Graco Dream Suite Review
Pros: Easy to move, lower price, changing station
Cons: Not good for travel, hard mattress, breathability issues
Manufacturer: Graco
The Skinny
Compare to Similar Products
![]() This Product
Graco Dream Suite | |||||
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Awards | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | |
Price | $150.00 List $116.05 at Amazon - 23% off | $290.00 List $290.00 at Amazon | $200.00 List $195.48 at Amazon | $240.00 List $199.99 at Amazon - 17% off | $390.00 List $349.99 at Amazon - 10% off |
Overall Score ![]() |
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Star Rating | |||||
Pros | Easy to move, lower price, changing station | Natural materials available, adjustable height, easy to reach baby | Quick setup, portable, easy access to baby | Mesh breathability, swivel versatility, easy access to baby bedside | Very breathable, machine washable |
Cons | Not good for travel, hard mattress, breathability issues | Expensive, hard to move | Has some flex in the frame | Spot clean only, hard to move from room to room | Expensive, easy to compress mattress, MDF board |
Bottom Line | Disappointing design impacts breathability and causes a tilting mattress | Functional wood bassinet you can use from your bed | Good for co-sleeping and a free-standing bassinet for most families | Safer alternative to co-sleeping and perfect for moms with c-sections | Eco-friendly fabrics cover this high-quality, breathable, freestanding bassinet |
Rating Categories | Graco Dream Suite | babybay Bedside... | Beside Me Dreamer | HALO Bassinest... | BabyBjorn Cradle |
Ease Of Use (35%) | |||||
Breathability (25%) | |||||
Sleep Surface (20%) | |||||
Quality (15%) | |||||
Eco Health (5%) | |||||
Specs | Graco Dream Suite | babybay Bedside... | Beside Me Dreamer | HALO Bassinest... | BabyBjorn Cradle |
Assembled Weight | 17.9 lbs | 28.6 lbs | 17.5 lbs | 33 lbs | 12.1 lbs |
Open Dimensions | 31.2"H x 36"L x 19.1"W | 37.1"H x 36"L x 20.7"W | 26"-30.5"H x 39"L x 27"W | 36.9"H x 45.3"L (base) 33.8" (bassinet) x 21.8"W (bassinet) | 26"H x 31.5"L x 18"W |
Age/Height/Weight Limit | 3 Months or 15 lbs Discontinue Use When Infant: Pushes Up On Hands And Knees |
5 Months Discontinue Use When Infant: Pushes Up On Hands And Knees Discontinue As An Attachable Baby Bed When Infant: Rolls Over Or Pulls Up To A Kneeling, Sitting Or Standing Position |
5 Months or 20 lbs Discontinue Use When Infant: Pushes Up On Hands And Knees |
5 Months or 20 lbs Discontinue Use When Infant: Pushes Up On Hands And Knees, Pulls Up, Rolls Over, Sit Unassisted, Can Move Out Of The Security Of The Walled Sleep Area |
6 Months or 18 lbs Discontinue Use When Infant: Pushes Up On Hands And Knees |
Product Care | Mattress Cover: Machine Washable Changing Surface and Other Fabrics: Spot Clean |
Wipe Down | Machine Wash | Sheet: Machine Wash Base and Mattress: Spot Clean |
Machine Wash |
Bassinet Mattress Height Above Floor | 21" | 3"-27" Adult Mattress Height 10"-31" |
14" - 19" Adult Mattress Height 18.5"-24" |
26.5"-33" | 15.4" |
Special Features | Bassinet Rotates to Changing Station | Made From Solid Wood | Foldable | Rotates 360 Degrees, Sidewall Lowers | Springy Movement |
Modes | Bassinet | Bedside Sleeper | Bedside Sleeper Bassinet |
Bassinet Bedside Sleeper |
Bassinet |
Chemical Flame Retardant Free | Not Specified | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Portable Design | No | No | Yes | No | No |
Wheels | Yes | No | Yes | No | No |
Mesh Sides | Partial - 2 Panels | Wood Slats | Yes - Full | Yes - Full | Yes - Full |
Included Accessories | 2 Speed Vibration, Canopy with 2 Soft Toys | None | Sheet | Fitted Sheet | None |
Available Accessories | None | Classic Mattress, Cooling Comfort Mattress, Eco-Organic Mattress, Cloud Comfort Mattress, Cooling Comfort Jersey Sheet, Snuggle Comfort Terry Sheet, Dry Comfort Mattress Protector, Classic Comfort Mattress Pad with Cotton Cover, Cooling Comfort Mattress Pad with Dry Comfort Mattress Protector, Organic Comfort Mattress Pad with Dry Comfort Mattress Protector, Cloud Comfort Mattress Pad with Dry Comfort Mattress Protector, babybay Organic Babynest, babybay Patterned Babynest, babybay Solid Colored Babynest, Bassinet Conversion Kit, Rolling Casters, Canopy Holder, Organic Canopy, Patterned Canopy, Solid Colored Canopy, Bed Frame Anchor, babycare Organizer | Waterproof Fitted Sheet | Fitted Sheet, Mattress Pad, Mobile Sleepy Owl, Mobile Whimsical Birds, Storage Caddy, Newborn Insert | Fitted Sheet, Canopy |
Set Up Time | 26:35:00 | 39:14:00 | 6:50 | 27:10:00 | 7:19 |
Materials | Polyester Fiber, Polyethylene Foam | Beechwood, Water-Based Finishes, CFC Polyurethane Foam | Polyester, Polyester Fiber Batting | Polyester Fiber, Polyester Fiber Batting, Polyurethane Foam | Polyester, Cotton (website), Polyurethane (Manual) |
Our Analysis and Test Results
In 1942, two men by the names of Russell Gray and Robert Cone co-founded Graco in Philadelphia, PA. They began by fabricating car parts. Years later, Gray decided to leave the company, and Cone hired an engineer to produce gear for babies. The new Graco's first product was an infant swing inspired by a coworker who used an outdoor glider, to soothe their crying newborn. Graco quickly became the world's leading manufacturer of baby products with a variety of strollers, high chairs, walkers, and more.
