How was your experience with arms reach co-sleeper?

Updated on September 05, 2006
R.C. asks from Granger, IN
15 answers

Has anyone out there used the Armsreach co sleeper that attaches to the parents bed? I have a baby due in November and am wondering if this product is worth buying. I don't want to kick my 18 month old out of the crib just yet, and thought that the co sleeper might let us put that off for a while longer. Also, I thought it would be convenient for breastfeeding the newborn at night. If anyone has experience with this product, I'd be interested to find out what you thought of it. Thanks!

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Summary

Most moms used it recommend it, they said it's good for nursing and also just for the comfort of being right there if the baby gets fussy during the night. While some moms prefer a different make. Check out the article for more opinions.

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B.S.

answers from Greensboro on

I have this and I love it!! It was a little difficult to put it together (its collapsable for travel and the joints are super tight), but it is so much more practical than a traditional bassinett. My daughter is now five monthes old and she rolls over to sleep on her tummy, so it's a little small for her now, but she still sleeps in it when she's not feeling well, or when she wakes up in the middle of the night. I highly recommend it!!

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S.

answers from Spartanburg on

I have a friend who used this product with her children. And she loved it. She didn't want the baby in the bed because she worried about rolling over on her, but she loved having her so close to her bed, and it did make night time feedings and changing a lot easier. Good luck.

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J.F.

answers from Indianapolis on

R. - i used the mini cosleeper for both my kids (3 and 1). in my opinion, it was well worth it. VERY convenient for nursing, since it's same level as bed, feels like you're co-sleeping w/o the worry of rolling onto your infant, plus, it does fold up and travel if you have to go for an overnite visit. my favorite part was that being a 1st time mom sometimes i just needed to reach over and touch the baby to calm my mind w/o even having to get out of bed AT ALL. i should also tell you that a lot of my friends also bought pack n plays with the bassinet feature to mimic the same type of scenario. i guess it depends on how much room you have in your bedrm (pnp is a LOT bigger), and you don't get the same "closeness". on the flip side, though, a pack n play would be a great alternative - grows with your kid, so it would save on buying 2 different items. hope that helps. have a healthy rest of your pregnancy...

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S.F.

answers from Charlotte on

We used a co-sleeper, but not that particular one. I dont know if this is relevant, but we really enjoyed the closesness it provided with our son. He slept in it until he was 4 months old, and now we're done with it and he's in his crib. We bought a 'bedside bassinette' that has a cosleeper unit attachment, changing bag, vibrations/sounds/lights and mobile. He LOVED it. We didnt use the mattress that came w/ it, we bought a thicker one and beefed it up - he could have fit in it longer, but we decided to graduate him to his crib at 4 months, and we slowly transitioned him away from our bed, into our room, then into his. I loved how it was mobile enough to do the transition. Target sells the one we have - here's a link:
http://www.target.com/gp/detail.html/ref=br_1_4/601-###-#...
in case you want to get some addn'l options. If you look at the link, click to view a larger image, and it will show you how it converts into a cosleeper.

Good Luck!

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S.O.

answers from Charlotte on

I didn't use that particular co sleeper, but did use a co sleeper. Definately a good investment. But you can also use your crib. My sister finally just did that with her last baby. That's if you can remove the whole side of your particular crib. Defiately easy if you are breastfeeding to have the baby right there. co sleeper, or crib pushed up against your bed very helpful.

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R.T.

answers from Los Angeles on

I LOVE this. I used with both of my boys until about 5 1/2 mos. I had the same issue you have. My boys are 22 mos apart. Then when they were done I used it as a playpen. I think it's a good thing to have. Its great for breastfeeding.

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T.P.

answers from Charlotte on

I personally did not use one just because of the weight limit. Instead I bought the Greco Pack N'Play since it has a pad with a solid bottom that can be raised for the use of a newborn and then can be dropped down as they get older for a play pen or travel bed. It also had a changing table that was off to the side so we could simply raise our newborn up on the very safe changing station, change him, feed him and lay him right back down. The Pack N'Play system folds down into an easy to travel and store bag.

