# Arm's Reach Co-Sleeper?



## Kavita (Dec 7, 2004)

Has anyone used one of these? Was it a good thing to have or a waste of money?

We are expecting our first and intend to cosleep. Our bed is already a little small for the two of us (queen sized, but we are both REALLY active sleepers with long limbs, and my DH has unusually pointy/sharp elbows and knees and toes!! :LOL We battle it out nightly for covers unless we both have our own.)

We are considering possibly getting one of these contraptions (hopefully gently used!) I don't want a crib, but I WOULD like the baby to have space of his/her own for sleep/napping to be close by without necessarily being glued to me, but within reach. Another possibility we are considering is to push our twin guest bed up against our queen sized bed, and have the bigger one for me and the baby and the twin for DH. Or both beds PLUS a co-sleeper!

Also, currently our bed is sometimes shared for portions of the night by our 55 lb dog-baby, who also believes in co-sleeping! :LOL I don't want to have to evict her from the bedroom completely if possible, but don't want her to jump up and squish the baby! She gets off of the bed when commanded, and she's usually very sweet with babies and children, but I don't know how she'll respond when the human baby is taking HER mommy's time and attention away from her!







She has never been aggressive and I don't think she will bite or anything like that, but sometimes she's a bit pushy about getting petted, etc. (Like she'll push in between me and our other dog when I'm petting him and nose my hand strongly, so I end up petting her!) My attention-hogging dog and her adjustment process to a human sibling is kind of another thread, but I include it partly because it's one of our arguments in favor of the co-sleeper and one of the reasons I'm reluctant to put a mattress or futon on the floor. (Because something soft on the floor means dog bed to them and could result in a lack of boundaries!) We've also considered just getting a king-sized bed, but $ is an issue and usually a nice one costs $!

Any thoughts on this? I'll appreciate any thoughts you have and advice you can give me!


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## veganbaby (Oct 28, 2004)

I honestly din't like the cosleeper because I didn't feel close enough to DD. There is this piece in between so you can't really lay and nurse togther. I plan to get a crib and sidecar it to the bed so that I can have more space.


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## jdlobe (Jan 13, 2005)

We used the co-sleeper for about five months, but she would start in it, but be in bed with us by about 4-5am. Evenually (around 4 months) she was harder to put down in it and ended up in our bed most of the time. Finally at 6months we moved our bed to the floor and bought a single futon to put beside it. That seems to work better, and we feel like we have a little more room. If she's having a rough night, either me or my husband can move and sleep on the single futon, and we're all in the same room.

However, I did like the co-sleeper for when she was really tiny, and also for when we travelled (which was quite frequently) and didn't have a big enough bed.

Julie


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## darwinphish (Feb 13, 2005)

We love our mini cosleeper. Actually, we have the canopy with it and use it as a totally enclosed bassinet so that DD can sleep next to the bed but we don't have to lock out our attention-starved cats (all four of them!). Here's a pic:

http://www.armsreach.com/access_canopy.asp

It's great compared to a traditional bassinet because one side (and the canopy) is made of mesh. That way, cats can't stomp on her, but I can see and hear her next to me (and vice versa). It is a little bit of a pain to zip and unzip the canopy and pull her out to nurse in the wee hours (tho much easier than a crib), but well worth it in my opinion.

It's not exactly co-sleeping, but keeps our other little co-sleepers :LOL happy and DD safe. I found it much better than the alternatives: a) worrying all night that the cats were going to decide to sleep on DD's face OR b) listening to the cats whine and scratch at the door all night long. And, in fact (to my suprise), DD sleeps much better in her co-sleeper than she does next to me... next to me she'd flail and grunt all night and wake up and wail her head off. In her cosleeper she wakes up and gurgles and smiles and kick-kicks at her mobile - of course that is different with each individual babe - I guess I just got a more "conventional" kiddo.


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## rainbowmoon (Oct 17, 2003)

we only used ours a handful of times so I'd say it wasn't worth it for us. (we have the mini)

it does make a useful laundry/toy basket though :LOL

we too have a queen but now DH sleeps in another room







we do miss sleeping together and are thinking of taking our bed out and just getting a king for the floor when this baby arrives.


