My newborns slept in a bassinet nearby until they were too big for the bassinet. The way I saw it, they were brand new to being little people in this world - new to breathing, new to digesting, new to living in a diaper, and new to feeling air (which can sometimes make them too cool) around them. I wanted to increase the chances that I'd hear them if something seemed wrong.

In fact, when it came to my babies and toddlers, I had a policy: All newborns and all sick children should be kept close by. There was also another policy I had: Don't plan to sleep too soundly for a good three years at least. (In my case, it turned out to be six years because I had a new baby once the other one was just three.) I didn't mind, and there were two instances in which I was particularly glad I had my policies.

The first occurred when one baby had a febrile seizure. He had what seemed like a cold, so I held him, rather than put him into his crib. As I held him, he snapped into a frightening febrile seizure. I later learned that these occur as a result of the rate at which a fever rises, rather than how high the temperature is. In other words, a fast-climbing fever doesn't give much warning before a seizure occurs.

After the incident occurred a friend (also a mother) said, "How did you know to keep holding him, instead of putting him in his crib?" My answer was, "He was sick. I wanted to watch him."

The second incident was when my six-week old daughter did not wake up when she should. Had I been sound asleep, I may not have noticed. Instead, as the time for her to wake passed (and after allowing a little more time to pass, thinking she was just sleeping a little extra), I picked her up. She would not wake, no matter what I did. I called her doctor, got her Winter bundlings on, and brought her out in the cold night - all without her waking.

At the hospital she was tested for Septicemia (since she was still at the outside edge of being considered, "newborn"), but it was determined she had a more run-of-the-mill infection.

My point is, even with older babies, things can happen. To me, during those first several weeks when babies are newborns (and so new in this world) keeping a bassinet nearby is a sensible thing. My babies had no difficulty being transferred to their own room later.

A bassinet near your bed allows you to keep an ear open for your brand new baby without the risk of accidental suffocation that is present if babies are kept in parents' beds. (Adults' bodies can roll and suffocate an infant, but pillows and blankets also pose a risk.)

I vote for the bassinet.