Are there any co-sleepers other than Arm's Reach?

[niq]

Msniq is not wild about the way these look and I can't find any other manufacturers. Does anyone else make them?

Is having a bassinet right next to the bed roughly the same thing? Is that safe enough?

[cdmay]

Bassinets are safe.  Moses baskets (which can be placed on appropriate stands) are another option (and the sleeper/basket portion can easily be moved around the house or taken elsewhere).  These only work for young babies, though, whereas the ARC works accommodates larger babies (but only until they decide to climb, or, obviously, if they reach the weight limit sooner; weight limit varies by model).  I haven't seen any other options in a normal price range.

[cdmay]

Here's the expensive one i found: www.inhabitots.com/bednest-mk2-co-sleeping-crib-keeps-baby-close-at-hand/

[picksthemusic]

I think my carpenter/builder brother made theirs.

[niq]

Here's one in the UK that we'd have to import: www.bednest.com/Shop -- $450 plus shipping. Yeesh.

Are there any stores in town that sell these? Or is "I want a co-sleeper but not an Arm's reach" too niche for anybody to carry? I checked BRU.com, tottini.com, and landofnod.com but couldn't find anything other than Arm's reach.

[catbus]

We did the Uppababy Vista bassinet on a Jolly Jumper brand rocking stand. I had it right next to my side of the bed, and in our case it was just the right height. I liked that I could just reach over and jiggle/rock it if E was fussing in the middle of the night to soothe him back to sleep. This was a $30 solution for us, since we already had the stroller. It wasn't the best looking solution, but I still preferred it over the look and price of the Arm's Reach. I would have also considered a Moses basket on the stand if we didn't have the bassinet attachment.

Or here's a decent looking inexpensive bassinet (beats the hell out of those frilly white plastic ones!): www.allmodern.com/babyletto-Bowery-Bassinet-M0513QP-MIR1123.html

[sarack]

I think we are going to use a pack n play, and it won't be connected to the bed but atleast the babies will be close. I'd love to know if a co sleeper is big enough for two babies

[niq]

Apr 12, 2013 10:01:25 GMT -5 catbus said:

We did the Uppababy Vista bassinet on a Jolly Jumper brand rocking stand. I had it right next to my side of the bed, and in our case it was just the right height. I liked that I could just reach over and jiggle/rock it if E was fussing in the middle of the night to soothe him back to sleep. This was a $30 solution for us, since we already had the stroller. It wasn't the best looking solution, but I still preferred it over the look and price of the Arm's Reach. I would have also considered a Moses basket on the stand if we didn't have the bassinet attachment.

Or here's a decent looking inexpensive bassinet (beats the hell out of those frilly white plastic ones!): www.allmodern.com/babyletto-Bowery-Bassinet-M0513QP-MIR1123.html

This is tempting. Tell me more. Whenever I bring up putting a bassinet near the bed, she says "but I still have to pick up/put down the baby to nurse instead of just slide myself & babyniq around". Is this real or is it BS ... i.e. even with an attached co-sleeper do you end up lifting the baby anyway?

I'm sorry, this is the only thing I'm so clueless on. The Baby Bargains book says all this stuff is a waste of money so there are no product reviews for any bassinets or co-sleepers. Google is no help either because all I get is arguments between doctors and hippies on the risks of co-sleeping.

[catbus]

Apr 12, 2013 10:10:55 GMT -5 niq said:

Apr 12, 2013 10:01:25 GMT -5 catbus said:

We did the Uppababy Vista bassinet on a Jolly Jumper brand rocking stand. I had it right next to my side of the bed, and in our case it was just the right height. I liked that I could just reach over and jiggle/rock it if E was fussing in the middle of the night to soothe him back to sleep. This was a $30 solution for us, since we already had the stroller. It wasn't the best looking solution, but I still preferred it over the look and price of the Arm's Reach. I would have also considered a Moses basket on the stand if we didn't have the bassinet attachment.

Or here's a decent looking inexpensive bassinet (beats the hell out of those frilly white plastic ones!): www.allmodern.com/babyletto-Bowery-Bassinet-M0513QP-MIR1123.html

This is tempting. Tell me more. Whenever I bring up putting a bassinet near the bed, she says "but I still have to pick up/put down the baby to nurse instead of just slide myself & babyniq around". Is this real or is it BS ... i.e. even with an attached co-sleeper do you end up lifting the baby anyway?

I'm sorry, this is the only thing I'm so clueless on. The Baby Bargains book says all this stuff is a waste of money so there are no product reviews for any bassinets or co-sleepers. Google is no help either because all I get is arguments between doctors and hippies on the risks of co-sleeping.

So, I never wanted to bedshare because I didn't want to start that habit if we didn't need to. For that reason, I actually preferred grabbing baby from the bassinet and sitting up in bed to nurse, then putting him back down when we were done. I know if we had used an Arm's Reach style co-sleeper, I would have definitely ended up bedsharing. But we were lucky in that E was a pretty good sleeper from the beginning, giving us stretches of four or so hours at night. I definitely felt sleep-deprived for a while, but not like a total zombie. If it had been worse, I probably would have wanted a co-sleeper. 

As it is, I attempted side-lying nursing a couple of times and it just didn't work for us. I'm sure E could have become accustomed to it, but it wasn't comfortable for me. Again, lots of people find it's a great option to afford them a bit more rest as opposed to sitting up in bed. FWIW, I have one good friend who felt exactly the same way as me and did a nearly identical set-up from the start, and her daughter sleeps as well as E. I have another good friend who fully bed-shared (following the safety guidelines), and her sons both slept well (well, save the one with sleep apnea, but ignoring that...), but the transition to a crib was fairly rough for both of them. She still thinks bed-sharing was worthwhile. I actually don't know anyone personally who used an Arm's Reach. 

