Fisher-Price Zen Collection Gliding Bassinet

This bassinet is absolutely adorable, duable and has all the bells and whistles. I am very pleased with my purchase!!!

Fisher-Price Zen Collection Gliding Bassinet
Loved it online and set up was beautiful although the sleeping area seemed very small. Trying it out was our biggest disappointment. Felt the gliding motion was too jerky instead of smooth. The other reason we could not keep it was the loud motor. Even when we put the music on the loudest setting, the motor seemed to drown out the music. Maybe they can fix these flaws. It sure is a lovely bassinet.

We ordered this bassinet on a whim because, after seeting it in person, it was sturdier and so much better made than most of the other bassinets and co-sleepers on the market. We originally ordered a co-sleeper, but it arrived already-broken in the box and was so flimsy with warped plastic. And so many of the other bassinets we've considered were all plastic and completely flimsy in person...our dog could knock them over in a heartbeat! We wanted something that would last, was sturdy, and that we could use again.

So we liked this one because it was heavier weight-wise, and more secure. But we also do not move it from room to room. We also love the neutral color scheme that fits in nicely with our home. The bassinet is very aesthetically pleasing, and the shelf below is perfect for storing diapers, blankets, washable changing pad, and anything else you might need in the middle of the night.

The gliding noise is fine for us and not bothersome. We like that it glides, and the motor also provides gentle "white noise" that newborns can appreciate along with the musical selections. Something that moves is so much more effective for crying newborns who prefer rocking and swinging to stationary sleep.

The big CONS for this product...and what garnished it only 3 stars from us (almost 2!), are the mattress and sheet that come with it. They are both just awful! The mattress is about as thick as a deflated plastic tire-tube and has no padding or support whatsoever (you can actually fold it multiple times). And the sheet covering the mattress is paper thin (literally see-through) and scratchy. Because neither is a standard oval bassinet size (clearly an intentional design by Fisher Price!), we had to custom order a new mattress, waterproof pad, and sheets from Naturepedic, which will cost us an additional $260 on top of the cost of the bassinet!!! We like the bassinet design so much that we will pay it, but it's a terrible thing to have to do, after spending $200+ on the bassinet already.

Because this is a new product from Fisher Price, there are no additional mattresses, pads, or sheets available to order easily if at all, and one sheet is not enough! So you either are stuck with the terrible one or have to spend twice the money to order nicer custom ones. Maybe we are being picky, but for $250 I expected better quality.

Finally, what would make the product nicer is if it had a built in light somewhere, so in the middle of the night you can more easily see your baby and pick him or her up for feedings / changing, without having to light up the entire room. A lot of bassinets have these, and it's a nice functional accessory. I am surprised this bassinette does not.

All in all, this is still a nice produce and much better than a lot of what is out there. But....for the more expensive price, we expected more. Fisher Price needs to improve the mattress (make it at least an inch thick!), the sheet, and provide additional bedding options available for order because one thin sheet isn't enough for a newborn who will undoubtely have diaper leaks and spit up all over it!

I love the look & the quality of how it was built for a relatively inexpensive bassinet. The problems are the glider mechanism is extremely loud drowns out the music & keeps us up at night. I would have loved if they gave you the option to operate via electricity may have made the glider smoother. It's also very small. Our just turned two month old can no longer sleep in it comfortably & the padding that comes with the bassinet is the worse (flat & poor fit)leaving gaps around the edges DANGEROUS!!!

Bought this as a suprise just after the announcement was made. My daughter just put it together and is thrilled with it. She said the wood handles matched everything else in the room. She said it was just beautiful. It comes with the bassinet mattress and even a crib sheet. I have purchased all the big ticket items from Amazon.com and have been very satisfied with their performance in delivery and handling of orders.
They make it really easy and I found the ratings and comments helpful in all of my choices.

I was so excited when I registered for this bassinet. I thought it was the coolest on the market with it's nice, neutral colors, music options, and gliding motion. The day after my baby shower, this was the first thing my husband and put together. I was initially a little disappointed because the cover for the shelf does not remove, but I figured I could just cut the straps and use my sewing machine to add some new velcro ones. Then I was disappointed because the cover for the bed part is screwed into the bottom. What a pain to get those screws in and out to wash it, but I figured I would deal with it. The pathetic mattress is basically as thick as the changing pad that came with my diaper bag. So, I decided that I would just order a real bassinet mattress from naturepedic (which adds even more to the cost of this overpriced bassinet).

And then we put the batteries in. The music is nice with a volume control. The gliding motion has a speed control. The motor unfortunately has no sound control. It makes the loudest grinding noise going back and forth. You can even hear it with the music on the loudest setting. Don't even try to shut off the music because the motor sound will drive you insane. I know another reviewer called Fisher Price and they are sending a replacement. I really don't think that will make a difference. I really fell in love with this online, but now we'll be taking it apart, boxing it back up, and returning it to Amazon.