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## KariM (Mar 13, 2004)

I spent about $189 on our Arm's Reach Co-Sleeper and ended up using it to hold diapers and water bottles. Now it's downstairs in our living room set up as a bassinet and used for changing diapers.









I guess we'll get our money's worth out of it but it didn't fit our family's needs as a location for DD to sleep.

There is an edge or lip that separated her from our bed and she prefers/NEEDS to have skin-to-skin contact with me. Sleeping in bed close up to me is the only answer for us and the Arm's Reach Co-sleeper doesn't permit that.

--Kari

BTW - My 90 lb black lab was MY baby before DD came along. She slept with us and basically napped at my feet and followed me around the house all day before DD was born. She's adjusted fabulously to the baby and is very protective of her. The dog sleeps with us and after a few limit setting instructions never came near the baby.


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## mama2zoe (Dec 2, 2004)

I was soooo excited about the co-sleeper idea when I was pg. It seemed like the perfect solution - baby would be with us, but we'd still have room in the bed (we also had a queen size). BUT, as soon as we had the baby I hated that thing. I had to climb around it to get in and out of bed (hard to do when your bum hurts from giving birth!) And I used to practically sleep in the thing in an effort to be near my dd. She felt WAY too far away in there. In fact, a memory that still brings tears to my eyes is waking up in the night and watching her all swaddled up sleeping in there by herself - she was so tiny and she looked lonely. About a week after she was born I learned to nurse lying down and that was it - she was never in the thing again. (You can't nurse them in the co-sleeper because there is a several inch tall lip between it and the bed - so you have to take baby out, nurse, put them back in.) I also love to have room when I sleep, but I love to have my sweet dd snuggled up next to me even more









We did end up getting a king size bed (without the box spring) and have it on the floor. We got rid of the crib in my dd's room and moved our old queen size in there for guests.

Good luck with your decision!

mama2zoe born 6/2/04


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## nannymom (Jan 23, 2004)

We have a double bed and we co-sleep w/o a co-sleeper. The covers have been sort of an issue but so far it's been fine. I do have the crib side car arangement but our crib is now a giant night stand. :LOL


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## jaye_p (Mar 12, 2005)

To quote my favorite pediatrician (Dr. Sears), invest in a king-size bed. I was really excited about the idea of the co-sleeper b/c my husband was really leery of having our ds sleep with us, esp. at first when he was so tiny. So we bought a co-sleeper and attached it to our queen-size bed. Our ds did not sleep well in it at all. I think the major problem was that he was not within touching range of me, since there is a barrier between you and the baby (probably a safety measure, but really annoying) - so the baby isn't any nearer to you than s/he would be in a bassinet or cradle. I ended up selling it (at a huge loss) to our local used kids stuff store - and then we bought a king-size bed. It's the best purchase we've ever made - my dh rolls around a *lot*, but there's still plenty of room for ds and me, and the cat as well.


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## Shell (Jul 12, 2003)

We slept with our dd on the couch (baby slept on the chaise lounge and either I or dh slept on the couch part, so that our heads were together in an "L") for the first six weeks. We certainly didn't plan it that way -- it just sorta happened.

I was beginning to think that our cosleeper was going to be a waste -- it didn't seem like she enjoyed being in it. But by about week seven she was sleeping in it, and I was so thankful! Now I think it is great! Dd now is 4.5 months, and she starts out in the cosleeper and ends up in bed with me by about 3:00 am. I find that my back and neck get sore if I sleep with her (latched on, more or less) all night. I need a little bit of space, and this is just perfect. But she is growing so fast, she will probably outgrow the cosleeper in a few weeks, and then spend the entire night with us in bed. We have a king, but we both like a lot of pillows around us, so space is tight.

I have to tell you, though, that we took the board off of the side that is up against our bed. It created a "lip" that was too high to easily maneuver her in and out of the bed. I couldn't see using the cosleeper with that board attached.

I wish the cosleeper were just a few inches longer, so I could use it a little while more. Oh well.

Good luck!


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## milk4two (Mar 20, 2003)

We're using one and I like it fine. It works great for giving the twins a bed of their own nestled up against ours. I didn't use one with the older kids and cosleeping was fun and fine and cozy. With the twins I'm a little paranoid I'll throw a blanket over their head or something so we'll stick with the Arms Reach until they're a bit older.


