleeker silhouette and is ultimately just as sturdy as the original.

The BassiNest 3.0 is designed to be used with most standard beds. Its height is adjustable, so it can accommodate beds up to 30 inches high. Moreover, the legs of the swivel sleeper can be tucked under most beds.

The weight and age limit for all three models of the HALO Swivel Sleeper is 20 pounds or up to 5 months. And per the manufacturer, parents should discontinue use when their baby begins to roll over or push up on their hands and knees.

How much does it cost?

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This line of Swivel Sleepers ranges from $219.99 for the 3.0 to $349.99 for the Luxe (and the website offers free shipping for orders over $75).

Looking at prices for many other manufacturers’ bassinets, you’ll notice that the BassiNest isn’t exorbitantly priced in comparison. And considering it offers a little more functionality (i.e., a full 360-degree spin and a collapsible side wall), the $220 spend may be well worth a spot on your wish list.

All of the HALO Swivel Sleepers come with a firm, waterproof mattress, washable cover, and fitted sheet that meet APA safety recommendations.

For parents who like to have backups for their backups, there’s a host of accessories available on the HALO website, including a newborn insert, mattresses, fitted sheets, swaddles, and wearable blankets galore.

It may be worth noting that HALO has a 30-day refund policy on all products purchased on its website — not overly generous but enough time to make an informed decision.

What we love

Bassinets, in general, are a tremendous help to parents, as they reduce the number of times you have to get into and out of your bed to a manageable minimum. The BassiNest is particularly helpful for moms who’ve had a C-section, as they’re often encouraged to avoid lifting and twisting. The HALO Swivel Sleeper is also a practical problem solver for new parents who want to work or take a shower with their newborn baby nearby.

Ultimately, the BassiNest line inches out competitors in one way — functionality; like other bassinets on the market, the HALO Swivel Sleeper keeps your baby close by and at eye level. Unlike other bassinets, it features a unique drop-down side, and it can swivel over your bed and maneuver out of the way just as easily, all of which add up to easy access to your baby.

Looking through HALO BassiNest Swivel Sleeper reviews, we find that customers are pretty smitten with their Swivel Sleepers. In many reviews on the HALO website, parents consistently comment on the genius of the swivel function, ease of assembly, and the BassiNest’s ability to provide a co-sleeping feel without endangering their little ones.

One reviewer on Halo’s website nicely summed up what many others have said, “So many features … You can raise or lower the height of the bassinet … I am able to swivel the BassiNest right over my bed, and with the mesh sides, I feel so close to my baby …”

What we don’t love

If you want to keep your baby close to you, the BassiNest elegantly accomplishes that. It checks a lot of boxes for a lot of folks, no doubt, but there are some downsides you might want to keep note of.

First, while the BassiNest is pretty sleek, that may also translate to minimal for some. For example, the 3.0 model has no type of storage. And while the Premiere and Luxe models boast “storage pockets” and “storage caddies,” the capacities are a bit underwhelming.

Beyond that, a few four-star HALO BassiNest reviews noted less-than-smooth transitions and the base’s large footprint as possible shortcomings.

While the lowering wall allows for easy access to your baby, you still have to lift the baby over the dropped side, so it may not be as seamless of a transition as you might expect. One reviewer on the HALO website noted this little hiccup, “Pushing the side down is pretty easy and smooth. Sometimes it’s a bit tricky to hold it down while lifting the baby over, but it is a good balance of ease of use and safety for the baby.”

Other reviewers on the site indicated that the HALO Swivel Sleeper could lead to some real estate issues in a small room. While noting that they would still recommend the BassiNest 3.0, one reviewer noted, “[The] only negative is the legs stick out a bit far which makes the bassinet take up a good amount of space in a small room.” Another noted that while the base is sturdy and supportive, their “main complaint about the bassinet is how wide the base is.”