Sorry for the rambling, disorganized thoughts. 

[catbus]

I will say that it's vital, IMO, for both parents to be fully on board if bed-sharing is on the table. (I know you've said you don't want to, but just in case.) But also, if you're the one opposed to it and Ms. Niq is for it, I would say you should be game for helping with middle of the night tasks if you want to not do it. There's a woman in my PEPS group whose marriage seems really strained after baby, and I think part of it is because their baby's a crappy sleeper so they bed-share... her husband resents this and isn't OK with it, but she still does it, but on the other hand, he will not help with MOTN feedings or soothings, so they're kind of at an impasse. This kid is now nine months old.

[niq]

Apr 12, 2013 10:30:05 GMT -5 catbus said:

I will say that it's vital, IMO, for both parents to be fully on board if bed-sharing is on the table. (I know you've said you don't want to, but just in case.) But also, if you're the one opposed to it and Ms. Niq is for it, I would say you should be game for helping with middle of the night tasks if you want to not do it. There's a woman in my PEPS group whose marriage seems really strained after baby, and I think part of it is because their baby's a crappy sleeper so they bed-share... her husband resents this and isn't OK with it, but she still does it, but on the other hand, he will not help with MOTN feedings or soothings, so they're kind of at an impasse. This kid is now nine months old.

catbus thanks for this advice. msniq & I had a good talk about it. the rambling thoughts were helpful too!

The "use your stroller bassinet for sleeping" thing sounds pretty good TBH. After seeing the bassinet stands msniq thought it might be workable. I have more questions though :

• Is pretty much any bassinet accessory or modular stroller w/ a bassinet okay for everyday sleeping? Or do I need to look out for specific models?? I mean, obviously something like the Bugaboo cocoon won't work, but anything else to watch out for?
  
• I am the most absent-minded person on the planet. Did you ever leave the bassinet at someone else's house or anything like that, and then have to scramble for something for E to sleep in? I realize this would involve some weird combination of driving to a friend's/parent's house with the stroller and car seat and then leaving all or part of the stroller where you went, but I could see myself doing this.
  

[jennlin]

i don't know how technically safe this is, but h and i are comfortable with it. as of last week or so..we took off the front rail of bjl's crib and put it up against our bed. we have a long body pilow that is in the gap between the beds.......does she sleep there? nope. she's still on our bed. her crib is now just a place for my cellphone and water bottle.

[catbus]

Apr 13, 2013 0:29:29 GMT -5 niq said:

Apr 12, 2013 10:30:05 GMT -5 catbus said:

I will say that it's vital, IMO, for both parents to be fully on board if bed-sharing is on the table. (I know you've said you don't want to, but just in case.) But also, if you're the one opposed to it and Ms. Niq is for it, I would say you should be game for helping with middle of the night tasks if you want to not do it. There's a woman in my PEPS group whose marriage seems really strained after baby, and I think part of it is because their baby's a crappy sleeper so they bed-share... her husband resents this and isn't OK with it, but she still does it, but on the other hand, he will not help with MOTN feedings or soothings, so they're kind of at an impasse. This kid is now nine months old.

catbus thanks for this advice. msniq & I had a good talk about it. the rambling thoughts were helpful too!

The "use your stroller bassinet for sleeping" thing sounds pretty good TBH. After seeing the bassinet stands msniq thought it might be workable. I have more questions though :

• Is pretty much any bassinet accessory or modular stroller w/ a bassinet okay for everyday sleeping? Or do I need to look out for specific models?? I mean, obviously something like the Bugaboo cocoon won't work, but anything else to watch out for?
  
• I am the most absent-minded person on the planet. Did you ever leave the bassinet at someone else's house or anything like that, and then have to scramble for something for E to sleep in? I realize this would involve some weird combination of driving to a friend's/parent's house with the stroller and car seat and then leaving all or part of the stroller where you went, but I could see myself doing this.
  

Oops, I'm just seeing your reply. Sorry! You'd want to make sure that the stroller manufacturer says the bassinet is approved for sleeping. The UPPABaby bassinet is... I'm not sure which other ones are. I would bet most are, but definitely check. 

We never left ours anywhere, but if we had, we would have just put him in the PnP for the night, and it would have been fine.

[jennlin]

Apr 15, 2013 14:16:53 GMT -5 @lauralynne said:

Apr 15, 2013 9:15:42 GMT -5 jennlin said:

i don't know how technically safe this is, but h and i are comfortable with it. as of last week or so..we took off the front rail of bjl's crib and put it up against our bed. we have a long body pilow that is in the gap between the beds.......does she sleep there? nope. she's still on our bed. her crib is now just a place for my cellphone and water bottle.

This is Sidecar-ing  

yeah, i figured that...the way our crib converts into a toddler bed is that the front comes off, and is replaced with a small, half-rail...so i figure that's the only part we're missing. we raised the crib mattress up, and it's close in height to our bed, but not perfect.

[msturtle143]

We used the Snuggle Nest I think until she was 2 months old then we moved her to PnP next to our bed. I cringed at the thought of co-sleeping when I was PG but by the end of the first week, we found ourselves at BrU looking and found these www.amazon.com/Baby-Delight-Snuggle-Beige-White/dp/B004LKS0H0

I'm a very light sleeper though. DH is not super heavy sleeper. We don't smoke and we're both on the thinner side. I was in a lot of pain pp that getting out of bed was very painful until about 3.5wks pp. We decided we were okay with this co-sleeper. Planning to use it for next baby too.