Arm's Reach co-sleeper mattress

[lucy_v]

3-week-old DD currently sleeps in our room, either in a cradle or in the bed. She has her own room with a beautiful crib, but now that's she's here, I think I'm going to want to keep her close by for longer than I anticipated. I'm not sure how long the cradle will last (size-wise), so I'm looking into other options. We have a graco pack 'n' play, and we've tried it with the bassinet set-up a few nights, but she doesn't like sleeping on it. Maybe it's the thin, plastic-y mattress, or the fact that it doesn't have firm support? I'm not sure, but she wouldn't have it.

What I'm wondering is, what is the mattress on the Arm's Reach co-sleeper like? It looks like a great optin, but is it any better than a pack 'n' play bassinet mattress? No one locally sells it, so I'd have to buy it online, sight unseen. I read one person on here mention the mattress IS flimsy, like the p'n'p, but I wanted to get some other opinions. Thanks!

[gabeyho]

the cosleeper mattress is better than a pack n play, but i found after a few years it was even better if i folded a comfy but not too fluffy blanket over it and then put a king size pillowcase over that, instead of the sheet it comes with. this time around i am using my chicco playpen, which has a very nice mattress with excellent support that can be easily taken apart and put in the washing machine. ime the cosleeper is great, esp. the mini if you dont have extra room, but we love love love our chicco playpen. hth!

as always, nak....

[staceychev]

I don't think the Mini Co-sleeper's mattress is any better than a pack-n-play's, but I've never seen the full-size co-sleeper in real life, so maybe it's different than the mini.

Anyway, per the suggestion of an MDC mama, I bought a bassinet mattress for my mini co-sleeper and am using that on top of the regular "mattress." So far so good--DD2 (2 weeks old today) seems to be the first babe to be happy sleeping in it, even though she's the fifth to use it!

[akind1]

I am not using any extra padding, like a blanket, with my arm's reach mattress. I am using a quilted pack-n-play sheet though, which fits the full size arm's reach mattress perfectly. DS has never had any problem sleeping here, though he sleeps everywhere, on his playmat on the floor, our bed, bouncy seat, car seat, etc. he sleeps longest and best (for naps) in his crib though.

I love our co-sleeper! once DS started to figure out rolling (really just on his side, but he can do a 360, and once in a while rolls to his tummy while sleeping), I took out the bassinet part, and it is in pack-n-play mode next to our bed. He is 4 months.

[MissMommyNiceNice]

The full size has an okay mattress, better than a pack n play for sure. I use a blanket/quilt on it bulk it up or a lambskin.

If you are interested in one, I would suggest looking on craigslist or consignment shops. I searched for a few months before finding a reasonable priced full-size original that was near me. I paid $75. I've seen them lower & higher. The consignment shop has one right now that was priced at $65. REally, I don't think it's worth it to pay the $180 to have it dropped shipped to you. If you're looking for the mini, you can probably find one for $50 or less. We chose the original b/c it can also be used as a playyard, unlike the mini. Oh, and it holds 100 lbs, and with a 3 yo, it seemed like a good idea.

Good luck.

[bclare]

The co-sleeper is the primary sleeping place and we invested in an organic wool and latex mattress which is beautiful, but over $100. We figure it will last through several children and is really quality. We wanted to avoid foam because of the possible off-gassing.

[snoopy5386]

we have the mini and the mattress is like a rock, much harder than the pack and play. I've heard the organic mattress is much softer.

[mkksmom]

We have the original, and I don't think the mattress is any better than the pack n play. We ended up bringing the crib into our room because I like to keep my LO close. She's 6 months and I doubt I'll be ready to move her any time soon.