Guys. I found THE CUTEST cradle for the baby. I’ve been on the fence about doing a nursery or not, but when I saw this? It was all over.
(Check out the full tour on Refinery29)
Doesn’t the sight of it just make you want to have a baby?! Just so they can be so cute and squishy in this little cradle?
When you look at the design it looks extremely simple. Canvas, dowels, some hardware and rope. I mean. Really simple. Like make it in an afternoon simple. But hello, its for a brand new baby. This is where the DIY line gets a little terrifying.
So lets go over it. The cons? There’s totally a learning curve. Do I want to remake this thing a few times to make sure that its right? Here’s the other thing, even if I did make it, there is no way I would ever post a tutorial. Because hello, other people’s brand new babies. That post would keep me up at night, and I don’t think that I’m going to need help in that area.
The Pros. It would be a fun project. I’d save a ton of money and I could make it exactly how I wanted it.
Ok so luckily it wasn’t too hard to track the maker down, its made by a company called Kindekeklein in Holland (don’t worry, they ship to the US). The longer I was on their site, the more I knew it was exactly what I wanted for this little nugget.
I fretted about it all weekend. Its not the cheapest option (especially because with both of the girls we co-slept so Court thinks we might not even use it) but after still fighting to get Dyl out of our bed I have made a resolve to not let the past repeat itself. I wanted something, I needed something!
I love how it gently bounces and rocks because of the giant spring at the top. Its like being in a hammock (which is the best place to be ever!!), Now granted, it could get wild if you had a small child that wanted to “push” the baby, but with Ivie and Dyl being older that isn’t a concern in our house. You know what is a concern? The fact that I have cactus everywhere and my house has to be made child-proof again.
Ultimately I decided to fork out $300 for the cradle and extra hardware (so we could hang it in the nursery and in the master by my bed). I’ve never actually seen anything like it in real life as a point of reference to learn from and also because I don’t know how to DIY a baby friendly mattress (freaky!!). But I did decide to pass on the removable canopy because that thing can TOTALLY be an easy project.
So what do you think? Would you have bought it too or attempted a DIY? Did you use anything similar for your babies? I’d love some experiences!
I would have bought it, I agree there is a weird line with DIY and the safety of a baby! Great choice, it suits your style perfectly.
OH YES I would buy it. First for safety reasons, but second because I often DIY when I can’t find what I want. This is exactly what you want, so save your DIY energy for the cute things only you can do.
I would buy also, for safety reasons, and also because my DIY talents are no where near at that point. 😉 My baby would end up on its head. Or worse. It looks amazing, can’t wait to see photos of your beautiful babe sleeping inside!
That is the cutest thing ever. I would definitely buy, I am way too paranoid of a mom to feel comfortable diy-ing something like that!
Oh man, you may have unknowingly just cracked open the gates of hell in your comments section. Whenever it’s a post on cribs, cradles, etc and someone even mentions the IDEA of going vintage or homemade women panic & lose their minds and get all shrieky and caps-locky about safety regulations and torque to weight ratios and “don’t you love your baby!!??” etc. Haha. It’s a beautiful cradle, I have no doubt you could do it if you wanted. But I agree with Stephanie & Kimm: buy the gorgeous things you can find/afford and save your time/energy for the gorgeous ideas in your head that you can’t find/afford.
Incidentally, I used a vintage cradle that rocked or you could put a pin in it to keep it still. I found that I didn’t like it to swing most of the time. Does your cradle have a way to keep it still if baby doesn’t seem to like constant movement?
Love it. Even though you could diy it… The best bet is to purchase to be sure you have it right and 300 seams very reasonable. In the future it can hold blankets, or stuffed animals, dolls or kitties. It is a great piece and fits right in with your style. Baby-proofing… Now that’s a different story altogether! Looking forward to the solutions you come up with. I am beyond that phase but hope grands will cemmy way one day!
It looks like something I could definitely DIY, but 300.00? That’s pretty reasonable ! The materials alone would be over 100.00.
I remember reading about the original picture on a house tour, it was a couple in New York who “had it all figured out” about how to live in a very, very small apartment. In the article they talked about how this crib was a godsend and solved all their space dilemmas. I think I chuckled for about a day or so, thinking about how impractical that crib was. You can maybe get 4 months out of it, that is if they don’t start rolling over or wiggling in any way. I would like to know how that New York couple is doing now with a toddler. That said it is a very cute bassinet for those early months and its good you went with the safer option.
