Modern convertible strollers are compatible with many seating options—car seats, bassinets, toddler seats, and even second seats—to create flexibility and grow with your family.
Knowing how to use these items in and out of the stroller maximizes their benefit and helps you get the most out of them.
In this guide on how to use the UPPAbaby bassinet, we’ll walk through the infant bassinet configuration and its uses both on your stroller and inside your home.
Table of Contents
UPPAbaby Bassinet Overview
UPPAbaby makes three full-sized strollers and one lightweight stroller compatible with its infant bassinet, which provides a safe and comfy spot for your newborn to lay flat.
Parents who buy the UPPAbaby Vista V2 receive the bassinet with their purchase, while parents who buy the UPPAbaby Cruz V2 have the option of purchasing the bassinet as a separate add-on.
With both these convertible strollers, the bassinet can be easily snapped into the stroller frame in place of the toddler seat or infant car seat, without the need for adapters.
Owners of the brand’s lightweight travel stroller, the UPPAbaby Minu V2, and the jogging stroller, the UPPAbaby Ridge, can also buy the infant bassinet and clip it into place instead of the stroller seat. Adapters are needed to use the bassinet with both these strollers.
We own a Vista stroller to tote our two children around, and we’ve found the bassinet to be extremely useful for newborn naps on the go and inside the house.
Specifications & Features
The bassinet comes in 12 beautiful fabrics and weighs only 8.8 pounds, so it can easily be carried inside for use throughout your home.
It comes with an extendable UPF 50 sunshade that covers the majority of your sleeping infant to protect from UV rays. A section at the back of the canopy unzips to reveal a mesh window that helps you check on your baby and provides extra airflow on hot days.
The bassinet has a long, narrow mattress with a soft cushion to help your child sleep comfortably. The mattress pad is breathable, and the base of the bassinet is vented to protect from overheating. The machine washable mattress cover and liner also zip out for easy cleaning.
An included bug shield helps protect your little one from insects when outdoors.
Cost
UPPAbaby’s bassinet is not an inexpensive item; it costs roughly $200 on its own. It also comes included with the Vista stroller, currently priced at around $1,100.
Parents might hesitate to make the investment due to the cost, especially with an item that is only useful during the newborn stage. However, there are a few key points that make the bassinet a favorable and safe option for your newest family member.
Bassinet Function & Purpose
Why Use a Stroller Bassinet?
The purpose of the bassinet is to provide a comfortable place for newborns to stretch out and lay flat while in the stroller.
Although most modern convertible strollers are compatible with infant car seats as a way to push your little one, there are a few safety concerns to consider when using the car seat to walk with your newborn for extended periods.
Although newborns might not let their parents sleep much, they sleep a lot themselves. It can be expected that they would fall asleep on longer strolls.
According to the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), an infant car seat is not a safe place for babies to sleep when outside the car.
The AAP even specifies that if an infant falls asleep in a car seat, parents should move them to a flat surface and lay them on their backs as soon as they can. The main reason for this is to keep babies safe from harm and reduce the risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS).
Fortunately, UPPAbaby’s stroller bassinet provides a safe place for babies to sleep on their backs and gives parents a way to reduce time spent in the car seat when not in the car. (As always, a properly installed infant car safety seat is the best place for your baby to be in any motor vehicle!)
Use Cases for the UPPAbaby Infant Bassinet
Although the UPPAbaby infant bassinet is an investment for parents, it has several practical uses. Here are a few ways you can get the most out of this must-have baby registry item.
Walks in the Stroller
The UPPAbaby bassinet is a great place for your baby to lie flat and be comfortable during walks outside.
Although the bassinet can attach to the UPPAbaby Ridge jogging stroller with the use of adapters, it should not be used to hold your infant while jogging.
The bassinet should also not be used to hold a baby in a moving vehicle.
Naps in the House or Other Destinations
When you reach your destination, the bassinet lifts out of the stroller with one hand. Bring it inside or rest it next to you at the park to allow your baby’s nap to continue without interruption.
We use our bassinet frequently for newborn naps at home and on daily adventures. Our infant sleeps in the bassinet throughout the first floor of the house so we can keep her close by, and we’ve even brought it to the beach to allow her to sleep alongside us while protected from the sun.
