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113 of 114 found the following review helpful:
 Fantastic alternative to a traditional cradle May 23, 2005
By Morgan's Mom
This review is for the Universal Bedside Co-Sleeper, which is exactly the same as the Original except it's sized for beds that are 18-24 inches tall (the Original is sized for beds that are 24 inches tall and taller).
After only a few weeks of using a traditional, high-sided cradle for our baby (who gets up to nurse several times in a night), we decided that we needed something to make moving the baby between her bed and ours easier. We chose the bedside co-sleeper and we haven't been disappointed.
The low side of the co-sleeper is level with our mattress, and the mattress of the co-sleeper is about 4 inches lower than that. This means that when my baby wakes in the middle of the night to nurse, I only have to lift her four inches to get her into my bed. I don't even have to sit up to manage this. Plus, since there are no bars or slats between her bed and mine, when she's fussy at night I can easily reach out a hand to soothe her or find the pacifier she's let slip from her mouth. The four outside pockets (one on each short end and two on the long end) are convenient for holding burp cloths, extra diapers, baby wipes, etc - everything I need for late-night feeding and changing.
Some reviewers have complained that the mattress is too hard. Actually, I found that the mattress is padded but lumpy. This is because it's designed to fold up (so the co-sleeper can be portable and fit into a travel bag). I solved the problem by putting a Quilted Multi-Use Pad on top of the mattress underneath the fitted sheet. The quilting helped smooth out the lumps and make the mattress more comfortable without making it so soft that I'm worried about a smothering hazard. Also, the pad is good protection for the mattress in case of nighttime accidents, since the mattress is made only of cloth with no plastic cover (unlike typical cradle mattresses). Be sure to buy at least one extra fitted sheet when you purchase the bed (one is included with the bed itself) since regular crib or cradle sheets won't fit.
My only complaint so far is that the solid fabric sides of the co-sleeper prevented me from hanging my baby's crib toys on the bed. Otherwise, I've found this bed to be an absolute lifesaver and the only kind of infant bed I would recommend.
49 of 49 found the following review helpful:
Love the co-sleeper Apr 09, 2008
By novchyld
I researched sleeping options a LOT before my baby was born. I came across arm's reach and decided this would be the way to go for us. My baby took to the co-sleeper immediately...only to hate it a few days later. I completely gave up hope on the co-sleeper, hoping it wouldn't be a complete waste seeing as I could use it as a play pen. At about 4 months, my little girl decided she liked the co-sleeper after all and she has been sleeping in it ever since. I love having her so close to me and night time feedings are a breeze.
Just because Arm's reach talks about easy night time feedings does not mean that your baby is going to magically appear by your side everytime you have to feed. You obviously have to lift him/her out of the co-sleeper to where you are sleeping. So, people looking not to move a muscle at all to get your baby fed at night will have to keep looking. For others, this is SO much better than dragging your groggy self to the crib and lifting the baby out. I absolutely love the arm's reach co-sleeper and will be keeping it after my baby's done with it for when I have my next!
pros:
1. Having baby close to you, knowing she/he is safe and only an arm's reach away.
2. Feeding in the night. You don't have to get out of bed AT ALL.
3. Waking up to that beautiful sleeping face in the morning, nothing beats that!
4. Can be used as a stand alone bassinet and changing table, too.
5. Converts to a play pen for when baby grows out of the co-sleeper position. (holds up to 30lbs as a co-sleeper and up to 50lbs as a play pen)
cons:
1. The terrible sheet. Coarse and thin. Instead, I use Eddie Bauer's playpen sheet. Eddie Bauer® Quilted Playpen Sheet - Ecru They fit perfectly, wash really well, are soft, thick and cheaper than the co-sleeper sheets. To keep baby safe, I also added the basic comfort sleep positioner. Basic Comfort Sleep Soundly My little girl stays on her back through the night and I sleep with peace of mind.
2. Yes, it takes up quite a bit of space next to your bed, making getting out of bed a little bit of a challenge. I had quite a difficult time maneuvering myself out of bed every morning right after the delivery but I'd definitely choose that over getting up and walking, on very little sleep, to baby's crib everytime she cried or wanted to be fed. It just depends on what's more important to you. After a month or two, I got used to it.
3. Packing it up into its bag is a huge struggle.
Update (january 2012): My now 4 year old used the arm's reach as a co-sleeper and then as a play pen, which held up very well. After she outgrew the play pen, we packed it in. We've now hauled it out of storage for baby # 2! It is still in excellent condition. I've now bought American Baby Company Organic Interlock Pack N Play Sheet to use with the arm's reach. The sheets are soft, of good quality and a great price!
45 of 46 found the following review helpful:
 Hard to assemble but still perfect baby bed for master bedroom Nov 20, 2005
By newmom05
I have the Original Co-Sleeper and love it despite a few issues.
*I'll admit it was difficult to assemble (but I did it by myself at 9 mos pregnant so it can't be THAT hard). The directions were a little unclear and the buttons for the bars were difficult to find.
*The "mattress" that came with it is thin and very hard. Other people have complained about it, but I just purchased a portable crib mattress and put it on top of the co-sleeper mattress. It works great.
*It is hard to get out of bed with the co-sleeper beside you. I had to scoot down to the foot of the bed if I needed to get up.
*When I converted it from co-sleeper to bassinet, I had trouble raising the bar to the top slot.
Despite these issues, it has been the perfect bed. When my son was very new, I used it as a co-sleeper right beside my bed. However, I did not use the recommended straps to secure it to my bed because we have carpet (not slippery hardwood floors) and
the thing is so heavy, it wouldn't budge even when I tried to slide it around.
Eventually I got tired of trying to get out of bed by climbing around the co-sleeper, so I raised the co-sleeping bar and slid the bed into the corner of our master bedroom. My son is still very close by, but I don't have to climb over a huge baby bed to get up. The co-sleeper is also the perfect height. I don't strain my back getting my son in and out of it. My son is now 4 mos. old and still sleeps in the co-sleeper just fine, but I will have to change his sleeping arrangements when he begins pulling up.
It may not be the easiest to put together or convert, but I would definitely recommend it.
27 of 27 found the following review helpful:
Sturdy, attractive, and versatile Aug 04, 2006
By M. Langley
We received the original co-sleeper as a gift. We also considered getting a mini co-sleeper and a pack'n'play or similar playard.
The main advantage of the co-sleeper is that you can attach it to your bed so you can reach your baby without getting up. The original co-sleeper can also be used as a playard. The playard capacity is up to 50 pounds, most brands are only rated to 30 lb. Similarly the bassinet level rating is 30 lb. and most brands go to 15. The co-sleeper itself is about 2 or 3 pounds heavier than a typical playard. The width is 28" so the co-sleeper can go through our 29" doorways without collapsing, unlike several playards that are around 31".
There is a trick to collapsing the top bars - you have to pull the bar upwards when you press the buttons, then it's easy. (otherwise you can push until your thumbs are purple and nothing happens) This is explained on their website and SHOULD have been included in the manual.
I had a lot of reservations after reading other reviews here but am glad I chose to keep the co-sleeper and expect it to use it constantly. Also, the Arm's Reach canopy is really strong and beautiful and I'm confident it'll keep the cats out.
32 of 33 found the following review helpful:
safe and close Jul 17, 2004
i found this very nice. close at hand to keep baby near. i wish it was about 1 inch taller. but it is so nice to have our daughter next to us and to know that she is getting the benefits of sleeping near us but with out the fear of us smothering her. very easy to set up and take down.
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