Arm's Reach Original Co-Sleeper

Before I had kids, I didn't plan on co-sleeping. It was just something that evolved naturally. My first-born started out in a bassinet which she quickly outgrew. I then moved her to a larger cradle next to my bed. When she outgrew that but was still waking at night to eat, she ended up sleeping with me. That worked just fine for us but for baby number two, I opted for the Arm's Reach Co-Sleeper.

The reasons I chose to use a co-sleeper are: 1) My 4 year old occasionally comes into our bed during the night and I don't feel it's safe to have her in the bed with a baby and 2) I like having the baby in my room but a bassinet is quickly outgrown.

I received my co-sleeper as a shower gift and decided to set it up before baby arrived. I did it alone but it was pretty difficult. The floor is like any other play yard where you have to get the legs in place before pushing the center piece down. It takes a bit of strength and you have to bend down inside of the co-sleeper to do this. That was especially difficult to do at 9 months pregnant. So I suggest either having someone else put it up for you or wait until after the baby comes. I also had some trouble lowering the side that goes against the bed. I ended up calling the 800 number on the instructions for help. The customer service rep was very good and walked me through the steps. Once the sides and floor were locked into place, the rest was a breeze. It's very simple to attach to the bed, although it's not a job for a pregnant mom since you will have to lift the mattress.

As for the usefulness of the co-sleeper, I give it 5 stars! My son is 6 months old and we are still using it. Another reviewer said it is only good until the baby is rolling over but that's not true at all. There are nice high sides that keep the baby safe and secure. It's sitting and pulling up that you need to worry about. Since my son is doing neither so far, we are still happily using the co-sleeper. The mattress is rather thin and firm but I remedied that by putting a blanket underneath the sheet. The sheet fits very tightly so I don't have to worry about it coming off when he moves around. Unlike a crib, the sides are soft, so no worry about him banging his head on anything either. The side next to the adult bed is lower and matches up perfectly with the top of our mattress. It takes no effort at all to move the baby into my bed to nurse. The low side also makes it easy to reach over and soothe the baby if he gets restless. I'd much rather give him a little pat on the back when he starts to awake than not hear him until he's wailing because he's halfway across the house.

One downfall of the Arm's Reach is the size. (This and the fact that it's hard to put together are the only reason I gave it 4 stars instead of 5.) It is the standard size of a play yard which is kind of big for most bedrooms. You might need to move some furniture around to make it work. On the other hand, the size is a benefit if you plan to keep the baby in your room for a long period of time. A bassinet or cradle is quite small and will be outgrown very quickly. As I said before, my son is 6 months old and is still using the co-sleeper with room to spare! He can roll over and even turn completely around in it.

Other features I really like are the attractive, washable cover and the large side pocket. When Nathan was first born, I kept a supply of diapers and wipes in there for middle of the night changes. Now that he reserves his pooping for the daytime, I keep extra receiving blankets in there in case it gets chilly during the night.

I have yet to try converting the co-sleeper to a play yard so I can't comment on that but I love that I can extend the life of this product. Yes it is rather pricey but what do you expect from something you can use for well over a year, for more than one child, and can turn around and resell on ebay for nearly what you paid? Sounds like a pretty good deal to me!