Co sleeper cots. Arms reach....?

[Dandelion75]

Luckily I'm getting loads of baby stuff passed on to me from my SiL, so have decided to splash out on the one thing I really have my heart set on - a proper co-sleeper cot. The arms reach looks great here but my questions are;

• Does anyone know of an actual retailer where I can see one before I buy? Seems pretty much the online NCT shop is the only place to buy.
  

• Does anyone know how long this is likely to last the baby? Presumably longer than a crib or Moses basket?
  

• My thinking was getting a full cot size meant it would last longer, but could it be just too big for a newborn?
  

Sorry for dim questions but I'm a first timer!
Thanks

[LookAtHerGo]

Hi, we bought a cosatto close to me cot for my DD. She was in it from the very first night at home. The benefit to it over the link you posted is that it is a normal cot size. I think we bought it from boots but I'm on my phone with limited browsing capabilities whilst watching said child yes she looked tiny in it at first, but for us it's meant not having to buy after she's outgrown a smaller one.

[FloJo151]

hi i had an arms reach co sleeper and it was great (a friend gt it for me off ebay)
I found it great as id had an emergency section. It doesnt fit flush to your bed though like the proper big bedside cots do. The side that flips down is still higher than the mattress so the is (at a guesstimate) 4/5inch lip. So you cant just 'roll' the baby back into it but it is easier than lifting them back into a moses basket or crib and it will last longer. I loved mine and used it for both children. They were both in it til about 5 months (they were both big babies and they still fit at 5 months).
i had the arms reach co sleeper mini. it was also great to take away as it was smaller than a travel cot.
if space in your bedroom is an issue than the arms reach is a good choice although you would also need to get a normal cot/cotbed y 5ish months. If space isnit an issue than a proper size bedside cot would prob be best as it would just be the one purchase and you could use it as a bedside cot, a normal cot in the childs on room and when they're a bit bigger take the side back off and use it as a cot bed.
If getting a nornal sized proper bedside cot than you will need to make sure there is NO chance of baby getting stuck imbetween your bed/mattress and the cot mattress.
HTH

[LookAtHerGo]

Oh yes and it was cheaper than the arms reach one, I think about £200.

Mothercare also do a bedside cot, which we originally ordered but they screwed us over with delivery and didn't let us know it was out of stock even though I'd stayed in all day waiting for it!

[Dandelion75]

Thanks for all the replies. Glad I asked about the size of the arms reach flojo as we have plenty of room in our bedroom so ought to probably find something bigger so will last longer. I had seen the cosatto lookathergo and it looks ideal but apparently it's been discontinued

Going to go to Mothercare and take a look at the bedside cot - at least I should be able to see it for myself before deciding.

[YesThisTime]

We got one from John Lewis and paid for next day delivery when we realised DS had no intentions of sleeping in a Moses basket. Unfortunately, he refused to sleep anywhere but on my bosom for some months so it was a bit of a waste. It looked lovely though, and was great for storing all my middle of the night bf snacks and drinks.

[MistressIggi]

Bednest is pricey but great - lasting us till 6 months.

[sweetkitty]

We have the Cosatto bedside cot someone else linked to, it's been fab it does fit flush to the bed, its on it's third child now and is still like new, DS is just about to come out it in the next few months, he's 2 1/2 just now and fits in it fine.

[upinthehills]

You need to search for "bedside cots" i bought a cossatto one second hand from Gumtree , wiped it down with milton, bought new mattress and sold it 2 years later for £60!

[upinthehills]

Oh and never bothered with moses basket

[sweetkitty]

mine will be going on Gumtree just shortly

Mixed emotions, noncore babies to put in ir

[kalidasa]

After long deliberation between the options we have got a 'Babybay'. My understanding is that it will last longer than a Moses basket but obviously isn't a full-scale cot. With the babybay though you can buy additional pieces to convert it into a little chair or playpen later on, and otherwise the resale value seems v. good - we bought ours on ebay.

Reasons I went for the babybay in the end over other models - I preferred the wooden rather than cloth design, I liked that you could get the fourth side for it so it can be stand-alone if you want, it does fit flush to the bed and as well as varying the height to match your mattress (ours is quite high) it also has a bolt to lock it securely to the bed-frame (which a lot of them don't). Space was also a consideration for us as we don't have loads of room around our bed.

Possible drawbacks - the distinctive shape means you have to improvise a bit with cot sheets etc. Though we were lucky and the lady we bought from on ebay threw in a set of sheets etc she had made herself to fit. Ours also came with both the fourth side and a set of castors, both of which I think you usually have to order separately.

Searching for 'bedside cot' and 'bedside crib' on ebay is actually quite a good way of getting a sense of the range of models.

Baby not yet born so can't report back on using it! It looks nice though.

[howdoyouknowjenny]

I had one a Troll one from John Lewis. But TBH he ended up in with me most of the time. The side goes back up really easily so handy for daytime naps and the beginning of the night.