Yes, this bassinet is beautiful and the nature sounds are great. Unfortunately the motor that runs the glider is not so great! For the price I am very surprised that Fisher Price did not address this. In the manual it says the bassinet has to be on a level surface to avoid the gliding noises. Nothing has stopped the noises so far!

Although this bassinet is beautiful and well built we are very dissapointed with how loud the motor on it is. When we use the rocking feature the motor is so loud and then when the rocking motion stops after a few minutes it wakes the baby up. I wish you could choose to let it run continuoisly until you choose to turn it off.

I bought this bassinet for my son's new baby. They've been using it now for about 2 weeks and really love it. He mentioned a couple specifics: It's easy to move due to the wheels on the bottom. He likes the quality of the digital sounds. He said the different modes are discernible, things sound like they're supposed to sound, you can tell what the sound is. The gliding motion is very nice and calms the baby. He likes that it stops on it's own after a period of time. Has had no issue with batteries running out yet.

I bought this item for my daughter and her new 5lb 8oz little boy. He loves it. He sleeps very well in it, therefore, he must feel very secure. It is constructed very well and feels very solid. The storage on the bottom is ideal for the middle of the night changings. It also looks beautiful. I am very happy with this purchase.

I love the fisher price bassinet. It is so classy! If you want your baby to have the finer things in life, get him/her this beautiful bassinet.

We chose this over a standard furniture bassinet, or the one by Eddie Bauer that is carried by Babies 'R Us and Target. It is better looking than those, and the motion / sounds made it seem like a good buy.

Pros:
- Nice looking, not chintzy in appearance, good quality
- Built-in sounds are good, our baby actually likes the heartbeat sound- never thought those would really work, but he cries the second it comes off (at one month old, anyway).
- Back/forth motion seems to help if he is a little restless, although it's no substitute for holding him

Cons:
- the sounds play only for a pre-set time, then you have to hit the button again- like I said, our guy cries instantly, whether he seems asleep or not, the second the sounds stop. And the sounds only play for a few minutes before they turn off. I don't believe there is a way to change this.
- the motion is a little noisy in my opinion, not terrible, but certainly not dead quiet.
- the color choice is what it is, no way to choose or change it. it doesn't match anything in our house, but that's just the way it is.
- a tad bit smaller (actual bassinet part) than some cheaper alternatives- our boy may grow out of it fairly soon, because he is long.

Overall, nice, but the next version should be better if they fix these issues.

This bassinet is a beautiful addition to our master suite. Fisher Price has provided a very well constructed piece of furniture with real wood accents and the color scheme is very soothing. All features work as described and we are eagerly awaiting the arrival of our first child. We know she will enjoy the bassinet for the few months it serves as her home.

If there is a downside, it has to be bedding. There are no additional sheets available for this item and we have been told none are forthcoming. My wife and I were extremely lucky and received roughly 15 extra sheets as an additional gift. Many are solid colors and organic cotton. The only outlet for buying additional sheets now that we have been able to find is through eBay. The foam pad also leaves a lot to be desired and as a previous reviewer stated, we plan to buy a piece of foam and mold our own.

This bassinet is absolutely beautiful! I put it together and now it awaits the arrival of our baby girl!

It was easy to put together and everything works wonderfully!

The glide is quiet and the music is wonderful. I put some items up to the 25 lb weight limit in the bassinet to see if it would affect the sound of the glide and it didn't.

I can't wait to have her in it, and I would recommend this to anyone that wants a stylish, easy to use/assemble item.

Best of luck!!! :o)

Ok I do agree with others about the color, but I like this somewhat lime looking color better than the yellow bee look in these pictures. I read all of these reviews and was about to not buy this model. I looked at others like this and didn't like them at all. I am really glade I went with my gut and bought this model. I read a review about the storage basket cover was not able to come off without cutting it off to wash, A LIE. there are little brackets on both sides that release and the cover comes right off. The Pad is not very padded if I am going to lay on it, but the doctors tell you to not use a soft padding because of SIDS. the pad is ok. I also read a review about the size was very bulky. I Like big things I really thought by the reviews it was going to be bigger. I love the size and really love the size of the storage basket. If you need extra storage for diapers and other things this model has it. I didn't think it was black I really thought it was all cherry wood and that was what I really wanted. I think the metal legs are better then the wood would have been. The smell you hear a review talk about is not the cemicals in the material it is from being stored with the partical boards that are the top to the glider and the bottom to the storage basket. I have not yet used the bassinet for the child I bought it for because he will not be her untill August, but his big sister loves it. the max weight says 25, she is 21.5 lbs and it does great with her. she is 2 and likes to move alot so when she moves alot it does make a catch noise like the gears are slipping. all in all I would not have any dought about buying this product. I do wish it had 4 wheels instead of just 2, it would make it a little more moveable in small corners. It is not really a bassinet that is for going up and down stairs all the time. you can do it, but it is a little heavy. Box and all materials weighed 48 pounds. I love this product I hope you will too.