Overnight Sleep
Get more for your money by avoiding the purchase of a standalone infant bassinet and using UPPAbaby’s stroller bassinet as an overnight sleeping solution.
The brand even sells a sleek bassinet stand to hold the bassinet in your home so it doesn’t have to sit on the floor.
Is the UPPAbaby Bassinet Safe for Overnight Sleep?
Yes. One of the most important concerns as the parent of a new baby is to put your baby down in a safe spot for sleeping to reduce the risk of SIDS.
Fortunately, the bassinet is a safe overnight sleep solution according to UPPAbaby. It can be used in conjunction with the bassinet stand for a modern, versatile look in your home
Does the UPPAbaby Bassinet Stand Fold?
The UPPAbaby bassinet stand easily folds and unfolds in one simple step. When folded it sits flat and makes for easy storage. When unfolded, it also has a convenient shelf at the bottom to hold essentials for the baby.
The bassinet stand comes in three colors and supports babies up to 20 pounds. After that, it doubles as a spot for laundry with the purchase of UPPAbaby’s clever bassinet stand hamper insert!
Can You Use the Bassinet on the Floor?
UPPAbaby describes the bassinet as having a perforated mattress pad and a vented base for breathability when your baby is sleeping.
The bassinet sits up on four knobs so that its flat bottom surface isn’t sitting against the floor and air can flow underneath.
The brand also clarified in a social media post that their bassinet can be safely used on the floor as long as it’s on a stable surface.
Parents should also make sure it’s not in a spot where hanging items could fall into it or pets could disturb your sleeping baby.
How Long Can You Use the Bassinet?
The UPPAbaby website specifies that the bassinet and the bassinet stand both accommodate babies up to 20 pounds and 25 inches long.
Parents should switch their baby from the bassinet to another seating option once they reach this weight or height, or once they can push up onto their hands and knees.
Once your baby reaches three months, they are old enough to switch to the toddler seat on UPPAbaby’s bassinet-compatible strollers: the Vista, the Cruz, the Ridge, and the Minu.
Bassinet Setup & Logistics
Now that we’ve covered how you can incorporate the bassinet into your stroller and home sleeping solutions, let’s review some simple logistics on how to configure it.
UPPAbaby provides a helpful video, Bassinet Set Up + Go, that shows how to load your bassinet into the stroller, lock it into its unfolded configuration, and use features such as the boot cover, sun canopy, and mesh airflow window.
How to Make the Bassinet Stand Up
To lock the bassinet into its standing position so it doesn’t collapse, first remove the mattress.
Next, locate the two struts at the front and back end of the bassinet base. Use the attached tabs to pull the struts away from each other.
This will lock the bassinet into its unfolded configuration, so it won’t collapse when sitting on the floor.
How To Remove and Collapse the Bassinet
Remove the bassinet from your UPPAbaby stroller by pushing the button at the top of the handlebar. Lift the bassinet away from the stroller for easy storage or to bring it inside for indoor use.
The bassinet can fold into a flat position for storage. Push the buttons at the base of the carry bar on either side of the bassinet to retract the canopy.
Next, remove the mattress to reveal the struts at the bottom of the bassinet. Using the fabric tabs, pull the struts toward each other to disengage the locking mechanism. The bassinet can now be pushed into a flat configuration for storage.
How To Remove the Bassinet Canopy
The bassinet has zippers located along the handlebar, arching over the top of where your baby would sleep.
To completely retract the canopy but leave the handlebar up for use, unzip the canopy fabric on either side.
The canopy can now be pushed back toward the head of the bassinet and secured into place using the elastic tab.
Wrapping It Up: Stroller Bassinets
There are several reasons why a stroller bassinet might be a good purchase for your family, both for its use inside and outside the stroller.
To learn more about the UPPAbaby strollers compatible with the bassinet, check out our UPPAbaby Vista Stroller Review, UPPAbaby Minu Stroller Review, UPPAbaby Cruz Stroller Review, or our article on the Best UPPAbaby Strollers.
If you’d like to compare UPPAbaby’s bassinet strollers to others on the market, read our guides on the Best Bassinet Strollers or Best Convertible Strollers.