The other thing you can do which helped me make all my choices for what I purchased prior to our baby coming was the Target or Babies R Us site actually has consumer star ratings on most every product with comments. The detailed comments from other users were very helpful. I think one or both sites actually transfer over to Amazon.com for orders but you should see what I am talking about.

Hope I have been of some help

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J.S.

answers from Charlotte on

Hello!

We used the Armsreach co sleeper and it was a good investment. My twins slept in it for three months before they moved to their cribs. It was great to have them that close and made feedings easier. The pockets on the side were good for holding a note pad to track their diaper changes, feedings, etc. Now we keep the co sleeper at my mother-in-law's house for visits. They are a lot larger now, but if you remove the top pad, it's a good napping place for one baby. We use a Graco Pack n Play as well at her house.

I do suggest considering the space you have from the side of the bed that you attach it to and the nearest wall. If the side of the bed is near any furniture or a closet door, make sure that you have moving room around it. Best wishes!

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L.S.

answers from Indianapolis on

I loved it! It was great to have the baby right by me through the night - for nursing and also just for the comfort of being right there if the baby gets fussy during the night. I was able to use it until my little ones started rolling over, then I didn't trust them to be in it anymore and not somehow roll themselves out of it, so I switched them to a crib. But it also converts to a port-a-crib, and it's also wonderfully portable to take wherever you might need a crib to go with you.

Good Luck!
L.

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M.

answers from Sioux City on

Hi R.. I used the Armsreach mini co-sleeper with our little boy and I just loved it. It was so nice to have him right next to our bed and be able to lean over and check on him during the night. It was, by far, our best investment. Good luck with the new baby.

M.

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M.P.

answers from Myrtle Beach on

We used the mini cosleeper (since we have a small bedroom) and loved it. So convenient for breastfeeding and soothing a colicky baby, and easier to get to baby than a Pack 'N Play, which we originally tried. We definitely recommend it.

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H.

answers from Charlotte on

I did and loved it! We plan on using it with our second child as well.

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A.H.

answers from Fort Wayne on

We used this for our first child, but decided to buy a regular pack and play with an infant sleeper for our second. My opinion is the co-sleeper took up way too much room attached to our bed-- hard to crawl around in the middle of the night. Also, putting baby to bed before we went to bed was challenging, as I would always manage to wake the baby just by crawling by him. Once the baby can pull themselves up, you also have to worry about them crawling into your bed unsupervised. Plus, the bottom of the co-sleeper, which is supposed to convert into a playpen, was very hard and uncomfortable for the baby. It is very difficult to pack up for travel as well-- not nearly as easy as a normal pack and play. It also does not have wheels, which makes it very hard to move. Another thing- it does not accept regular sheets- only special sheets made for this co-sleeper.

It was absolutely the best thing we did to move our 18 month old out of our room before our 2nd baby was born. We moved him before the baby was born so he didn't feel like he was being replaced. Not to mention I was waking every night visit the bathroom, and seemed to shake the bed no matter how hard I tried to be quiet! Our second slept in the pack and play until my son was ready to move into a toddler bed.

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J.S.

answers from Greensboro on

We used one for my now 3yo and I absolutely loved it. It ended up being used much past the newborn stage. Very convenient for night nursings too.

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J.H.

answers from Myrtle Beach on

Hi there! We actually had bought a $150 pack and play with all of the bells and whistles, but sadly, the bassinet part will only hold the baby up to 15 lbs. and I had to get out of bed to get to my son for nursing (which wasn't that fun as I was recovering from a C-section. We ended up selling our pack and play and getting the Arm's Reach CoSleeper which my son ended up sleeping in for the first 7 1/2 months of his life.
It's tons more sturdy and will hold infants up to 30 lbs in the bassinet part!!! It also has the padded mattress that is used for the bassinet and then goes into the bottom as well.

It also converts to a playard and we have used it for that as well. We loved it. I am actually ready to sell mine, it's in fabulous condition. It is NOT light, therefore not wonderful to travel with (but it can be done). Anyhow, if you're interested, please message me. :) Have a great day!

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