A bassinet or bassinette is a bed specifically for babies from birth to about four months, and small enough to provide a "cocoon" that small babies find comforting.

In a hospital environment, a special form of sealed

Seal (mechanical)

A mechanical seal is a device which helps join systems or mechanisms together by preventing leakage , containing pressure, or excluding contamination...

 bassinet is used in a neonatal intensive care unit

Neonatal intensive care unit

A Neonatal Intensive Care Unit —also called a Special Care Nursery, newborn intensive care unit, intensive care nursery , and special care baby unit —is an intensive care unit specializing in the care of ill or premature newborn infants.The problem of premature and congenitally ill infants is not a...

.

On many domestic and nearly all long distance flights, most airlines provide a bassinet (which is attached to a bulkhead) to adults travelling with an infant, i.e. a child under the age of two. The use of the bassinet is restricted by the infant's size and weight.

Research has shown that the mattress

Mattress

A mattress is a manufactured product to sleep or lie on, consisting of resilient materials and covered with an outer fabric or ticking. In the developed world it is typically part of a bed set and is placed upon a foundation....

 influences SIDS

Sudden infant death syndrome

Sudden infant death syndrome is marked by the sudden death of an infant that is unexpected by medical history, and remains unexplained after a thorough forensic autopsy and a detailed death scene investigation. An infant is at the highest risk for SIDS during sleep, which is why it is sometimes...

 outcomes; a firm mattress lowers SIDS risk.

Stationary or portable

Although there are many variations, they fall generally into two categories:

• light and portable types sometimes called "Moses baskets," after the Biblical character Moses
  Moses
  Moses was, according to the Hebrew Bible and Qur'an, a religious leader, lawgiver and prophet, to whom the authorship of the Torah is traditionally attributed...
  
  , who, as a baby, was hidden in a basket
• sturdier but less portable cradles

In both cases, they are generally designed to allow the resting baby to be carried from place to place while close to its mother. Within the home, they are often raised on a stand or other surface to reduce back strain when bending over to tend the baby. Wheeled frames to convert a bassinet into a pram or baby carriage

Baby transport

Baby transport consists of devices for transporting and carrying infants. A "child carrier" or "baby carrier" is a device used to carry an infant or small child on the body of an adult...

 are common.

Infant bed

Once babies are able to roll over by themselves, at three or four months of age, it is no longer safe for the baby to be left in a bassinet as they could tip themselves out, so they must use an infant bed

Infant bed

An infant bed is a small bed specifically for infants and very young children, generally up to 3 years old....

instead.