Yes, babies grow fast. But I think it’s a personal decision how much you wanted to factor length of use into “practicality.” No matter what you buy in the first year, they’ll have outgrown 90% of it by the time they turn one. But that’s not really why you buy that stuff. You buy it as a way of celebrating this new little life. To treasure your baby while they’re still so tiny and sweet. I love the crib. I think it will be wonderful watching a rosy-cheeked babe sleeping in it. I’m excited for you, Mandi!
Sorry, I agree with Jordy – you won’t be able to use this thing very long in a safe manner. Also, if you pruchase a convertible crib-toddler bed you can use it until the child is ready for a twin/full whatever sized standard mattress you wil have in their room. On a separate note, why is the text to type a comment white on light gray? I can’t really read what I am typing on my iPad. But still – it looks cute but will quickly be an expensive and somewhat useless item.
I would have made it if I had the time. I co-sleep with my kids. However they napped in their own bed. My last 2 slept in a hammock. I refused to over pay and made them.
I usually attempt a DIY. Half of the time I buy the materials and promptly forget about it. Sometimes it’s just easier to buy it, especially if you love it. 🙂
It’s great and even when the baby is too big, then you can use it for storage or light toys or whatever if you wanted
I think it’s cute and I probably would just buy it so that I had the peace of mind that it was made properly. As for how practical it is who knows since I don’t have kids I don’t have anything to base my view on. I do wonder though about the fabric sides. I thought bumper and bumper style sides on cribs was a suffocation issue. But maybe that’s only when they start to roll, at which point this crib might not be as usable. It would definitely make a great stuffed animal bin later on.
Buy it! Especially since the price isn’t crazy. Pre-baby time is precious & priceless, paired with the cost of good materials & the safety stress, you’d be waaaay over the $300 price tag. Like another comment said… It’ll be totally usable & cute in any of the girls’ rooms for stuffed animals once it no longer works for baby… Now THAT might be a good DIY if you wanna try it out? One for dolls/stuffed animals? Just a thought!
Crazy thought, I wonder if there would be way to transition it to an older child’s swing of some sort?
DUH !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! which newsletter did I miss with the baby news ????????????????
I love the swinging bassinet. amazingly, this will be the source of all the information you need to safely create something similar for another family(ies)
I would have complete confidence in someone making this for their babes. Not me though. My husband has made a ton of furniture for our home but I refused the idea of him making a bed for our babies. Makes me nervous. I would definitely buy. Congratulations and nurseries are a must; decorating the rooms were the best part of pregnancy.
i have a 17 month old. yes everything is scary and they grow quick, yadda yadda yadda. do what you want. you seem pretty confident with building things and when they grow out of it build something new. 😉
For a branf new baby…I’m buyin’…..no diyin’.
For a branf new baby…I’m buyin’…..no diyin’. ( That would be a branD new baby.)
I was obsessed with the Amby baby hammock (look it up) and wanted one desperately with my 3rd! My mom bought it for me. thankfully, I found one gently used (this was 10 years ago) and when we were done with it, resold it for more than I paid for it. It was a win. I love this one, though I wonder if you went with the Amby, if you would have better luck if you wanted to resell if.
Congrats on the new baby. I missed that news somehow!
I love it, I probably would buy it too!
Love it, so wonderful. And I loved having a bassinet next to my bed at night so I could easily do midnight feedings, I didn’t care that I would use it for less than a year. But I think it looks bigger than just a bassinet, I bet you can use it longer. Congrats on the baby!
I would have bought it too, in fact, I sort of did. We have these cool grocery bins that are made out of canvas and collapse for easy storage, and have a big canopy attachment t for extending storage and keeping the elements off. I bought them at Walmart for $5.00. They are bright red. After I bought them, I got so many compliments and loved them so much I tried to buy more, but no matter how many walmarts I searched, I could not find another. Then I got pregnant with number 5. It had been 24 years since I’d had a baby, so I really didn’t that’ve any baby things left. I kept thinking about my grocery bins and how awesome they would make as a bassinet. So, I had my sister in the states look around and she found me one, but instead of red, it was white canvas. Perfect! I measured out the bottom, sewed a nice little firm mattress with memory foam and tore apart my wedding dress to make linens and to decorate it. I loved that we could take it room to room with ease, hang it on a bungee cord for gentle swinging movement in baby’s room, and take it everywhere we wanted to visit. I hated leaving my baby to sleep in her car seat all the time, and my little DIY bassinet was so easily mobile, we took it everywhere. I even sewed pockets on the sides for diapers, wipes, extra onesies, etc. my baby girl was a preemie and so tiny we used that bassinet until she was 9 months old, then passed it down to my sister. To this day I feel it was my best DIY. I got tons of compliments on it, we all loved it, especially baby, and even my Great Danes loved to gently rock it when it was hung up, delighted with the baby squeals they got in reward. I wish I could find a picture for you, it was just that incredibly awesome!
