I wish we’d used a co-sleeper with Athena, it would have made life so much easier especially after a C-section. However I had no idea they even existed when I was pregnant the first time round! We had a moses basket (but it rocked from head to foot, and as babies have heavy heads it seems a bit daft, she was always head down!) and then a swinging crib (that you could put pegs in to stop the swing) but she grew out of that quickly as she was so long! I also still had to lift her in and out of it as it wasn’t level with our bed. As there will inevitably be a point where Athena has a disturbed night and ends up in bed with us two I think it would be much safer for all involved if the new baby has his own space, and we can all attempt to get a good nights sleep!
Co sleepers are designed to sit at the same level as your own bed, with an open side for easy access (though this can normally be closed up too) so that you can have baby close to you throughout the night but still let them have their own space. For more information on safe co-sleeping/bed sharing there is a handy guide on the NCT website.
I’ve been doing a lot of research so I don’t spend money on something that doesn’t work for us, and have compiled a short list below:
Bednest
Boasting a ‘1 minute build’ the Bednest has two opening sides, which means you can get baby out without any lifting if necessary from whichever side you approach from. The curved wooden edges are appealing in a Scandinavian sort of way, and the sides can be half folded down as well as fully, which could be handy when baby starts to roll! You can also tilt the Bednest, helpful with babies with reflux. I also love the rental option. Cost: £299 to buy or £99 to rent for 6 months (supplied with a new mattress and sheets that you keep)
Chicco Next2Me
I first saw the Next2Me at the Baby Show late last year and I love that it comes in a variety of colours (including some lovely bright ones!) and has soft padded sides for a comfortable cocoon effect, but is washable if needed. You can also raise this cot at either end to aid colicky babies, and the Next2Me has fold in feet, with wheels/brakes so you can move it around the house as necessary (good for us as we’re all on one level) It also comes with a travel bag and is easily collapsible when needed so great for staying away in hotels/with family. Cost: £149
Snuzpod
The Snuzpod has a handy shelf at the base for storage of all the essentials that you need close by, and has a very gentle rocking base. The crib itself can be easily lifted from the stand so baby can be moved around the house if needed. The side that opens is mesh and zips up and down, and the fabric is washable and breathable. Comes in a variety of coloured wood. Cost: £199 with a mattress or £169 without.
Arms Reach
Not as pretty as some of the others on my list, but has the benefit of being easily assembled so acts as a travel cot too. It has four storage pockets and also converts to a free standing cot and then a playpen. You can also get a Twin/maxi version to put two babies in! Costs: £275
Baby Bay bedside cot
I love the classic look of this cot, the curved edges appeal to me along with the simple wooden design. The open bars mean lots of air circulating too. Adjustable height levels and the addition of castors mean you can use the Baby Bay as a regular crib and move it from room to room easily too. Costs: around £265.
Which one is your favourite? If you’ve got any personal experience with any of these, or other brands do let me know your thoughts. I welcome any and all info before we make a decision!
[None of these brands has asked me to include them, this post is all self researched and written]
i didn’t know about these either but wish I did when the twins were born. The arms reach one looks big enough that it would have fit them both in and after the 8th time of climbing out of bed I would have loved this!
Baby equipment changes so fast, there was certainly nothing around like this when I had my babies. I love the look of the snuzpod, very stylish design.
I used my son’s cot like that It was an Ikea one and the side came right down which was just great.
I wish we had one of these too and the SnuzPod is my favourite x
This is SUCH a good idea! I had no idea these were available but I can think of so many reasons why they would be useful!
What a great design they are, I would have loved to have had one of these with my two girls 🙂
Seen so much on these if was out when I had my two kids.
love the snuzpod – Vega sleeps in his moses basket by my bed though
I keep thinking about these, as we’ve ended up co-sleeping part time with our youngest, who is 9 weeks. Just dont have room at the side of the bed though!
Those all look pretty fab to me – we just took one of the sides off of Syds cot – but am sure those would have been a sturdier plan!
Ohhh All of them look so good. Wish I had something like this when my children were babies. My favourite is the baby bay bedside cot. I like the curved sides and the white colour.
I wish I’d had one of these when mine were little. I would’ve liked to co-sleep but my husband is such a sound sleeper we had a cot at the end of the bed instead. These would’ve been ideal for us x
My friend has used a co-sleeping cot for all three of hers now and swears by it. They do sound really handy, maybe I should look into one for our third!
They look lovely but I wouldn’t spend anything near that much on something I would only get three months use out of.
I prefer just using a moses basket next to the bed or keeping baby in bed with me but they are very stylish
I have never seen anything like any of these before, not sure which one I would choose, but I love the idea x
I have the Arms Reach co-sleeper. I have to say that the mattress is far too thin and I used it for a short while and then we bed shared instead.
Well this is totally new to me, I never even knew such things existed, but we need something like this for our cats 😉
I love the look of the Snuzpod. I always took off one of the sides of the cot and pushed it up against the bed but I would have loved one of these.
Wish I had known about these when the little ones were tiny
One of these would have been so useful when my children were little. We had a cot bed with a side that came down quite a way but not level with the bed, which was tricky after my son was born but served us well after that. It’s great that they keep finding new products to make our lives easier.