SnuzPod5 vs Silver Cross Lunar: Which Bedside Crib Belongs Next to Your Bed?

COMPARISON · NURSERY & SLEEP

Choosing a bedside crib is one of those decisions that feels enormous, mostly because you will spend so many bleary-eyed hours right next to it. Two names dominate the UK shortlist right now: the SnuzPod5 from Snuz and the Silver Cross Lunar. Both promise safe co-sleeping, easy night feeds and a touch of style in your bedroom, but they take noticeably different approaches to get there.

The SnuzPod5 is the latest evolution of the crib that effectively created the UK bedside-crib category. It leans into versatility with a lift-off bassinet, rocking stand and ten colourways. The Silver Cross Lunar, meanwhile, plays the portability card: it folds flat to just 11 cm, ships with its own travel bag and comes in at around £50 less. Both are popular choices on baby registries, and both have genuine trade-offs that the marketing photos do not mention.

We read through dozens of parent reviews, cross-referenced manufacturer specifications, and spoke to families who have lived with each crib through those intense early months. Below is what we found, who each crib suits best, and how to decide between them.

Lil' Bubba's verdicts

• Best Overall: SnuzPod5 Bedside Crib · 8.2/10 - superior sleep performance, versatile 3-in-1 design and ten colourways
• Best for Travel & Value: Silver Cross Lunar Bedside Crib · 7.5/10 - folds flat, includes a travel bag and costs around £50 less

Feature	SnuzPod5	Silver Cross Lunar
Price	£199.95	From £145
Weight	12.4 kg	8.1 kg
Mattress size	80 x 44 cm	84 x 50 cm
Height positions	6	7
Incline for reflux	Yes	Yes (2 positions)
Rocking function	Yes	No
Portable bassinet	Yes (lift-off)	No (folds flat)
Travel bag included	No	Yes
Mesh panels	All 4 sides	2 sides
Colourways	10	2
Warranty	1 year	3 years
Our rating

How we picked the two

We started with the bedside cribs that UK parents add to their registries most often, filtered for models that are currently in stock from joined-programme retailers and have enough real-world feedback to draw meaningful conclusions. The SnuzPod5 and Silver Cross Lunar consistently appear at the top of comparison searches, sit at similar-but-different price points, and represent genuinely distinct design philosophies, making them a natural pair to test side by side.

What to look for in a bedside crib

Before diving into the details, a quick primer on the features that actually matter when you are comparing bedside cribs.

Height adjustability is critical. Your crib needs to sit flush with your mattress top so there is no gap or step between the two sleeping surfaces. More height positions means a better chance of a perfect match with your particular bed frame.

Drop-side mechanism is what makes a bedside crib different from a standard crib. Look for a panel that lowers or zips away quietly, one-handed ideally, so you can reach your baby without fully waking up or disturbing a sleeping partner.

Breathability matters more than most parents realise at first. Mesh panels on multiple sides allow airflow and let you see your baby without sitting up. Four-sided mesh is the gold standard; two-sided is still good but offers less ventilation in warmer months.

Portability comes in two flavours: some cribs have wheels for room-to-room movement during the day, while others fold flat for travel. Consider which scenario matters more to your daily routine.

Incline settings can be a genuine lifesaver for babies with reflux. A slight tilt helps keep milk down, and having it built into the crib is far safer than improvising with towels or cushions.

Finally, mattress quality. Your baby will spend up to 17 hours a day on this surface. A breathable, firm mattress that meets current safety standards is non-negotiable, and a removable, washable cover will save your sanity.

1. SnuzPod5 Bedside Crib / 10 · Best Overall

The SnuzPod5 is the fifth generation of the crib that started the UK next-to-me movement, and it shows. Snuz widened the bassinet by 17% over the previous model, added larger mesh windows for better airflow, and kept the lift-off bassinet that so many parents rely on for daytime naps in the living room. At £199.95, it is firmly in the premium bracket, but the feature set is dense enough to justify the price for most families.

With six height positions, a built-in incline for reflux, a gentle rocking stand and castor wheels, this is a crib that tries to do everything, and mostly succeeds. The 10-colourway range, from Walnut and Natural through to limited-edition Cobalt, means there is a finish for almost any bedroom scheme.

What parents love

• Sleep performance. We hear repeatedly from parents that their babies settle well in the SnuzPod5. One parent told us: "He has always tolerated long stretches of sleep in it, only waking up for feeds."
• 3-in-1 versatility. A parent shared: "You can use it as a standalone cot, a next-to-me cot, and a portable bassinet. Super handy!" The bassinet lifts off without any tools.
• Breathability. The DualMesh+ panels on all four sides drew consistent praise. Parents we hear from regularly say the enlarged mesh windows provide genuine peace of mind, especially in warmer months.
• Design range. Ten colourways with furniture-grade finishes. One parent put it best: "Minimalist and sleek, with clean lines that sit well in a calm bedroom scheme."