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HALO BassiNest Swivel Sleeper models compared

BassiNest Swivel Sleeper 3.0

  • Cost: $219.99
  • Height: 36-44.5 in.
  • Weight Limit: 20 lbs.
  • Color: Solid gray

BassiNest Premiere Series Vibrating Bassinet

  • Cost: $289.99
  • Height: 24-34 in.
  • Weight Limit: 20 lbs.
  • Color: Pebble

BassiNest Luxe Series Vibrating Bassinet

  • Cost: $349.99
  • Height: 24-34 in.
  • Weight Limit: 20 lbs.
  • Color: Dove gray tweed

BassiNest Swivel Sleeper 3.0

The BassiNest Swivel Sleeper 3.0 swivels over your bed and features a lowering wall, both of which add up to easy access for parents. The 3.0 is essentially a 2-in-1 system that transforms from a bedside sleeper to a lounger, so your baby can nap safely in any room of the house courtesy of a detachable portable bed.

The entire unit isn’t meant to be portable, so it doesn’t fold down, but the BassiNest Swivel Sleeper 3.0 is a bit lighter than others in this series and retails for quite a bit less at $219.99.

BassiNest Premiere Series Vibrating Bassinet

The next iteration in the BassiNest series is the BassiNest Premiere Series Vibrating Bassinet.
Again, this BassiNest is outfitted with all the same features as the others (lowering wall and a full 360-degree swivel), but noteworthy bells and whistles on this model include two storage pockets and a soothing center that features the following:

  • An amber night-light
  • An amber floor light
  • Two levels of vibration
  • Four soothing sounds (heartbeat, white noise, babbling brook, and rainforest)
  • An auto-shutoff function

As you might have guessed, the BassiNest Premiere comes with a bump to its full weight and its price: 28 pounds and $289.99, respectively.

BassiNest Luxe Series Vibrating Bassinet

The BassiNest Luxe Series Vibrating Bassinet is HALO’s last installment in the BassiNest series. Like some of its sisters, this BassiNest features a removable bed that can be used with or without the base, a lowering wall, and, of course, a 360-degree swivel. This model also features a soothing center, complete with night-lights, floor lights, two levels of vibration, and a small library of soothing sounds like the BassiNest Premiere Series Vibrating Bassinet.

Unlike the others in the series, the BassiNest Luxe features furniture-grade finishes and comes with a removable storage caddy. Considering its additional features, the BassiNest Luxe Series Vibrating Bassinet is a bit heavier at 30 pounds and the priciest of the line at $349.99.

Is the HALO BassiNest Swivel Sleeper 3.0 worth it?

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The HALO BassiNest Swivel Sleeper is most certainly worth it. If you want to keep your baby close to you without co-sleeping, the HALO BassiNest Swivel Sleeper series will help you do that in style — maybe even better than its competitors, as it can swivel over your bed for an even closer co-sleeping feel. The mesh walls keep your baby visible at all times, and the lowering wall gives you instant access when your baby needs you.

Overall, the BassiNest Swivel Sleeper 3.0 has a lot going for it with only two relatively minor drawbacks — the transition out of the BassiNest might not be as smooth as you might like, and the footprint of it may be a bit larger than you’d prefer. Again, these are minor hiccups for a bassinet that offers so much otherwise. Moreover, at $220, the price isn’t a deal-breaker either, as it’s right on par with competitor baby gear in the same category.

FAQs

What’s so great about the HALO BassiNest?

The HALO BassiNest allows parents to keep their babies close without the danger of co-sleeping. Unlike standard bassinets, the HALO BassiNest swivels directly over your bed, and when paired with the lowering bedside wall, parents can easily scoop their little one up for nighttime feedings and any soothing they may need.

Does the HALO BassiNest work?

The HALO BassiNest was designed with new moms in mind. Its purpose is to keep newborns close enough to their parents while eliminating the danger of co-sleeping. From the many reviews we’ve read, parents are generally quite pleased with the HALO BassiNest, so we think it’s pretty safe to say the HALO BassiNest works as intended.

How long can babies sleep in the HALO BassiNest?

Like most bassinets, the HALO BassiNest is intended for newborns and infants only. Per the manufacturer, the HALO BassiNest is only meant for babies up to 20 pounds or 5 months of age. Parents are also cautioned to discontinue use when their baby shows signs of rolling or pushing up, which can happen before their baby hits the 20-pound mark.

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