Delta Children Deluxe Sweet Beginnings Review

In 1968, Louis Shamie Sr. founded Delta Children when he became a new parent. The Shamie family continues to uphold their grandfather's legacy by offering baby gear for affordable prices. In addition to their line of children's furniture and other baby gear, the Sahmie family owns Simmons kids. The Delta company works with the Juvenile Products Manufacturers Association (JPMA) and American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) to develop industry standards for the production of safe children's gear.

Performance Comparison

Ease of Use

Ease of use entails the critical features and functionality you use daily.

Accessiblity

The Delta is a reasonable height for the average bed with a depth that is more shallow than some of the competition. The footprint is on the small side, so it should fit next to or near most master beds for a comfortable middle of the night access.

Portability/Mobility

This product isn't the best for travel as it requires full disassembly. It is reasonably easy to move from room to room, however, with four wheels and lighter weight. The wheels are on the smaller side and sometimes have trouble over floor transitions or on a thicker carpet. We feel like the wheels could easily break because they are so flimsy looking.

Additional Features

The Delta has a light and sound feature on the foot of the bassinet. The buttons are easy to operate and intuitive with icons and easy on/off pressing.

Ease of Setup

The Delta is only slightly above average for ease of use. The setup of the Delta took over 32 minutes. While it isn't particularly tricky, there are a lot of parts and pieces to assemble. The screws for the base where the mattress sits need tightening three different times, which is time-consuming.

Cleaning

The bassinet is spot clean only as the fabric isn't removable, which will be a problem if baby spits up or has a blowout.

Breathability

The Delta earned a very poor score for breathability. The inside of the bassinet is comprised mostly of thick fabric and padding similar to crib bumpers. Crib bumpers are a potential risk for SIDS, and the AAP recommends NOT using them near babies. This design has us concerned about the breathability of this enclosure. There is a risk that baby could wiggle to the side and press their face against the not very breathable fabric. While the risk may be low, it is hard to tell for sure, and it is certainly higher than the bassinets with mesh fabric or a traditional crib with vertical bars. The interior lining does have two 10" mesh panels on each side. Still, the outside of the sleeping area has a fabric skirt, which could inhibit clear breathing through the mesh, and the panels assume that your baby's head will only be at a certain point in the sleeping area.

Sleep Surface

The sleep surface of the Delta earned an average score compared to other products. The mattress on the Delta earned one of the higher compression scores, indicating a stable and firm sleep surface that is unlikely to interfere with baby's comfort or health. The mattress fits the frame of the bassinet fairly well from side to side but has more than two fingers worth of space at the top and bottom if you push the edge even slightly. This wiggle room in the mattress hurt the overall sleep surface score, and we'd like to see the mattress fit the space with less of a potential gap.

Quality

The Delta does not offer the best quality in materials or construction. This bassinet feels like something you would by for a doll. It is flimsy, has tiny wheels, and it isn't very stable. The metal legs are exposed, and it appears as though a baby could bump their head, and the fabric is loose and not very fitted to the frame or mattress. This base wiggles significantly in all directions, and the materials and connection points are not tight or high quality.

Eco-Health

The Delta came in just above average for eco-health. For an inexpensive product, it came in higher than we expected. Compared to similarly priced products, it performed admirably. While the website and user manual fail to include details about the materials used in the product, forcing us to email the company for more information, it is certified by JPMA and GreenGuard Gold. The Delta website also states:

While we like that this product has third-party testing with the GreenGuard Gold certification, we do feel as if it is somewhat "greenwashing" as we call it because it is still a polyurethane foam that can off-gas but is just below an arbitrary standard. So, it gets points for trying, but lost points for not offering more natural options. It is also free of flame retardant chemicals, which is a big plus and something to consider for parents on a budget.

Manufacturer Video