Key specs – Ages: Newborn-6 months/9 kg; Dimensions: L56 x W94 x H68.5-83 cm ; Bed Frame Fit: Divan beds, framed beds; Height Adjustments: 7 height positions; Incline Setting: Yes Our parent reviewer, Lynsey Carratt, tried out the crib with her daughter Mia, six weeks. She was impressed by its ease of assembly, sturdiness and appearance. 'I was impressed with its appearance, which is sophisticated but straightforward,' she told us. 'I was pleasantly surprised about how straightforward it was to put together. No tools are required. It just all slots together, and zips keep everything in place very neatly. I built the crib in under 10 minutes. I found the storage basket a lifesaver during the night and kept all my essentials there, including nappies, cream, wipes, spare sheets and outfits.' The best bedside cribs are suitable from birth until six months, or whenever the baby starts rolling over or sitting up. Key specs – Ages: Newborn–6 months/9 kg; Dimensions: L100 x W49 x H95 (max) cm ; Bed Frame Fit: Divan beds, framed beds; Height Adjustments: Max 73 cm from floor; Incline Setting: Yes

Ideally, it’s best to buy a bedside crib a few weeks or even months before your due date, so you can get it all set up and get used to its features before the baby comes. The last thing you want to be doing with a crying newborn is fiddling around with Allen keys or fitted sheets, so get prepared as early as possible. How long can you use a bedside crib for? No matter whether you’re searching for a standalone cot or one you can attach to your bed, the best bedside cribs keep your baby safe and secure. Heidi Scrimgeour joined GoodTo after a 16-year freelance career as a parenting and lifestyle journalist. She has written features for various publications including The Guardian, Telegraph, Daily Mail, Red, Psychologies and Stylist. She was a parenting columnist for AOL’s Parentdish andbaby gear editor of Mother & Baby magazine for six years. Heidi has taken part in various parenting debates onThis Morning, The One Show and BBC Radio 4’s Woman’s Hour. She has a degree in English & Media Arts and gained a Masters with Distinction from the University of Westminster. Available in three colours - grey, graphite, and blue - there are options to suit a range of home decors, and its wood accents evoke on-trend Scandi vibes. There are mesh windows for breathability and to allow parents to see their baby easily, while the storage basket offers a perfect place to keep nappies, muslins, or babygros nearby.Shopping for the best convertible car seat for your baby or toddler? If your budget allows, this is our best 'premium' buy... Key specs – Ages: Newborn-6 months/9 kg; Dimensions: L93 x W55.5 x H74.5 cm ; Bed Frame Fit: Divan beds, framed beds; Height Adjustments: 5 height positions; Incline Setting: No It has all the standard features, including incline for reflux, multiple height settings and a harness that fits most beds. It has mesh sides for optimal breathability, and also works as a standalone crib. The drop-side is one of the easiest to use; just unzip and lift the frame. We also have made to measure fitted sheets for this mattress made only with quality 100% cotton jersey. Below, we’ve compiled a guide to choosing the best bedside crib for your baby and rounded up some of our favourite options.

Safety - The best bedside cribs are recommended as a safe alternative to co-sleeping. Babies should sleep in a clear space, without pillows, sheets or blankets. A bedside crib offers the perfect place, which is close to parents but without the dangers of actually sleeping in the same bed. Alexis was impressed by the sleek, gender-neutral look of the crib, as well as its price compared to the rest of the bedside crib market. 'I think it offers excellent value for money, especially as most of its competitors are more expensive,' she added.

Many bedside cribs are not portable, so the fact the Iora Co-sleeper is is a huge plus for parents who often visit family or take trips abroad. Lynsey felt that the ease of assembly and disassembly was a selling point, and also liked how easy it was to adjust its height. READ NEXT: The best travel cots The best bedside cribs you can buy in 2022 1. SnüzPod 4 Bedside Crib: The best overall bedside crib According to the NHS, the safest place to sleep for a baby’s first six months is in a cot located in the same room as you. This is why bedside cribs have become such a popular alternative to co-sleeping. It offers a way to keep your baby close in the safest way possible and fosters independent sleeping habits, making eventual transitions easier too. A bedside crib provides the best of both worlds for both you and your infant – it’s safe, keeps your infant within arms reach, and there’s no need to get out of bed to soothe or feed your infant. Our tester Leya Goldsmith, who is mum to Eden, six weeks, was a huge fan of the HALO BassiNest. She commented: 'I’ve used a Moses basket and a bedside crib for my two other children but this bassinet has definitely been the best!'