What to know before you buy

• Weight. At 12.4 kg, it is heavier than most competitors. Parents noted the lift-off bassinet is useful but "quite big and heavy to be carrying around the house regularly."
• Assembly. This is the most common gripe. One parent told us: "There are a lot of parts and bits needing to go together, and it is a little fiddly." Budget an hour with a second pair of hands.
• Rocking on carpet. The curved rocking base works beautifully on hard floors but can feel stiff on thick carpet. A parent shared: "There was some resistance when I rocked her to comfort her" on carpeted flooring.

Best for

• Design-conscious parents who want their nursery furniture to look premium
• Breastfeeding parents who need quiet, easy bedside access for night feeds
• Parents of reflux babies who value the built-in incline function
• Families who want to move the bassinet between rooms during the day

2. Silver Cross Lunar Bedside Crib / 10 · Best for Travel & Value

The Silver Cross Lunar takes a different approach to the bedside crib brief. Rather than a lift-off bassinet, it folds completely flat to just 11 cm and ships with a travel bag included, making it one of the most genuinely portable bedside cribs you can buy. At £145 on sale (RRP £175), it undercuts the SnuzPod5 by around £50 while still offering premium touches like a natural bamboo-lined mattress and the Silver Cross heritage badge.

Seven height positions and two incline settings give it an edge in adjustability, and at 8.1 kg it is over 4 kg lighter than the SnuzPod5. The trade-off is a smaller feature set: no rocking function, no portable bassinet, only two colourways, and mesh on two sides rather than four.

What parents love

• Quick assembly. One parent told us: "It took a maximum of 10 minutes. The instructions were easy to follow." A stark contrast to the SnuzPod5's hour-long build.
• Build quality. A parent shared: "Really beautiful and good quality!" The bamboo-lined mattress and neutral design drew consistent praise for looking more expensive than it is.
• Travel-ready. The flat fold and included carry bag make it genuinely practical for overnight stays. One parent put it best: "It is so easy to assemble and disassemble to put in the bag, so it would definitely be useful as a travel cot too."
• Height adjustability. Seven positions plus two incline settings give most bed frames a perfect match. Parents we hear from regularly say: "Having the incline adjustment is fantastic" for managing reflux.

What to know before you buy

• Footprint. At 93 x 56.5 cm, it takes up more floor space than you might expect. A parent told us: "If your room is small, I think this crib would be too big as a co-sleeper."
• Cleaning the lining. The mattress cover washes at 30 degrees, but the bamboo lining itself is harder to maintain. One parent shared: "Its biggest downfall is that it does not seem easy to clean."
• Roomy for newborns. Some very small babies took time to settle in the larger sleep space. A parent noted: "Unfortunately she did not settle into it straight away" in the first few days.

Best for

• Parents who will take the crib to grandparents or on holiday regularly
• Families recovering from caesarean births who need minimal bending at night
• Budget-conscious parents who still want a premium brand
• Parents of reflux babies who want dual incline positions

What about the Chicco Next2Me?

The Chicco Next2Me Magic is the other name that comes up constantly in bedside-crib conversations. It sits at a similar price point to the Silver Cross Lunar, offers a rocking function and 11 height positions, and has been around long enough to have a huge base of parent reviews. We do not currently carry it through our joined-programme retailers, so we cannot offer a direct shop link, but it is worth looking at if rocking plus portability is your priority. Both the SnuzPod5 and Lunar hold their own against it on build quality and mattress comfort.

How to choose

If you value versatility above all else, the SnuzPod5 is the stronger pick. Its lift-off bassinet, rocking stand, four-sided mesh and ten colourways give it the widest feature set of any UK bedside crib at this price. The trade-offs, a heavier frame and fiddly assembly, are one-time inconveniences that fade once the crib is set up in your bedroom.

If you travel regularly or need a crib that packs away when guests arrive, the Silver Cross Lunar is hard to beat. It folds to 11 cm, assembles in 10 minutes, weighs 4 kg less and costs around £50 less. You give up the rocking function and the portable bassinet, but you gain genuine go-anywhere convenience backed by a three-year warranty.

Both cribs support incline for reflux, attach securely to your bed, and meet current safety standards. Neither is a wrong choice. The question is simply whether your six months of night feeds are mostly spent at home or partly on the move.

Add it to your Nest

Whichever crib you choose, you can add it to your free BubsNest registry alongside the rest of your nursery essentials. Family and friends can see exactly what you need, and you keep everything in one place.