Whoops, I meant 14 years since I’d had a baby
I agree with the majority and buy. I work in childcare and have a very high respect for safety protocols. I had a co-sleeper next to my bed that I could only use for a short time but I loved it! It was so convenient to nurse my babies then scooch them back to arms reach. I used it for 2 babies and then gave it to my sister in law to enjoy.
I absolutely LOVE a good DIY but I can’t help but agree to buy. I suspect this could inspire another project 🙂
You with your skills would totally be able to DIY it. Me with mine, not so much. That said, my babe was so wriggly from day one that this bassinet would never have worked for us. It is lovely, however.
I love it, it’s beautiful. No, you won’t get more than a few months out of it, but I think having a cosy little place to put your newborn will help with putting them back in their own bed (a big crib can seem very big and empty for tiny babies). I used a moses basket next to my bed and seeing my kids tucked up in there definitely helped me to not feel bad about putting them in their own bed!
You could definitely diy it, and if it cost $1000 it might be worth trying, but for $300 I think the peace of mind is cheap!
Definitely the right choice to buy instead of DIY! But I am worried you won’t use it & the cradle stage is so short anyways…even if you do get use out of it, it won’t be for long! I’d personally put my money somewhere else, but it is SO adorable!!!!! Maybe I’m just cheap ?
I agree that it’s worth buying some things even though you could DIY – when you factor in time and effort vs rest and peace of mind during pregnancy, this purchase is worth it. As for our experience… in Australia you can hire a baby hammock from your local early childhood health service, which we discovered after a visit with our first baby who found it very difficult to wind down and go to sleep. It was like this design but without the wooden dowels, so it formed a lovely cacoon that minimised sound and light, and wasn’t too large so we could have it by our bed. It was also on a spring so you could gently bounce the little one to soothe them. It was so successful we hired one for our next two babies as well, keeping the hammock only until our babe rolled over, then we used a cot (crib) with a mattress. One tip I want to mention that was a big help… tie a ribbon to the ring at the bottom of the spring long enough that you can easily reach the end of the ribbon from your bed. That way you can gently bounce them back to sleep in the middle of the night whilst you lie in bed. By child number 3, every bit of extra rest/sleep for the Mum is very welcome!
Genius Mandi! Now there is a cool way to cover cords from my IKEA pendant lamps!
I agree. Safety first with the little ones
I definitely don’t want another baby, but I swoon for the macrame cradles like this. I wouldn’t DIY one though. Babies are smooshy and delicate. Too precious to risk. I love the cradle you’ve chosen. That’s going to be a badass bed for the little guy.
Ever since you posted this I have visited the website almost daily. I know you are due about 5 months before I am so I was wondering if you were thinking of reselling at all. If so, please let me know as I would love to be able to have this bed for a possibly-more-reasonable-than-buying-new price!
Best of luck with the rest of your nursery decorating, and I hope the rest of your pregnancy is wonderful!
I DID buy this exact hanging cradle! And I love it! We’ve only been using it for a few weeks since our little guy is just 6-weeks-old, but it’s been everything I had hoped it would be. First of all, it takes up so little space (a must for us since our boys share a 110sf bed room), it’s portable so can spend a lot of time next to mama’s bed, and it bounces slightly every time Brooks fusses and helps put him back to sleep. I just wish I had found this crib two years ago when I had my first boy!
Here’s a look at how we hung our kindekeklein crib: https://www.instagram.com/p/7_FNzQDdkJ/?taken-by=cathyposhusta
Hope you love this hanging crib as much as we do! I’m sure you will 🙂
My first thought was I loved the aesthetic. My mother-in-law is an anthropologist in Sri Lanka and when my daughter was a small baby, she used to tell me how mothers would tie their saris to the beams of the house and rock their babies to sleep that way. My second thought was it looks like an ingenious design and that the rocking would be soothing–a nice medium between co-sleeping and straight-up crib. My third thought was that my husband would never go for it because he’d be concerned about safety. We did use a jolly jumper that we ended up suspending from a wooden doorframe with punching bag hardware and I’m not sure it would be any riskier than that? I would have bought it too because with the time, materials, and risk factor added up, you’re talking well over $300. Good choice…how did it work for you??