Anyone use the Arms Reach cosleeper?

[SaraEmily]

I'm due in June with my second and I'm checking out all the bassinet options and this one caught my eye. Does anyone here use it? I'd love to hear your opinions and whether your LO liked it.

My toddler is still in our bed so I don't feel comfortable putting the baby in bed with us, but with this she could still be right there with us while being kept away from my toddler.

 

[Pearls18]

I have something similar, it's a cot with a side that drops down underneath so is pushed right up next to the bed. I think I would go as far as saying it's the best baby purchase we've ever made. DS loves to hold hands if he's a little unsettled but I personally like to have a bit of space so it's been the best compromise for us, so easy to feed him and put him straight back down. Worth every penny.

 

[Kyten1978]

i have one, but my daughter hates laying flat so we had to switch to a fisher price rock and play. I think the idea is a good one and if your baby will sleep laying flat it should be good. Since we got it but can't use it for what is intended my DH and I DIYed a top for it to make a changing table.

 

[Seity]

I had something similar. We have a home built bed, so the arms reach wouldn't work with our bed, so I just made an attached side sleeper myself. I really loved having him right there to feed without having to get out of bed, but still in his own space for sleeping. It's way too cold here in the winter to have wanted to get out from under the warm blankets every time he needed to feed as a newborn.

 

[MindUtopia]

If you have the space, I'd recommend just sidecaring a normal cot to your bed by taking off one side. The Arm's Reach is nice if you only want to co-sleep for 2-4 months, but it's not that much bigger than a moses basket and most babies will outgrow it pretty quickly (my friend had a 9lb baby and she only fit it for the first two months). It's also really expensive for something you might only get a couple months use out of, particularly if you do plan to co-sleep for longer. We got a cot from IKEA, took one side off and attached it to the bed. We've mostly bedshared anyway as I prefer her being closer than the cot allows, but it acts as a great bedrail and extension of our bed (it's also where we keep all her toys she plays with when she wakes up in the morning).

 

[Elemnop]

I have the Arms Reach Original - maybe someone is saying the mini is small and doesn't get much use, but we still use ours and LO is 6 months and 18 lbs.

Technically I think they recommend that once they can turn over to stop using it as a sleeper or when LO reaches 50 lbls but my LO doesn't roll over in his sleep and we don't use it until we're in the bed - meaning that I don't let him sleep in it unless I'm in the room. We have a separate pnp that we use in the living room for naps, etc. and of course his crib in his room that he doesn't use at all. We're just not ready for the transition. LO just stopped his night feeds 3 weeks ago and we wanted to wait until he was STTN before the transition to his room.

ANYWAY - I love the Arms Reach. We got ours brand new on Craigslist so we paid a little less than the advertised price. I like that it's actually bigger than the pnp that I have from Chiccos and seems sturdier. I also like that it has straps that attach it to my bed for security - so no tipping over, etc. I did buy a different mattress for it as I thought the one that came with it was too thin and hard. I like that I can be right there for him.

As for LO - well he prefers sleeping in the bed with us LOL but he will sleep in the Arms Reach for a good 5-6 hour stretch and then he fusses enough to co-sleep with us until morning.

 

[SaraEmily]

I've considered just sidecarring the crib however the reason I like the arms reach cosleeper is because it has the small mesh rail to prevent the baby from scooting onto the bed and a crib would have nothing to keep a gap from forming between the crib and bed so I'd worry about her somehow getting stuck between the two.

 

[Elemnop]

Well I will say that there is still a gap - it depends on the bed you have. We have a king size with a frame all the way around so the frame of the bed makes it not "connect" all the way the mattress if that makes sense.

But, there is the rail of the Arms Reach itself so until he's old enough where he could literally climb over the rail (god help me if he's still sleeping in this thing then), it will prevent him from falling into any gap. Even if he does happen to roll to the edge, the rail nearest the bed mattress is still high enough to stop him from going over and thus into a gap.

I still - because I'm paranoid - put a king size down pillow stuffed in the gap anyway - just makes me feel better. And again, it's attached with straps underneath our king mattress between the boxspring and mattress across the entire bed and has plates on the other side so it will not move or tip over. I also have it against the wall anyway on my side, but depending on how you have your bedroom configured you may not have the wall by your bedside.

I hope this all makes sense. It's been great for us and I will hate it when we part because that means LO is lonely in his own room OR co-sleeping with us until he's 14. LOL

 

[MelliPaige]

I have something similar, it's a cot with a side that drops down underneath so is pushed right up next to the bed. I think I would go as far as saying it's the best baby purchase we've ever made. DS loves to hold hands if he's a little unsettled but I personally like to have a bit of space so it's been the best compromise for us, so easy to feed him and put him straight back down. Worth every penny.

I did this, too..I love it!