The Cradlewise Smart Bassinet and Crib, Tested by a Mom of Two

In a nutshell:
The Cradlewise Convertible Smart Bassinet and Crib serves as an innovative sleep solution for parents and their little ones. Our product tester and her baby put all the state-of-the-art features of this smart bassinet to the test to see if the price tag is worth it. And, with an average test score of 8.9 out of 10, there was a lot to love.

Sleep is a precious commodity, especially for new parents and growing babies. And the Cradlewise claims to be the world’s smartest bassinet and crib on the market, thanks to a built-in monitor that detects when baby is stirring from slumber and works to soothe them back to sleep. Not only that, but this bassinet converts to a crib as baby grows, so you can use it from the moment they are born until they hit the 24month mark. However, all this comes at a steep price tag, so you’ll want to be sure about your decision before you buy. The good news? We put the Cradlewise to the test with a mom of a 15-week-old, keep reading for a full review in her own words.

Overview of the Cradlewise Convertible Smart Bassinet and Crib

How We Tested the Cradlewise Convertible Smart Bassinet and Crib

To gain a better understanding of how the Cradlewise Convertible Smart Bassinet and Crib would work for your family, we took the following steps:

• We enlisted the help of Sammy J., an independent product tester and mom of a 15-week-old baby boy. Sammy assembled and used the Cradlewise in her own home for a week, putting her son down for naps and nighttime sleep. She also set up the accompanying mobile app to test out the bassinet’s smart features. Finally, she wiped down the crib to see how easy it was to clean.
• We asked Sammy to evaluate the Cradlewise crib using the following criteria: ease of use, smart features, app and sleep analytics, cry detection, range of motion, general features, effectiveness, style and design and value for money. For each of these categories, Sammy gave the bassinet a score on a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 being the worst and 10 being the best.
• We also conducted exhaustive market research, scouring forums and external message boards and reading Cradlewise reviews to discover what parents like—and dislike—about the smart bassinet and crib.

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Cradlewise Convertible Smart Bassinet and Crib Review

Ease of use

The bassinet was easy to assemble! I assembled it on my own. The only problem I had when assembling was that the Allen wrench that was included in the box was too large to fit in the screws. Luckily, I had a spare Allen wrench from a different package. Otherwise, I’m not sure how I would have assembled it. I don’t feel like it needed two people to build it. The only other time I struggled was putting the bottom board in. The rubber on the edges kept coming off because it had to be such a tight fit. The lead was long enough for it to be plugged in where I wanted it. It was easy to set up and connect to the WiFi through the app. The app was super user-friendly and made that part of the process seamless. I had no issues connecting it to Bluetooth. I washed the mattress cover before using it, and it was easy to wash and put back on. It’s easy to keep clean aside from dog hair on the mattress cover, but that happens regardless of the bassinet in my house.

Rating: 8 out of 10

Smart features

The bassinet automatically responded with noise and motion when my son would stir. I liked the default calming rain sound best, and it seemed to work to soothe him. The “deep sleeper” was a windy sound, “noisy room” was similar to white noise and “sensitive sleeper” sounded similar to the rain and noisy room. The bouncing seemed like a lot on the higher settings, but it worked to soothe him back to sleep. The different levels of bounce increased in intensity, but none were too intense. If my baby was full-on crying, it would be at the highest level of bounce and I did not feel as if it were too much. It’s such a smooth bounce that even at that level it’s not like the baby is going to bounce out of the bassinet or anything. I think the bounce levels perfectly coincide with the baby’s fussiness. When he’s really crying, the more intense bouncing helps soothe him and when he just moves a little in his sleep, the crib offers a nice gentle movement to lull him back to a deep sleep. As far as I could tell, it stopped when he went back to sleep.

The camera on the bassinet is fantastic during both the day and night. When the room is pitch black, I can easily see the baby in detail. The color is sepia tones when the room is dark. The quality of the baby monitor’s sound was also very good. I was able to clearly hear the noises my baby was making even when he was just stirring, not crying. The view is almost perfect from the camera on the overhead arch. I could always see my baby no matter where he was in the crib. However, he tends to favor one side of the crib and when he’s pressed up against that side, about a third of him is cut off so I can’t always see his entire body. It is super simple to use the feature where you are still able to see the video feed while out of the app. It is definitely big enough to still have a good view of the baby, but it did cover over a quarter of my phone screen, so I’m not sure I’d use the feature often. Other monitors play the sound at full volume as soon as you open a movement notification. I love that the Cradlewise app starts with the volume off (with the option to always have the volume on). It is easy to toggle the volume on temporarily or permanently. This was one of my favorite features of the app!

I did not attempt to stream music, speak to the baby via the app or sync it to any smart home devices. I like the features that I used and found them helpful. I don’t see much use for the features I did not test out.

Rating: 8 out of 10

App and sleep analytics

I created an account in the app, through Apple, and it was very easy and quick to set up. The app isn’t too involved, so it’s easy to see the offerings right away without getting overwhelmed. The images of the sleep tracker are very visually appealing and easy to analyze. I can see when my son was awake, stirring or sleeping and when the bassinet was triggered to soothe him. I receive notifications when the baby is stirring, awake and has been awake for 2 min and 15 min. Throughout the night it’s about 5 to 8 notifications, but they don’t wake me up. I thought the frequency was pretty good. I felt like I was getting a few too many when he was stirring where I would check the app and he’d already be back asleep. I adjusted the sensitivity for this to get just the right amount of notifications. When I clicked on the notification, it took me right to the live feed (with sound off unless I turned it on). The notifications were useful, specifically on weekend mornings where the kids wake up before we do. The notifications alerted me that the baby was awake and ready to start the day. I think the ability to adjust the sensitivity is the gamechanger. It seemed accurate, as far as I could tell, and was very easy to read.

