Clair de Lune Wicker vs The Little Green Sheep Muslin Moses Basket: The £49 One Comes With More, the £125 One Is the Better Bed

COMPARISON · NURSERY & SLEEP

A Moses basket is the shortest-lived bed your baby will ever own. Most families get somewhere between three and six months out of one before a rolling, wriggling baby outgrows it, which is exactly why the price spread in this category feels so odd. You can buy a complete wicker basket with a hood, a mattress and a coverlet for under £50, or you can spend £125 on a palm basket that comes with no hood at all. On paper, the cheaper basket gives you more.

That is the comparison we wanted to unpick. The Clair de Lune Waffle Wicker Moses Basket is the classic high-street starter set: handwoven willow, soft waffle cotton dressings, an adjustable hood and a fibre mattress in the box for £48.99. The Little Green Sheep Muslin Moses Basket & Mattress is the opposite philosophy: a soft palm-leaf basket, a plain cotton muslin liner and a natural mattress made from coconut coir, wool and cotton that the brand sells on its own for around £60.

The non-obvious part is where the money goes. With the Clair de Lune you are paying for a finished look and a full set of accessories. With The Little Green Sheep you are paying almost entirely for what your baby actually lies on, and for a longer sleeping surface. Listed mattress sizes put the Clair de Lune at around 65 x 28cm and The Little Green Sheep at 74 x 28cm, a gap of roughly 9cm that matters more in month four than in week one.

We compared both on published specifications, the materials each brand lists, care requirements and the themes that come up again and again when parents talk about using them night after night. Neither brand paid to be included.

Lil' Bubba's verdicts

• Best Overall: The Little Green Sheep Muslin Moses Basket & Mattress · 8.5/10 - a natural, firm mattress and a longer sleeping surface, with nothing you will not use
• Best Value: Clair de Lune Waffle Wicker Moses Basket · 8.0/10 - a complete, good-looking starter set for less than half the price

Quick comparison

	Clair de Lune Waffle Wicker	The Little Green Sheep Muslin
Our rating
Price	£48.99	£125
Basket	Handwoven willow wicker	Natural palm leaf
Mattress	Hypoallergenic recycled polyester fibre, water-resistant cover	Coconut coir core, wool quilting, cotton herringbone cover
Listed mattress size	Approx. 65 x 28cm	74 x 28 x 3cm
Hood	Yes, detachable and adjustable	No
Coverlet	Yes	No
Liner care	Machine wash 40°C	Machine wash 30°C
Maximum weight	9kg	9kg
Stand	Sold separately	Sold separately

How we picked the 2

Both baskets sit in our catalogue with live UK stock, and both come from brands that parents recognise and come back to. We deliberately chose two that share the same job, the same 9kg limit and the same separately sold stand, so the comparison comes down to materials, fit and what is in the box. We looked at the published specifications from each brand and its retailers, cross-checked mattress dimensions across several listings (they do vary between sellers, so treat them as approximate), and read through the patterns in what parents tell us about living with each type of basket: creaks, sheets, washing and how long the basket actually lasts.

What to look for in a Moses basket

The mattress comes first. Safe sleep guidance for babies is consistent: a firm, flat, well-fitting mattress with no gaps around the edges, and nothing loose in the bed. A Moses basket mattress should not dip when you press the centre, and it should sit snugly against the sides of the basket. Everything else is secondary.

Length decides how long it lasts. Weight limits are almost always 9kg, but in practice many babies outgrow a basket because their head and feet start touching the ends, or because they begin to roll. A longer mattress buys you a few extra weeks, which is the whole point of a first bed.

Wicker vs palm. Willow wicker is rigid and holds its shape well, and it looks traditional, but parents often notice it creaks as the baby shifts. Palm leaf is softer and more flexible, quieter at night, and lighter to move from room to room, though it can lose its crisp shape over time.

Accessories are not always a bonus. A hood is useful for shade and for a cosy look. A coverlet, though, is a loose layer; many parents choose a well-fitted baby sleeping bag instead and leave the coverlet in the drawer. Do not count accessories you will not use as value.

Sheets and washing. Check that standard Moses basket fitted sheets fit the mattress size, and that the liner is machine washable. A waterproof mattress protector is worth budgeting for whichever basket you choose.

The stand. Neither of these baskets includes one. Budget for a stand that matches the basket size, and keep it away from radiators and blind cords.

1. Clair de Lune Waffle Wicker Moses Basket / 10 · Best for value

Clair de Lune has been making Moses baskets for decades, and this is the set most people picture when they hear the words. The basket is handwoven from willow wicker with two leather-look carry handles, dressed in soft waffle cotton, and topped with a detachable, adjustable hood. In the box you also get a hypoallergenic mattress made from recycled polyester fibres, with a water-resistant cover that zips off for washing, and a matching coverlet.