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## G's mommy (Mar 2, 2005)

I loved our cosleeper, I would either get out of bed to nurse him or pull him in bed with me to nurse, then put him back in his little bed. It was so close, so convenient, but with us on a queen size bed, and DH's sound sleeping, it was the way to go for us- safety and closeness at the same time.
Good luck!


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## MamaHippo (Dec 4, 2004)

I must be in the minority here cus i LOVE LOVE LOVE my mini Co-sleeper. Its been absolutely indispensible for us, especially since i had a traumatic labor and then an emerg. c-section, and was sore for weeks. I could keep my newborn close by with all the diaper supplies and my waterbottle and some Luna bars in the pockets on the side, and not have to get in and out and strain that c-section incision. You do have to lift babe out to nurse, but i found that was never really a problem. We do take him into our bed around 3 or 4 am and he stays there usually until we get up for the day. DS is now almost 9 mo, and can now climb out by himself and is as tall as the thing is long. So he has to graduate to the crib sidecar soon. I truly think the Co-Sleeper is a great investment, especially if you want to cosleep but still need your own space.
I'd offer you mine, but i have family members with babes lining up for their turn with it ;-)

Lisa


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## huggerwocky (Jun 21, 2004)

why don't you make one yourself?Buy any cheap crib/cot, take out one side of the grid, adjust the height of the matress to be the same as yours and there you are: a co-sleeper without any boundaries!


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## WinterBaby (Oct 24, 2002)

I used a co-sleeper other than the arms reach that worked great for us. (I turn from one side to the other most of the night - requires space ;-) I forget the name of it, but it's wood, bassinet sized, styled with 2 legs, attaches to bed via to "arms" that lie under the mattress. Unlike the arms reach it was small, took little space, had no barrier. My daughter could use it until she started trying to sit up. It came I guess an inch shy of the top of my mattress at it's maximum height setting (which was adjustable.) I had some safety issues with the type I had, the legs were too wobbly, needed reinforced (which we did) and a small gap could work it's way open between the co-sleeper and the bed, which a baby could potentially become trapped in. We placed rolls there and braced the sleeper against the wall to insure no gapping. So in summary - I loved that style co-sleeper, found it essential (right size, right distance, no barrier) but can't actually recommend the specific one we had to anyone given the gymnastics we had to do to make it safe enough to use.


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## TchrGrrl (Nov 15, 2003)

I love it too!! I have been reading some of the responses in regards to the barrier/lip thing and wondering why we don't have that problem - I realized it is because we have a tall bed! The 'lip' is a little lower than the top of my mattress so I don't have to manuvre it (but I could see why that would be mighty frusrating!). Most of the night our co-sleeper is just there to catch DS should he roll off the bed







but I really like having the security of it there. A safely side-carred crib could serve the same purpose though!


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## Kavita (Dec 7, 2004)

Thanks everyone for your replies!

Sorry I haven't jumped back in before now--I started bleeding and it looked like I might be miscarrying, however, a couple of days later the bleeding has stopped and the bean has grown a lot and has a heartbeat, so I'm cautiously optimistic!!! But sleeping arrangements were suddenly the last thing on my mind!! But for now anyway, I'm back to thinking we're having this baby . . . so back to happy baby thoughts until proven otherwise!!

I think a king sized bed is also the ideal! I think I also remember someone, and I think it was Dr. Sears, saying that the best advice he can give a couple when they get married is, buy a king sized bed. Unfortunately, in my single days, my parents sprang for this bed as a guest bed for THEM when they visit, because they won't sleep on a futon which is my usual guest bed arrangement!! So the bed is my bed when they aren't here, but was bought to their needs and specifications, and I had to talk them UP to a queen from a double--I wanted a king sized bed back then but they wouldn't go for it and I'd just purchased my house and was short on cash! Of course, as soon as I bought a queen sized bed I met my future husband!! We haven't wanted to shell out the $ to buy the kind of bed we'd like, especially when we have one that is actually quite nice by most standards, but just a little smidge cramped for our tossing and turning selves! The twin bed was given to me by my neighbor who was getting rid of it and insisted I take it. So I just have this collection of decent, good quality but not-quite-right-for-us beds!!

