Arms reach Co-sleeper or Humanity Family bed?

[meggles]

We were planning on getting the co-sleeper, but then I found out about the Humanity Family Bed. It's basically a long bolster to prevent roll-off and is attached to an absorbant cotton pad (good for baby pee, breast milk leakage, etc). I also like that it is made without chemicals and flame retardant.
The co-sleeper only works for babies up to 20 something pounds, while the Family Bed seems like it would last indefinitely. I mean, what are we going to do when the babe outgrows the co-sleeper? Our room is small and I'd like to not have to push the bed up against the wall.

Here's a link to the Family Bed:
http://www.frogandelephant.com/catalog.php?category=23

Any thoughts/experience? :

[bleumoose]

I really love the idea of the humanity bed. It seems like it would work well but I don't know anyone who's ever tried it. My one thought is that the bolster would take up a lot of room on the bed, so if you have a smaller bed (queen, full) it might not work so well.

[pbreffe]

Someone at another board I frequent made her own.. She likes it as far as I know.

[Paige, CPM]

My worry is that my bed is too squishy to be safe...like we sink right into it because of the soft mattress top (can't be removed). So I imagine the humanity pillow would not really make up for the squishiness.

But, it does bum me out to buy a cosleeper for that much money for such a short time! I have been looking for a used one.

I have been spending time adding things to myregistry.com for a baby shower...oy vey...the prices. I am adding to the registry page top to let people know to loan me the stuff or buy it used instead of retail.

[skueppers]

You could also buy a crib and lash it to the side of the bed, if it'll fit. You can potentially get a lot more use out of a crib than out of a cosleeper, and it gives you more options if you turn out to have a kid who prefers to sleep alone.

Or you could get a mesh bed rail, which wouldn't take up extra space on the bed.

[meggles]

hmm... thanks for the thoughts. I think we're going to go with the co-sleeper after all. We just upgraded from a full to a queen sized bed and I'm loving the space!

[gen_here]

We have the mini co-sleeper and it was okay. I never had a problem with the weight thing (the regular co-sleeper goes to a little higher weight if you're concerned). Remember, though, that they say it is only safe until your baby can roll over or start to get mobile... then neither are safe if you've got a mover! Unlike a crib, you can't adjust the depth of the mattress compared to the "walls" of the cosleeper. So if you're looking for a long-term solution for co-sleeping... it may not be your best choice.

For us, it just ended up being attached to the bed as an extra "catch basket" - just in case my son rolled off (which he never did). He mostly slept in the (queen) bed with us until it got to be too many bodies in a small space. But it was nice in the sense that we had the extra security without taking up a lot of space (like a crib) in our tiny bedroom.

[haydensmom1]

My concern, like another poster, would be the lack of firmness of most mattresses. Crib and cradle mattresses are VERY firm for safety reasons. We have a cradle that I used next to our bed and plan to use again until she is ready for her crib. But like most everything else with babies, it's trial and error. Everyone will find what works best for their individual baby and situation.

[Shenandoah]

My dd was so wiggly it was like trying to sleep with someone having a seizure in slow motion. Ds just wanted to be in direct contact with me at all times. I gave up on the crib under 4 months old and he just slept in our king bed with us. We have a pillow top too. I was worried about the firmness issue too but it turned out that with him basically on top of me it wasn't something to worry about. I didn't sleep much because with every sigh, wiggle, or burp of his I woke up.

[Sariha]

Humanity Sleeper

We have the humanity sleeper. We really like it and it does last a long time. and really there isn't any space taken up because who sleeps on the very edge anyway? you can actually keep it really far to the edge and it still stays on the bed and it gives us a few extra inches with out the roll off worry. It is expensive, but it is organic...that was pretty important to us with all the chemical worries with babies especially. I looked at the bed side sleepers but they seemed kind of like a bassinet to me...still keepin baby outside of the bed. We wanted to sleep with our baby. hope you find something that works for you.

[velveeta]

It sounds like you have already decided, but I thought I would give my opinion anyway!

We have something similar to the humanity, and we just love it. I think that co-sleepers are large, cumbersome, and I like to sleep with my baby in my arms. We have a pillow-top mattress, but I don't worry. researchers are correct when they say that being in sync with your baby allows you to practice rhythmic breathing -- you would know if something were wrong.

We even (gasp!) have a lambskin for Baby to sleep on (and it's not the short hair one, either!).

That's just our experience. Another thing to consider is that the two items are not mutually exclusive. Our DS still sleeps with us (he's 3.5), and we didn't even use the humanity bolster until he was over a year old (he wasn't a wiggler), and as I say, he normally sleeps in my arms or DH's. So, we wouldn't have even used the two options at the same time. I also like humanity because it can transition to a child's bed, as well for when he goes to his own room (which he does very occassionally now).

Blessings!

[2Sweeties1Angel]

We picked up the co-sleeper, but only because I found a used one in great condition at Once Upon A Child for $55. Otherwise we were just going to sidecar the crib we have that's never actually been used as a crib. I would put new DD in bed with me, but my other DD already sleeps in my bed and I don't think it's very safe to combine a toddler and a newborn. Or at least not my toddler

[preggymeaggy]

not in your DDC, but sneaking in from FEB.

I purchased a Humanity bed. As you can see I have no other children, so I don't really know how it will work yet. I've been meaning to ask my DDC if anyone has ever had one. I really like it so far, as it doubles as an awesome pregnancy pillow! Truthfully, I do find that it takes up some space, but I think that's because I'm using it as a preg pillow instead of a bedrail right now. I have also found that where I put my leg all the time (the middle) the pillow tends to lose it's plumpness. But you wash it, and it comes back. It is very expensive and my husband wanted to make one. I guess I probably should've listened to him, but knowing that it is all made 100% organically is nice. You could make one that way, but it would take some effort to find all the right materials.
Originally we wanted to get a co-sleeper, but one of my best friends got one for her baby a year ago and said it was one of the items that was a complete waste of money for them. She said she wound up never really using it past the first month, and even if she had (as you said) you can't use the co-sleeper past the 30 pound limit. We also measured things out, and found that our bedroom is really too small for a cosleeper. Our plan is to have the baby in bed with us, and we are also going to have a cradle beside the bed for extra.....I dunno....safe space for the baby. It's a family heirloom situation. We'll see how it goes. Good luck.