arm's reach co-sleeper

[moonchild]

anyone have any experience with the co-sleeper? either the mini or the full size? It looks so tempting!!!! it's smaller than a regular crib (which is good since our bdrm is tiny, and it seems that you can use it longer than a bassinet, am i right?

we don't want to co-sleep but i would like to have the baby in our room for a while. plus i'm running into a problem with space both in our bedroom and it the baby's room.

suggestions? thanks all

[Tanya]

i can't say i know what a co-sleeper is. I bought a used "moses basket" for my daughter and kept it on the floor by the bed for the first month or so. I breast fed so that way i just rolled and picked her up... nursed her and set her back down. It was also nice when she was little so i could carry her form one room to another while i worked.

I also bought a really wierd crib, it was big enough for a toddler and held my weight easily. It was great for getting up at night and climbing into with her letting her nurse. she fell asleep then and i didn't have to put her down and i often slept while she fed.. true i had to tuck up my feet and would wake up hours later a little stiff... but i got the idea from mothers sitting up nights nursing that i was getting more sleep than them. since the crib was pretty big for her at first, i often put her in there in her basket so she felt more snuggled.
so i'ld say go for the cosleeper and a baby basket (the one I bought used was 30 bucks) i think basinets are a waste of time and space.... its amazing how quickly the little buggers grow. Her baby basket is now my gardening basket... everything gets recycled around here.

[cheddarsox]

We never had a crib, the babies slept with us till they graduated to their own futons near by, then in a seperate room. We didn't have the money, room or need for lots of stuff. Raised our babies the old fashioned way because we couldn't afford to do it the American way.

People will tell you you need all kinds of stuff, but babies are pretty sturdy and accomadating. Buy what suits you and what you can afford and enjoy that baby!!!

cheddar

[Rhianna813]

I always bought one but frankly it looked too expensive for our budget. We had even considered building our own out of wood..... but we just ended up co-sleeping anyway. If you are planning on breastfeeding the arm's reach would be ideal because unlike a bassinet the baby is right next to you.

So if the price is right for your budget I say go for it! Plus it probably has great resale value if you ever need to sell it later to a friend. I always consider that too.

Rhianna

[Dryad's Wyrd]

both of my children always slept with me. i breastfed them both and found it the best way to get sleep. my partner and i both agreed that it was the best for us because it meant less sleep interuptions for us and the children slept more peacefully. granted, we had a very large bed.