# Pool Noodle vs more expensive bumpers for bed sharing with newborn



## catzia (Mar 1, 2013)

Hi, mamas! I'm expecting my first in a matter of weeks, and we've decided to bedshare with the little guy. My DH has sleep apnea and uses a CPAP machine, so we feel it's best for the baby to sleep on my side of the bed vs in the middle. We have an Ikea platform bed with a memory foam mattress and are not able (for a wide variety of reasons) to put it against the wall. We also cannot put the mattress on the floor, although I do realize that is often a preferred method of bedsharing!

All that said, I'm looking for safety options to ensure my little one can avoid a fall. I've looked at expensive options like the Humanity family sleeper, less expensive options like Bed Bug Bumpers, and super cheapo options like pool noodles. Can anyone with similar experience share their findings?

I'm leaning toward the Bed Bug Bumpers, which are pretty economical at $20, but am tempted to try the pool noodle route since they're SO cheap right now. I'm mostly concerned that the pool noodle will not stay put under the fitted sheet, and may roll off the side of the mattress onto the platform, which would leave no barrier for baby boy. Has anyone had this experience?

TIA!


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## catzia (Mar 1, 2013)

Bump... Nobody has any advice/reviews/thoughts?


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## Beth Herz (Jun 25, 2011)

We also had an Ikea platform bed with our first little one and just sort of fell into cosleeping when he could not stay asleep unless he was right next to me but we didn't use any bumpers. I was afraid my husband would not be as aware of the babies presence at night as much as I was so I often had the baby on the outside of the bed instead of in between us and it worked out just fine. I snuggled him in between my body and arm but he didn't move around while sleeping at night until he was maybe 4-5 months old (or even older, he's 2 1/2 now and it's hard to remember but that's the age he started rolling). By that time he was mostly sleeping in the middle of the bed. I would hesitate to use a pool noodle for the same reasons you cited.


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## erigeron (Oct 29, 2010)

We sidecarred a crib, which she slept in rather than sharing our mattress, but if you want the little one in your part of the bed this would still be an option. You'd just have the crib on your side and then if baby rolled he would just roll into the crib. Kind of a version of enlarging your mattress.


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## farmermomma (Oct 30, 2012)

We use double side rails that are connected under the matress. I've been happy with it for 5 cosleeping years with baby on the side.( I've tried single side rails and haven't been so happy. ) I made a slip cover for them. They look pretty nice. You might want to consider what kind of chemicals would be next to sleeping baby. Read some mixed reviews of the bumper on google and an old MDC thread.


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## Emalin (Dec 5, 2010)

We use the Trestria natural latex bumper by Better for Babies. I put it on my Amazon registry never dreaming anyone would spring for it. It is not cheap. Now that we have used it for over 2 years I can't imagine cosleeping without it and no longer think of it as a luxury item. It lays on top of the bed but can keep a rolly poly toddler in place. You can move it around as needed. It's also portable for travelling. I have zero complaints about it and think it's the perfect product for cosleeping.


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## dalia (Sep 3, 2007)

I have the humanity family sleeper and it is AWESOME. It's very safe because it also is fashioned in such a way that baby can't get stuck or wedged between it and the bed. The pad that it comes with is amazing because trust me, you are gonna leak breast milk and baby is gonna have accidents and spit ups. I am snuggling the body pillow right now through my second pregnancy and when this baby pops we will be using it again. ;-)


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## catzia (Mar 1, 2013)

Thank you for sharing your experiences, mamas!

Emalin - Just FYI, it looks like the Tres Tria bumper is no longer around. Better for Babies closed up shop! It looks like a good product - better than a pool noodle - but I would have probably passed anyway since I'm allergic to latex. I'm wondering if I can make something similar to that, though.

I will have to come back and update once my little one is here and we've had a chance to experiment with different solutions! A bedside co-sleeper is not an option because of the design of the bed, and the Humanity family sleeper is definitely WAY more than we want to spend for this solution. (I'm pretty sure that's more than we spent on our bed!) A side rail is still an option, but there is only 1 model that would fit our bed frame: the Dex Safe Sleeper universal side rail. It's currently off the market. Dex said they would have a new model out in July... then they said September... and now they're saying October... which is too late for us! If our interim solution doesn't work out by the time they ever release the new model, we might go with that. They usually retail for about $50.


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## AndtheStars (Mar 25, 2009)

Hope this still may be helpful to you...First question would be are you or any family members handy? I'm envisioning an 'L' shaped 'wall' for the side of your bed. The long piece would slide under your mattress and the short piece would extend up the side of your mattress and then another foot or so to make a headboard for the side of your bed. You could make it as wide as you wanted but I think three feet would be sufficient. You could make it out of reclaimed lumber and you wouldn't have to worry about off-gassing of treated lumber. You could even staple gun (in the back, of course, not the baby/bed touching side) thick fabric over it if the wood was rough.

Sorry if this is totally crazy but these are the problems that I love to solve with stuff I might have around the house. If you can't bring the bed to the wall, bring the wall to the bed!


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## catzia (Mar 1, 2013)

This is a great idea and I don't know why it hadn't occurred to us sooner! We can definitely rig up something like that.


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