Arms Reach CoSleeper Qs

orange_roses

Hi All,

 

I usually post in Pregnant after a Loss, but this question seemed more relevant here. We shared our bed with DD when she was a baby and - despite some short spurts using her "big girl bed" - she continues to spend most of the night in our bed.  Now, we are expecting DD2 in July and I am brainstorming about how we can bed share with her. I was thinking of getting an Arms Reach CoSleeper for DD2 so that she is safe, near us, and can easily nurse. Also,  DD1 can continue sleeping with us if she wants and doesn't feel left out (or pushed out) when the big transition comes of welcoming DD2.  So to my Qs...

 Is an Arms Reach Co-Sleeper worth it? (I'm secretly hoping that DD2 will get used to having her own bed space and will not be in our bed for the next 5 years like DD1). 

Can the mom and dad still use pillows if the baby is in the cosleeper (we did not sleep with pillows for the first 2 years with DD1)?

Can the mom and dad still use blankets if the baby is in the cosleeper (we didn't use blankets either when we coslept with DD in our bed)? 

 How long did your child sleep in the cosleeper?  

wheelsonthebus

The co-sleeper is essentially a cradle at your bedside. You can use pillows and blankets because the baby isn't actually in bed with you and can't roll out of the co-sleeper. I was actually dissapointed with my co-sleeper because I thought it would allow my LO to be closer to me, but it really is just a cradle next to you.

bunniekrissy

I love the Arm's Reach co-sleeper because it allows me to easily see and reach my baby while still giving him his own space so I can sleep under the blankets, etc. and also it's easy to switch to bedsharing for part of the night when needed or desired. It is more difficult than I hoped to pick him up in and out of it while staying in bed though, but doable.

jaymiegerard

I loved our arms reach co-sleeper, but make sure it is appropriate for your daughter's age/developmental stage.  I thought I read once on their website that they aren't for babies who can push to hands and knees (though I don't remember if that was for the mini or the original)!

Good luck!  You can always put a twin bed next to your bed and stick up some guard rails (if you have room)!

orange_roses

jaymiegerard:

I loved our arms reach co-sleeper, but make sure it is appropriate for your daughter's age/developmental stage.  I thought I read once on their website that they aren't for babies who can push to hands and knees (though I don't remember if that was for the mini or the original)!

Good luck!  You can always put a twin bed next to your bed and stick up some guard rails (if you have room)!

My five year old has established her area in the middle of the bed. So the co-sleeper would be for our infant coming sometime in July. Then I don't have to worry about DD1 squishing the infant DD2.  

BoilerUp1

We have the ARCS mini and love it.  In hindsight I wish I had gotten the original size b/c DS is very long and I can see him outgrowing it in a month or two (and he's no where near ready to transition to his crib yet).  I like it because I can use the covers yet still have DS right with me.  I, too, like PP also thought that it would allow me to snuggle right up to DS but it does not AND it IS harder to get him in and out than I thought (you have to actually sit up to get them out as opposed to just sliding them over towards you).  Regardless, I think it's really nice as I'm not 100% comfortable with bedsharing all night.  I do let DS in bed with me in the morning and it's nice that I can just get him from the cosleeper to do this instead of going down the hall or across the room to do so.  

theboki

We have blankets and pillows on our bed.  We just make sure they aren't long enough to get into the co-sleeper (which is easy).

Mom Love

You could skip the co.sleeper and get a play yard/pack n play with a bassinet, and use it forever, like almost 3 years as a nap bed, a travel bed. I recommend using the MamaDoo Kids mattress topper for extra comfort and support, though. It folds so it is also portable. Good luck!

bluegreen88

We have the mini ARCS. The regular one is way too big IMO. We plan on using it for 6 months as long as it is safe for her to be in there. You can use blankets and pillows. It has been a huge lifesaver for us. 

aliciaroset

Mom Love:

You could skip the co.sleeper and get a play yard/pack n play with a bassinet, and use it forever, like almost 3 years as a nap bed, a travel bed. I recommend using the MamaDoo Kids mattress topper for extra comfort and support, though. It folds so it is also portable. Good luck!

This is what we did and it worked really well. We have this one: https://www.babytrend.com/nursery_centers_close_n_cozy/

(I lol at "NO MORE BEDSHARING!" ha! we bed share nightly but she starts out in there)

We just removed the second step bassinet and now are just using the pack and play. I preferred this to the arms reach because it grows with her. 

rmwt001

bluegreen88:

We have the mini ARCS. The regular one is way too big IMO. We plan on using it for 6 months as long as it is safe for her to be in there. You can use blankets and pillows. It has been a huge lifesaver for us. 

 

This, exactly.   

funkymonkeyohyeahhh

We have a tall bed, so we liked that the ARCS had leg extensions available to make it level with the bed. (We initially planned to get a rock n play but I did not want to have to get out of bed to get him. A pack n play also wasn't an option for us because it's bigger/takes up more space and isn't level with the bed.)

We LOVE our ARCS.

jaymiegerard

orange_roses:

My five year old has established her area in the middle of the bed. So the co-sleeper would be for our infant coming sometime in July. Then I don't have to worry about DD1 squishing the infant DD2.  

Whoops!  Didn't read that one carefully ;-) 

orange_roses

Wow! Thanks for all the insights everyone. I will have to check out some of the alternatives. We have a euro platform bed, so it is pretty low.