The baby basket has been around since ancient times
. In the Bible, Moses was born during a time of persecution. Scared for his life and unable to hide the newborn safely, Moses' mother put the child in a protective basket and sent him floating down the Nile river. Both the child and the basket survived. The Pharaoh's daughter and her handmaidens found Moses floating along the Nile and brought him to safety. She adopted the child and he went on to make history.
The basket that carried Moses up the Nile was strong and secure. It was so resilient that the design survived the centuries and is widely used today. Known as the "Moses basket" or the "Moses-style baby basket," this design was as useful in the ancient world as it is now.
The Moses basket is typically light and portable. They feature handles on opposite sides that enable mother's to easily carry the basket to another location. The portability of this design makes it a popular first basket for many children today. For safety reasons, it is recommended that the handles be used to move the basket and not the child. In the ancient world it was used for both purposes.
Many Moses baskets have a protective hood, which comes in the form of a half-dome over the child's head and can protect the baby from sunburn and other elements. The baskets of the ancient world were handmade out of wicker, a material that has also stood the test of time for its durability and sturdiness. Most modern Moses baskets also employ wicker as the strong, safe medium to protect the child.
The Moses basket combines comfort with practicality. They provide as much comfortable sleeping room as a bassinet but they are portable. The design is very useful and it is often used during the first few months of the child's life.
The basket is fitted with a small mattress, a blanket and bumpers to maximize comfort and protection. These are all easy to remove, replace and wash when necessary. The handles can be slung over the sides or concealed under the bumpers so they do not disrupt the child.
The Moses basket is a great example of how some smart designs can never go out of style. The safety and durability of this basket is as necessary now as it was when Moses was send adrift on the Nile.