[Mama2RMM]

We have a Queen sized Select Comfort bed (Sleep Number bed), and there simply is no longer enough room for all of us to smish in it! My daughter and husband lay on their bellies, and I am stuck twisting like a pretzel in a remote corner! :LOL

We decided to buy the full-size Arm's Reach Co-Sleeper. Before I buy, can you guys let me know how the transition went from your bed to the Co-Sleeper. Currently, Rachel sleeps right next to me.

1. How does the transition point between our bed and the Co-Sleeper look?

2. Can she roll from the Co-Sleeper into the bed?

3. Will I be able to feed her at night without actually picking her up and moving her into our bed?

4. Do you suggest an Original or Universal Co-Sleeper for our bed? Has the adjustable height really been helpful on the Universal? She is currently right at 20 pounds, so the Mini is not an option for us.

5. Do I need to buy a separate matress, or will it come ready to sleep in?

Thanks, Mamas!

 

[LivVLW]

Hi there. My response might not be that helpful...We had one that we only used one night and then it took on a new identity as a laundry hamper before we sold it...

: Given your situation, I would put a twin size right next to your bed and put DH in that so you and the baby can nurse and sleep in comfort.

So I would say save your money and get a twin for DH!! :LOL
Good luck.

Liv

 

[gethane]

I think you'd probably be pretty disappointed in a co-sleeper for your purpose.

I had an Original (pretty sure) and there would be no way for any age of child to roll in and out. I thought the thin playpen type mattress that came with it would be SO uncomfortable.

I really wish I'd just bought a basinette rather than the co-sleeper (I got mine for the young days, not for the purpose you intend).

As the PP suggested, I think sidecarring a twin bed or even a crib would be a better option.

 

[*Jessica*]

I agree with the PPs. I have one and there is no way a child can roll from the bed into the co-sleeper without a 3 inch drop (and this is with the co-sleeper at the same level as our bed.) I do like having it, but for your purpose a twin would work much better. When Nikolai was tiny I had to pick him up out of the co-cleeper and bring him into our bed to nurse and then either leave him where he was (which is what usually happened) or pick him up and put him back. It didn't make for smooth easy to sleep through transitions. Now he's old enough (at almost 20 months) to crawl into bed with us when he wants to nurse and to crawl back into the co-sleeper if he wants his space. And the mattress certainly doesn't seem comfy. I have a folded blanket in there now so he's comfortable, but that won't work with a smaller baby (not sure how old yours is.)

 

[ctdoula]

I agree w/the previous posters. I personally have had wonderful sucess using the AR Cosleeper with both of my babies. My son sleeps in one (he was sleeping next to me for the first few weeks, but it's SO HOT here now, I was afraid he'd overheat right up against me). He sleeps a good 6+/- hour stretch in the first part of the night. With my daughter, we used it from 3-7mo (we borrowed it from a friend but couldn't get it until 3mo). Again, she slept really well in it. But, at 7mo, she didn't want to be in it anymore & was in bed w/us all the time.

 

[KYmama]

I pretty much agree with everything above. We have a queen size with a co-sleeper attached to my side of the bed but it is most uncomfortable compared to our mattress and even padded with several blankets ds will not stay asleep in it for very long. It has been useful as a side rail though and I have just now started to put some books in it as ds likes to crawl in when he wakes up and I've discovered this buys me at least an extra half hour of sleep.

I don't think I'd buy one if I had to do it over again but maybe you could find someone ready to hand theirs down.

 

[green betty]

I might as well have lit that money on fire, that's how much I use the co-sleeper I just had to have. Actually, it works well as a bedrail. And laundry hamper. It looks good in pictures.

Definitely I would take the money and use it for a different type of sleep solution. I just dropped $70 on a thin futon mattress so I can nurse to sleep and co-sleep on the floor with ds part of the night and in the bed with dh part of the night. This way everybody has enough room, I don't have to worry about ds rolling/crawling off the bed, and sleep arrangements for both nap and bedtime are the same. And everyone gets snuggles from me at some point.

At this point in our relationship ds (same age and size as your dd!) would pitch a fit if I put him in the co-sleeper. He is a snuggler and a nurse-to-sleeper, neither of which work at all with the AR.