# Co-sleeper vs. mini co-sleeper



## njbeachgirl (Oct 8, 2006)

Any thoughts? We want to use this for our babe expected in December. My mom bought us the original cosleeper but it just looks so BIG for a tiny baby, and I could still exchange it. On the other hand it might be good because it will be big enough as she grows....

anyone BTDT and have an idea of which one would be better? Space in our room is not really a concern.


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## 425lisamarie (Mar 4, 2005)

I would just put them in your bed and nix the co sleeper. I guess I would get the mini if I HAD to have them sleep separate, because by the time they are crawling/pulling themselves up needing much more room, you dont' want them in something they will crawl right out of.

The trouble with a co-sleeper is you can't just roll over to nurse and go back to sleep. The pictures kind of look like you can but it doesn't really work. I bought one, put it up and it ended up being a really expensive bed rail







!


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## laohaire (Nov 2, 2005)

My mom bought me the mini. I like it. It's perfect as a toy box and cat bed.

For a while, I had it next to us as a sort of rail so there was no danger of DD falling off the bed (I'd switch sides throughout the night). Now it's a toy box. It definitely would not work after the baby was mobile.


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## josh&davesmomme (Feb 24, 2006)

I considered a cosleeper/mini cosleeper also but decided against them because nursing would be more difficult and as soon as the little one can flip over or sit up they're not as safe. I liked the concept though so we side carred a crib which we can use for a very long time. http://groups.msn.com/SteveandLishsF...decarcrib.msnw


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## StrawberryFields (Apr 6, 2005)

If you really need a co-sleeper I would invest in the full sized but honestly, our full sized one was a waste of money because we ended up putting our babe directly in our bed and using the co-sleeper as an end table.


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## NotTheOnlyOne (Oct 23, 2006)

I'll second the sidecare crib. I LOVE having our beds arranged this way. At first he was in a port-a-crib with a bassinet feature, but when he got too heavy for that I took the bassinet part out and still kept him in it. It was awful because he was SO low compared to out bed. I finally moved his crib out of his room (that he had never slept in) and sidecarred it and I love it!!! Him sleeping in our bed was not an option really as it is VERY soft and only a full size. I do keep him next to me in the very early morning if he wakes up to nurse instead of pushing him back into "his bed" I can reach out and touch him and see him now though, hes right there next to me. I dont plan on changing this arrangment until he outgrows the crib.


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## gwynthfair (Mar 17, 2006)

I had to get the big one (Universal) because I have a European style bed. It's huge for my 1 month old, but I still LOVE it because we both sleep so much better when she's in it (I toss and turn A LOT at night). You're not supposed to use them once they can crawl out, so you might want to just get the mini.


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## Ruthla (Jun 2, 2004)

Why exactly do they say not to use the co-sleeper once baby can crawl? Is it actually unsafe, or is the manufacturer just covering its behind? How would a sidecarred crib be any more safe than a co-sleeper, when the baby could still crawl from the cosleeper/crib to the big bed and then potentially fall off the bed? Baby right on the bed could also fall off. Is that the only reason they don't recomend the co-sleeper for crawling babies?


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## Roxswood (Jun 29, 2006)

I would have happily used a cosleeper until my dd went onto her own mattress on the floor. Its no worse than having them in bed with you with a bed rail, although some people might not be as aware of their babies' movements when not lying right next to them it wouldn't have been an issue for us, I found I woke whenver she sighed or turned over or anything so I was always checking on her.
I'd say get the big one if you're going to get one, you can actually feed them in the cosleepers you just have to learn to position yourself so that your head and shoulders are in there with the baby, not hugely comfortable for long feeds but as baby grows and feeds get shorter its very doable and means you get to roll away and sleep on your stomach!


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## njbeachgirl (Oct 8, 2006)

Thanks for all the good input. I didn't realize they are only supposed to be used until crawling-- I have a friend who used them for his 2 dc WAY beyond that stage.

We are not putting her in our bed because it's a soft pillow-top and it's also small. We bought it when we lived in our old house when space was at a premium, and it's a very expensive mattress and only 1.5 years old so we can't afford another right now.