At £48.99 that is a lot of basket for the money. It looks finished the moment you unpack it, the dressings go in the machine at 40°C, and it suits a family that wants a pretty first bed downstairs without spending stand-alone-mattress money. The compromises are the ones you would expect at this price: a synthetic fibre mattress rather than natural materials, a shorter listed sleeping surface, and the familiar wicker creak.

What parents love

• Everything in one box. Hood, mattress, coverlet and dressings arrive together, so there is nothing else to buy apart from a stand and sheets. A parent shared that the quality felt very good for the price and that it arrived well packaged.
• Sturdy willow frame. We hear repeatedly from parents that the wicker basket feels solid and holds its shape well, even after months of being lifted by the handles.
• Easy-wash dressings. The waffle cotton liner and the mattress cover both come off and go in the washing machine, which matters when reflux and nappy leaks are part of daily life.
• The look. The waffle texture and hood give it the classic nursery feel, and it photographs beautifully for those first-week pictures.

What to know before you buy

• Shorter sleeping surface. Retailer listings put the mattress at around 65 x 28cm, noticeably shorter than many baskets. Longer babies may outgrow it on length before they reach 9kg, and some standard fitted sheets sit a little loose.
• Wicker creaks. As with most willow baskets, parents report it can creak when a baby wriggles, which light sleepers on both sides of the cot will notice.
• The coverlet is optional at best. The brand itself says not to use it alongside a sleeping bag or blanket. Most families will use a sleeping bag and never touch it, so it is not real extra value.

Best for

• Families on a tight budget who want a complete, good-looking set
• A second, downstairs daytime nap spot
• Parents who like a hood for shade and a cosier feel
• Smaller babies, or those planning a short Moses basket stint

2. The Little Green Sheep Muslin Moses Basket & Mattress / 10 · Best overall

The Little Green Sheep built its name on natural mattresses, and this basket is really a showcase for one. The palm-leaf basket is soft-sided and free from chemical treatments, the liner is a simple cotton muslin in Ecru or Truffle, and the mattress inside is a 74 x 28 x 3cm natural build: a coconut coir core for firm support, wool quilting, and a cotton herringbone cover. The brand says the wool means no chemical flame-retardant sprays are needed. That mattress alone sells for around £60.

There is no hood, no coverlet and no frills. What you get is a firm, breathable surface that is noticeably longer than the Clair de Lune's, in a basket that is quiet at night and light to carry between rooms. At £125 it is more than double the price, and most of that difference is the mattress.

What parents love

• A properly firm, natural mattress. We hear repeatedly from parents that the coir mattress feels reassuringly firm and flat, and that it does not trap heat the way some foam and fibre mattresses can.
• More length. At 74cm, the mattress gives a growing baby more room before their head and feet reach the ends, which can mean a few extra weeks of use.
• Quiet palm basket. Parents who switch from wicker often mention that palm does not creak, so small movements in the night do not wake the rest of the room.
• Lightweight and soft-sided. Easy to lift by the handles and carry from bedroom to living room, and the soft sides feel gentler if a hand or foot bumps them.

What to know before you buy

• Price. £125 for a bed that lasts a few months is a lot, and you still need to add a stand, sheets and a protector.
• No hood. If you want shade or a cocooned look, you will need to accept the open style or look elsewhere.
• Sponge-clean mattress. The mattress and basket are sponge-clean only, and the brand strongly recommends a waterproof protector, sold separately. Only the liner goes in the machine, at 30°C.

Best for

• Parents who prioritise natural, chemical-free sleep materials
• Longer babies, or families hoping to stretch the basket towards six months
• Light sleepers who want a basket that does not creak
• Minimalist nurseries where a hood and coverlet would go unused

What about a bedside crib instead?

It is a fair question, and plenty of families skip the Moses basket entirely. A bedside crib usually lasts longer, often to around six months or beyond, and attaches to your bed for night feeds. The trade-off is portability: a Moses basket can follow your baby from room to room during the day in a way a crib cannot. If you want one bed that does both jobs, take a look at our other nursery comparisons on the community hub before you decide.

How to choose

Choose the Clair de Lune Waffle Wicker Moses Basket if budget matters most, you like the look of a classic hooded basket, or you want a daytime sleep spot downstairs alongside a bedside crib upstairs. Budget for a waterproof protector and a sleeping bag, leave the coverlet in the drawer, and expect to move on a little earlier if your baby is long.

Choose The Little Green Sheep Muslin Moses Basket & Mattress if the mattress is what you care about. It is firmer, made from natural materials, about 9cm longer on the listed specs, and the palm basket is quiet and light. You pay more than double, but very little of that goes on things your baby will not use.

Our honest take: the Clair de Lune gives you more things, The Little Green Sheep gives you a better bed. For a basket that will be slept in every night, we would spend the extra on the mattress.

Add it to your Nest

Still deciding? Add both to your free BubsNest registry and let family and friends help with the stand, sheets and mattress protector. Your Nest keeps everything in one place, so nothing gets doubled up.