This is a great solid piece and is relatively simple to put together. The gliding function has little to none of the usual annoying clicking sounds that occur with a lot of kids furnitures that moves. The base is in shades of dark browns and the sounds are actually nice without sounding too obnoxious. It is definitely recommended to wash as much of the fabrics as possible (as with anything new that is purchased for a child). The actual bassinet lining is screwed into the base which is appreciated for safety reasons but it is worth it to unscrew the fabric to put it in the washer (if you have an electric screwdrive the process will go much faster...) There is also a sheet that surronds the inner cushion that is easily removable for washing. I recommend this item more that the bassinets that are mainly plastic....

Assembly - My husband put it together with little trouble.

Appearance - The decorative skirting comes out of the box wrinkled and there is no way to press it because you can't get it off. (the fabric comes pre-attached to the bassinet basket and to the lower storage shelf.
The fabric covering on the lower storage shelf is very loose and keeps shifting around. Not well fitted and just sits in there loose. I put my own adhesive velcro dots on the buttom and it looks better now.

Mattress - Very, very thin. Smells like chemicals (made of vinyl and polyurethane foam) I plan on purchasing an organic mattress on the Internet to replace this one. I don't want my baby sleeping in a chemical soup. The mattress is oval and measures 17" across and 27" long.
Vinyl contains a chemical called phthalates (used to make the plastic pliable) which has been liked to health problems, including possible male reproductive defects. Vinyl & foam also off-gas harmful VOC's. In fact, certain major retailers are no longer carrying vinyl shower curtains for this reason. Definately let this whole thing air out for as long as you can before putting baby in it.

Sheet - One sheet is included. It is about as stiff and scratchy as you can get. It also smells like chemicals.

Other CONS - In order to get the batteries into the compartment, we had to use a screwdriver with a very short handle. There is a solid piece of the base right above the screws, so you can't get your screwdriver into place. The instructions say to align the gaps in the base with the screws for access, but the base does not move (until you can turn it on), so how can you do this? Now, after the batteries are in but the unit is not turned on, the base will move if you push it, but it wouldn't before.

The entire bassinet is bigger than I thought it would be. The handles on the sides really stick out, so make sure you have enough room. When assembled, it is about 40" wide and 36" tall (56" tall inc canopy).
One other thing I do not like is that the inside of the bassinet basket (baby's sleeping area) smells like chemicals too. I have had it airing out for days now and the fabric lining the sleeping area still stinks. I took it off for washing, even though you are not supposed to because it comes preattached. In order to take it off, I had to cut along the seams of the fabric in four places (where it was looped around the frame) and then remove a lot of screws. I soaked it in cold water with one cup of baking soda, washed in cold, and then air dried. It fit back on fine and doesn't smell anymore, so I'm glad I did it.

The gliding mechanism seems to work ok and doesn't make a huge amount of noise (mine doesn't click at all either). There is some noise though - it sounds like a rhythmic, grinding motor. The sounds from the speaker seem to be of good quality (nature noise, music, or heartbeat/ womb). I haven't had my baby yet, so I don't know how the sounds and motor sound will affect him.

So overall, I am not that impressed with this bassinet, esp for the high price. However, once I get a better mattress (which the instructions say not to do) and wash the fabric liner (again, not supposed to do), it should be ok (but a lot of hassle and extra money on my part!) From my research, most bassinets are like this one, with the thin vinyl mattress and stiff sheets, so there isn't much choice. Oh, and the color of the bassinet that I received is a pretty green, not yellow like some pictures that you see. I wasn't sure if it came in two colors or if the pictures on some websites are just a little off, but I would say it only comes in green. The only wood part of this bassinet are the two handles on the ends. The rest is brown plastic. It would also be nice if Fisher Price offered extra sheets for purchase. We bought some bassinet sheets from a major baby retailer and they seem to fit for the most part, but kind of loose.

We purchased this for our first child (which she is on her way) and were utterly shocked at how nice this thing is. It is extremely well built, the gliding is smooth & the sounds are awesome. The only problem is it's a bit heavy if you have to carry it up/down stairs. Otherwise this bassinet has no equal.

I think I will edit this review after I have had a chance to use it with the new baby, but I wanted to write about a few rather irksome issue(s) already presenting itself.

Nice looking, but don't be fooled by the picture, there is NO black anywhere on this item. Very heavy and tall, you'll probably want to leave this where it is once it is set up, no taking it up and down stair with ease. Mattress and sheet included are VERY cheap, I will be buying a small foam piece to cut and put in there and a different sheet. The bassinet itself and gliding mechanism is VERY clicky (I do not believe I have one that is defective in any way). Think about the clickiest weight scale you have ever used, that is what it is like when you put something into and take it out of the bassinet, that kind of sound...make sense? I think it will bother baby. Overall, I wish I'd seen it in person before buying but we shall see how truly it works once baby is born...

Personally, I think Fisher Price dropped the ball on this one just a little...nice looks but not unlike their earlier swings/high chairs etc. it will take a few revisions to make it so much better. I will abstain buying the other pieces for this reason.