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## laohaire (Nov 2, 2005)

The minicosleeper - I can't speak for the full sized one since I've never seen one, but I assume it's the same - does not have high sides. The sides are like 1 foot high. For a 2 month old, it's plenty high enough. For a six month old who is crawling or pulling to stand, it's probably the easiest thing in the world to fall out of.

Cribs have very high sides, so your baby would actually have to be able to climb to get out of them.

If you ignore the issue about the sides being very low, I would estimate that the minicosleeper would be too small for a baby around 9 months (that is, at that point they'll get too tall for it). That's a very rough estimate, though, especially since babies are all so different (bigger or smaller), and even sleep differently (some thrash around, and the mini would be too small for that even sooner).


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## josh&davesmomme (Feb 24, 2006)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Ruthla* 
Why exactly do they say not to use the co-sleeper once baby can crawl? Is it actually unsafe, or is the manufacturer just covering its behind? How would a sidecarred crib be any more safe than a co-sleeper, when the baby could still crawl from the cosleeper/crib to the big bed and then potentially fall off the bed? Baby right on the bed could also fall off. Is that the only reason they don't recomend the co-sleeper for crawling babies?

the cosleeper sides don't come up very high ( shorter than a bed rail I think) and a crawling child learns to pull themselves up and can fall out where the side car has taller sides (obviously) I think the biggest concern is not that they can crawl to the edge of the bed, but pull them selves up on the low sides and flip out...also with a side car the sides are there on three sides and mom blocks the 4th side, if baby's is going to crawl out, it's over mom, i think most moms would notice if baby was crawling over them. Also the cosleeper has weight limits- I'm not sure what it is somewhere between 15-20 lbs I think- not very long...where a crib is a much higher weight limit.

we use our side car to keep baby safe from dh who has sleep apnea and has to use a breathing apperatus (CPAP) to keep him breathing during the night, the tubes *could* pose an entanglement danger and now our little one is trying to bite the air tubes which causes troubles for dh so we had to find an alternative to traditional co sleeping and I weighed the options between a cosleeper and a side car and the two biggest things for me were that the side car was easier to nurse with and the 2nd was it cold be used MUCH longer, I'll be able to us the side car until Davey is at _least_ 3 YEARS old instead of the few months the cosleepers offer. And we already had the crib so for us it was just the cost of some foam and bungee cords


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## Bridie's Mama (Mar 15, 2006)

We have both. We used the mini until dd was 8 months and could sit up and pull up and then it wasn't safe. Then we got the regular sized cosleeper, dropped the mattress in the larger cosleeper and used that until we bought a crib and sidecarred it.

For our next babe we'll use the mini until he/she is too big again and then buy another crib to side car it...at least that's the plan for now. We loved the mini. We have a full size bed, normal bed height & it was fine. If you have a higher bed they do have leg extensions to help with that.

Buying the larger cosleeper was a bit of a waste, but I guess now we have an extra pack n play if we need it...we actually used it for naps for a while (with the mattress dropped down to play yard level).

Your choice! If you want a pack n play too and don't have one already, get the larger one b/c it's a 2 for 1, but it is very big to have a teeny baby in (not unsafe, but the mini just "fits" newborns better).

Good luck!


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## Ducky5306 (Jul 2, 2006)

I have the full size co-sleeper but mostly because i found it used very cheap and it was almost new (the resale shop didn't know what the heck it was! So they sold it really cheap) anyways i used it for about an hour







DS wanted to sleep next to me so i just went with it and ended up getting tons of use out of it as a changing table and he even sometimes would take short naps in it.. also i put it in the family room so i had a safe place to put him down if i had to use the bathroom or go near the oven/stove now DS is 6 months old and crawing all around! the co-sleeper is down to playpen mode and i use it as a big toy box.. I still sometimes put him in there with some toys if i have to use the bathroom or cook and he loves it! i don't know why but he thinks its the best thing ever! he plays and laughs i think it's the only time he gets to be "alone"









so i've really got alot of use out of my full size co-sleeper


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