I think I might try putting those two beds together, unless we are able to get a king sized bed. I'll probably actually do that in June, when the exchange student who's living with us leaves for home! I'm already getting a little more desirous of more room--restless legs, insomnia, getting up to pee several times a night, etc.! Based on your varied responses, I think I would give the cosleeper a try if I found one cheap or free, but probably wouldn't buy a new one full price in case it didn't work out for us. Also, I'm going to consider the crib sidecar arrangement too . . . seems like it would be feasible after a baby has outgrown the cosleeper and cost about the same.

If anyone else has any thoughts, the jury is still out, so respond away!!

Oh, I'm glad to hear that folks haven't had to ban their furbabies either!! darwinphish, I clicked on the pic link hoping for a minute that I was going to get a pic of your cute little babe in a tent surrounded by kitties!!! :LOL But thanks for the link . . .


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## valeria_vi (Nov 19, 2001)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *veganbaby*
I honestly din't like the cosleeper because I didn't feel close enough to DD. There is this piece in between so you can't really lay and nurse togther. I plan to get a crib and sidecar it to the bed so that I can have more space.

I am wondering about how to take a crib and sidecar it to the bed. I think the baby will end up in the crib eventually (may be when s/he is a year old or so, depends), so it doesn't make sense for me to spend oney on a cosleeper and then a crib anyway.


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## ebethmom (Jan 29, 2002)

I really like our mini cosleeper. Dd is almost 9 months, and close to outgrowing it. I love having her sleep close to me, and still have enough room to stretch and sleep the way my achey back needs.

I wasn't crazy about it at first. Dd wanted to sleep snuggled in next to me. And it was tricky climbing around it when I was in the sore postpartum phase.

But I'll be sad when dd outgrows it. We'll still leave it up - it acts as a bedrail when she's nursing in bed.


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## shannon0218 (Oct 10, 2003)

We like ours too, but it was bought for us as a gift--I don't know if it's really worth what it costs. My dd sleeps the first part of the night in it as that is when her reflux is the worst and needs to be propped up. Recently she' spending even more time there as when she and I are skin to skin we both end up really sweaty pretty quick!!


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## BlessedbyLily (Jan 28, 2004)

hmmmm...

I've really been considering one of these for baby #2 because I really didn't sleep well at all when dd was in our bed - aching back, worried about squishing her, etc.

Can anyone tell me the measurements of the mattress? I'm wondering if maybe I could stack two mattresses to lessen that "lip"...do ya'll think that would work?

Thanks!!


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## nabigus (Sep 23, 2004)

I think I'm going to try out an alternative to the Arm's Reach (I don't like the lip, and we don't have the space for a full-sized crib). Someone on the baby bargains website suggested it: sidecar a "daycare" sized crib (roughly 40"x27"), which will last a lot longer than the cosleeper, have no lip, yet provide that much-needed space for expanding. (We also have two kitty "babies" who sleep with us all night long.) I'm looking into it, and have found some websites that sell them. I'm trying to find someone who's used one, though, to get another opinion...


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## Flor (Nov 19, 2003)

We have our crib in a side car position and it is great. It is a crib where you where supposed to take off one of the long sides to convert it into a toddler bed. I took off that side, pushed it right up to the side of the bed, then under the mattresses of crib and bed, attached the legs to the bed with some bungee cords (that sound terrrible to put bungee cords near a crib, but they are really tight and under the mattresses so ds is no where near them). Thats it. the great thing is that he is almost 2 and I image he will be there for at least another year. he has his space but rolls up next to me at about 4 am. Our bed is pretty low so the matteresses are equal heights, though you could but something under the crib matteress to raise it if necessary. Ds rolls around so much that even with rails he was pretty dangerous just in our bed.


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## BlessedbyLily (Jan 28, 2004)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *nabigus*
I think I'm going to try out an alternative to the Arm's Reach (I don't like the lip, and we don't have the space for a full-sized crib). Someone on the baby bargains website suggested it: sidecar a "daycare" sized crib (roughly 40"x27"), which will last a lot longer than the cosleeper, have no lip, yet provide that much-needed space for expanding. (We also have two kitty "babies" who sleep with us all night long.) I'm looking into it, and have found some websites that sell them. I'm trying to find someone who's used one, though, to get another opinion...

Is that the same size as a portable crib I wonder??


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