I also enjoyed the data about his age and what to expect. It was helpful to see that he is right on target with his sleep. The sleep insights have shown very consistent sleep from our baby between the first night we used the bassinet to the most recent night. Every night is right at 12 hours of sleep, 42 min of wake time, and 6 to 8 soothes. It hasn’t changed in the three and a half weeks we’ve used the bassinet. Fortunately, my son is a great sleeper, so I didn’t have to adjust anything throughout the night, but if he had trouble sleeping, the app’s insights would be extremely helpful to recognize patterns. The settings for the bassinet were easy to change through the app, but I didn’t feel a need to. I thought it responded to my baby well. I’m very happy with the app experience.

Rating: 10 out of 10

Cry detection

When my son would start to cry, the bassinet would try to soothe him with sounds and bouncing motions. You can adjust the sound and motion in the app or prevent it from doing one of the actions. It seemed pretty sensitive. If my son adjusted positions or whined a little, it would respond. You can adjust the sensitivity, but the “Smart Selection” also adjusts the sensitivity based on the baby’s sleep patterns when it learns them. My son never got to full-blown crying at night, so the soothing worked well. As previously mentioned, he was a great sleeper before we got this bassinet, so I didn’t notice a huge change in his sleeping with these additions.

Rating: 10 out of 10

Range of motion

The bassinet bounced when my son started to stir. The motion definitely helped soothe him back to sleep. He likes a bouncing motion in general to soothe him, so this was great! The bouncing was very smooth and also silent, which surprised me. The bassinet is right next to me, and I couldn’t tell when it was bouncing unless I looked at it. The bounces are “bigger” than when I bounce him in my arms. You can adjust the bouncing intensity in the app, and you can also stop the bouncing or prevent it from bouncing at any time. I did not feel the need to do so. There were no other options other than the bouncing, but as mentioned, my son likes a bouncing motion, so I did not need other options.

Rating: 9 out of 10

General features

The height of the bassinet is not adjustable. There is no storage unless you put something under the bassinet between the bassinet board and the crib board. There is a light on top that is pretty bright. The walls of the bassinet are white mesh and you are completely unable to see the baby through them. Because of this, I don’t think I will use it as a full crib, because I won’t be able to see him through the walls, and he won’t be able to see out of them. I could see my son from the top of the bassinet when I was in bed next to him. The mattress is good quality and firm, as it should be. It seems comfortable. It would be very easy to convert to a crib. However, due to the mesh walls, I don’t think we will use it for that purpose. We also already have a traditional crib with wooden slats, which I think our son will prefer. The bassinet came with one crib sheet. It’s good quality and waterproof, which was a nice surprise. I washed it before assembling the crib, and it washed well. I air-dried it according to the instructions.

Rating: 9 out of 10

Effectiveness

As mentioned, my son slept through the night prior to this bassinet, so I did not notice a change in his sleeping patterns. However, it was nice knowing if he woke up at all or when we put him to bed, that he would be soothed to sleep rather than just putting himself back to sleep. I didn’t feel the need to pick him up and soothe him if he started crying because I knew the crib would do it for me. I had no issues with the app, and all the features worked very well. It’s nice being able to track his sleep patterns and see how well he slept through the night. This will be especially helpful when we move the bassinet into the nursery in the coming weeks. I will have peace of mind knowing if he stirs, he will be soothed back to sleep in a comfortable way.

Rating: 10 out of 10

Style and design

The style of the bassinet is beautiful. It’s almost too beautiful for our home aesthetic (of which we don’t really have). The colors are great and would match any color scheme. However, I would have preferred being able to see my baby through the side panels. I also like how on our old bassinet, the side folds down for easy access to the baby while I’m sitting in bed next to him. It’s more difficult to put the baby into this bassinet from my bed, especially with the monitor bar over the top. The size of the bassinet was great. It didn’t overpower the room, but my son had plenty of space. There are no tripping hazards with this bassinet, and everything is very compact with it, which is nice. It easily moves on the carpet for repositioning as well. It’s sturdy, but not too heavy to push on the carpet by myself. I set up the bassinet in the living room and then slid it on the carpet into the bedroom with no problem. It’s definitely not a mobile bassinet due to its size, but having to move it isn’t the end of the world.

Rating: 7 out of 10

Value for money

There were no extra costs with the app, which I appreciated. I think the price is high, but comparable to other similar bassinets. The quality is fantastic for the price. It says to only use the crib sheets from Cradlewise, so I did not attempt to use a different crib sheet. I think the ability to go from bassinet to crib also justifies the price, because you can use it for much longer than if it were just a bassinet. It’s not something I would spend that much money on if I weren’t gifted it, but I also have babies who sleep through the night. I think if your child isn’t sleeping through the night, this could absolutely be worth the investment if it worked for your child!

Rating: 9 out of 10

Summary

If your child was not sleeping through the night and often needed to be soothed back to sleep, I would 100 percent recommend this bassinet. It is spacious, beautifully built and functional. If you don’t have any problems with your child sleeping well, then it isn’t something you need. The features are great, but not necessary.

Average rating: 8.9 out of 10

About the writer:
As a senior content writer at The Bump, Emily has a deep knowledge of the latest trends in everything from baby names to the latest baby gear, which helps to inform her passionate approach to helping parents (and parents-to-be) find the best products for their families and themselves.