# How would you sidecar w/ this bed frame?



## Moonridden (Mar 12, 2012)

Hey all,

I need help figuring out how to sidecar co-sleep with this bed frame that we have.

My husband was initially a bit nervous about co-sleeping, but I brought him around and now he agrees it's best. However, he is not comfortable having a baby in bed between us. I totally respect that. My MIL, very sweetly, bought us an Arm's Reach co-sleeper, and although it is not my first choice (first would be baby in bed, second would have been sidecaring a crib), I am touched at the gesture and glad she's supportive. I'm glad to have the choice of having a baby close in a way everyone can be comfortable. Here's the problem: we recently ordered a bed frame for our king size mattress, and once it was assembled, it was clear that the standard set-up with the sidecar wasn't going to work. There's a lip of about 2.5-3 inches, all the way around, so the sidecar would not abut the mattress like it's supposed to. I'm having a hard time describing that, so I've added a photo of my side of the bed:


Hopefully that clearly illustrates the dilemma! Obviously, I fully intend to still co-sleep with the baby, but obviously it's imperative that it's done safely (ie not shoving a rolled up blanket between the sidecar and the mattress, for example), and hopefully in a way that involves getting _some_ use out of the sidecar ... for my IL's budget, that was a giant extravagance I don't want to hurt anyone by turning my nose up at it!

WWYD?


----------



## pixieprincss (Jul 11, 2011)

What about this: put the crib frame and bed frame flush together and at the same height. Then, slide the crib mattress next to your mattress (a few inches of it will rest on top of the bedframe lip). With this, you will have a gap on the side that baby is not sleeping on, since baby will be cuddled up next to you. At our house, we've shoved some plumber's foam (like a pool noodle but thinner) in that far gap (. A very snuggly rolled sheet, towels, blanket, etc. might also work.)


----------



## CLplus1 (Jan 31, 2013)

I was going to say what ^^ said, just shove mattresses together and fill in the gap.

Honestly though, if I had a co-sleeper, I would use it in the beginning. My reasoning for not getting one was because I felt it was too expensive and I would end up side-carring the crib anyway. The baby would outgrow the co-sleeper so fast but hey, if somebody bought me one I totally would use it.


----------



## Zirconia (May 13, 2012)

Ditto the above suggestions. We have a sleigh bed with a bulky frame, and it works great. One tip: We used a ratcheting tie-down strap from the auto-parts store. Hook one end to the frame of the crib (under the crib mattress, in the center), run the strap between your mattress and box spring, and hook the other end to the bottom edge of your mattress. That way, the setup will stay nice and tight. If you just hook the bed frames together, your mattress can slide and create gaps.


----------



## Jen Sully (Nov 5, 2012)

What did you end up doing? We have the exact same type king bed frame and just bought a used cosleeper... Intending to use it for our baby #2 due in October because our 25 month old still hops in the middle of my husband and I partway through the night and we thought the cosleeper would be a sage way to have separation between the two girls (me in between them of course). Any ideas/suggestions would be appreciated! Hope you found something that worked.


----------



## MollyKR (Jun 11, 2013)

I'm interested to hear future posts/responses on this! We're in a similar situation to Jen!


----------



## Moonridden (Mar 12, 2012)

Sorry I can't be of more help. We just put it together today, and our bed is too low and there ended up not being comfortable with stuffing the gap, so we're just using it in bassinet mode for now.


----------