Our tester, Janina Akiva, and her three-week-old son Natanel loved both the look and the features of the SnuzPod 4. Janina was impressed by how comfortable the crib was, not just for her son, who suffers from reflux, but also for parents to get the hang of. 'The SnuzPod 4 is stylish, sleek and has a clever design with some features that really make it feel luxurious for my baby,' she told us. 'The bassinet is well-padded and the breathable base is a nice bonus. The frame is adjustable to accommodate different heights of beds and also has an extra piece to tilt the cot to help my son who has reflux. Is it easy to put together, or to fold up and down? Some bedside cribs fold up and down in the blink of an eye, while others will require tools and a bit of time. Make sure to buy a portable, folding model if you’re going to be doing a lot of travelling, or intend to move the cot around the home regularly. Eleanor loved the aesthetics of the Shnuggle Air, the breathability and hypo-allergenic qualities of the mattress and the fact that the crib has a storage section for keeping baby essentials close by. She thinks the crib offers great value for money. 'The mattress is a hypo-allergenic airflow mattress with 50% more breathability than other brands,' she added. 'This really appealed to me as most mums worry about their baby rolling over in the night. It’s reasonably priced, looks great, will grow with your baby, and my baby sleeps through the night at 10 weeks in it - so it’s clearly comfortable!' The side panel unzips and attaches to the underside of the bassinet. The crib has a tilting mode for congestion and reflux issues, and also works as a standalone crib. It has two wheels with brakes, making it easy to wheel around the house as needed. Paul Maurice, product director at Snüz, says safety should always be in mind when purchasing a bedside crib. 'When looking into the best bedside cribs for your new arrival, safety is at the top of the list,' he explains. 'It is important to evaluate both the design and materials used, to ensure it allows air to circulate into, around and through the crib. Look for vents or mesh openings at the mattress level, holes in the base of the crib and the use of 3D breathable materials within the crib and mattress. With newborns spending on average 16 to 18 hours a day sleeping, it is imperative to make sure the environment they are in is as safe and comfortable as possible.'The Iora Co-Sleeper is a doddle to assemble and fix next to your bed thanks to its five different height positions and co-sleeping slide function. It also offers an easy fold and comes with a travel bag, which makes it easy for parents who need the convenience of a portable crib. The co-sleeper also has a large storage basket to keep baby essentials nearby during the night. The ComfortAir system makes the crib more breathable and helps to regulate the baby’s temperature. This includes the 3D mattress, which is breathable while still providing optimal support. The mattress comes with a machine washable liner as well. The drop-down side is easy to use, and the combination of sturdy plastic hooks and zippers means that it feels substantial and secure both when raised and lowered – it’s not a mechanism you’ll want to mess with in the middle of the night, though, as it takes a minute or two to adjust. We tested the Silver Cross Motion All Size 360 car seat but is it the 'genius invention' our tester hoped for? Is it only convenient for your bed? You may prefer a crib that’s more portable, or one that stands alone. Whether you’re taking the crib around the house or around the world, make sure you choose one that works with your lifestyle.

Access - All bedside cribs must have a 12cm barrier or wall to prevent the baby from being able to roll out of the crib, whilst still having a zip-down feature, making for easy access during the night. When you bring home a newborn baby, it’s natural to want to keep them close to you at all times, including when you sleep. That said, it’s essential to be aware of safe sleep practices as well as the potential risks of having baby in your bed (often referred to as co-sleeping). One option which may put your mind at rest is a crib, and the best bedside cribs provide a safe sleeping area for baby that keeps them close by. Established in 1877 in Yorkshire, the Silver Cross brand has been around for aeons, and it definitely knows how to produce a winning product. The Voyager Co-Sleeper is designed to make life significantly easier for parents. Not only is it incredible portable, coming with its very own travel bag, but it also offers seven adjustable height positions, an incline setting for babies prone to reflux, and a useful storage shelf too.This model is a favourite across the UK and it’s not hard to see why – it’s both versatile and brilliantly designed. Key specs – Ages: Newborn-6 months; Dimensions: L84 x W69 x H66 cm; Bed Frame Fit: Divan beds, framed beds; Height Adjustments: 6 height positions; Incline Setting: Yes This bedside crib includes lots of features to help tired babies and parents. These include breathable, see-through mesh sides, an incline option to support babies with colic and reflux, and seven height adjustments to fit different sizes of beds. Next, we called on our pool of reliable parent testers and assigned each of them a bedside crib to review with their baby. They tested the product rigorously for at least ten days. The drop-down side is a half-height zip wall that meets the mesh sides of the crib. The mesh wall provides a barrier to prevent the infant from rolling into the bed while co-sleeping. Both sides also have a mesh panel for easier viewing.