Performance Comparison
Ease of Use
The Suite Dream earned a perfectly average score for ease of use. This bassinet is can also become a changing station when you flip the sleeping area upside down. The flip is done with a handle at the foot of the bed and moves smoothly without much effort.
Accessibility
The smaller footprint means you can use this bassinet close to the bed, but the lower sleep surface height means you'll need to sit up in bed to access the baby. This bassinet is not a true cosleeper where you can access the baby as you lay down in bed.
Portability/Mobility
This product is small and light with four locking wheels. These features make it very easy to move from room to room and potentially up or down the stairs. However, it is not suitable for travel and requires disassembly to transport.
Additional Features
This bassinet includes the underside changing table (above left) that can be used by rotating the bassinet upside down (above right). It offers two levels of vibration designed to help soothe the baby into sleep. It also comes with a light-filtering canopy that has two soft toys hanging from the edge.
Ease of Setup
This product took about 26 minutes to set up. Set up isn't tricky, but the directions are hard to follow. Despite pictures with captions, it still isn't clear what is happening. Because it has a reversible changing station, it is crucial to assemble the product correctly. We had the hardest time connecting the final rod in the bottom basket and felt there should be more details on how to do this in the manual.
Cleaning
The mattress cover is removable and machine washable. The rest of the bassinet and frame wipes clean with mild soap and water. Spot cleaning could make it tricky to get the mesh and sleep area truly clean should the baby have a blowout or vomiting issue.
Breathability
The Dream Suite earned one of the lowest scores in the group for breathability. The majority of the sleeping area has fabric sides with only small panels of mesh near the baby's head. This design mimics crib bumpers, which are a potential SIDS risk. This makes the Dream Suite less breathable than the competition with full mesh sides. We think it would be better if the entire sleeping area were surrounded by a mesh with no fabric just in case the baby moves in the crib and ends up with their face pressed against the fabric areas.
Sleep Surface
The Dream Suite earned a slightly below-average score for the sleep surface. Our compression test results indicate this mattress compresses more than most of the competition.
The flimsiness of the mattress means the baby is likely to feel the base of the bassinet, and won't be very supported. The sleep surface isn't as stable as some given the flip-ability of the sleeping area.
The rotating nature of this product means it somewhat tilts to one side, and the baby could potentially roll into a corner. However, it is a snug fit on the frame with no gaps and doesn't shift or move.
Quality
The Dream Suite earned one of the lowest scores in the group for quality. This product isn't as stable as the competition with the ability to tilt the bassinet with pressure on the side and the flipping action, causing a continuous tilt. The base is a V pattern and will rock back and forth, which might be good for soothing the baby but might also put stress on the plastic connectors damaging them over time. The fabric and stitching are the best parts of this product with a good fit to the frame and soft feel. The mattress is hard compared to the competition indicating poor quality that isn't as comfortable.
Eco-Health
The Dream Suite is at the bottom of the pack for this metric. Graco makes no comment on their website about the use of flame retardant chemicals in their products, which leaves us to assume they potentially use them. This bassinet uses 95% Polyester Fiber and 5% Polyethylene Foam. This kind of foam traditionally contains flame retardants and off-gases. The Center for Environmental Health (CEH) has given Graco a "fair" rating because they haven't responded to inquiries concerning chemicals despite customer service responses indicating they don't use them. Given that most companies brag about not using them, we find it odd Graco isn't, and it makes us wonder if they potentially use flame retardants in some of their products. This bassinet is JPMA certified. We failed to receive a response from the company when directly contacted.
Manufacturer Video
— Juliet Spurrier, MD and Wendy Schmitz