Tell me about using a co-sleeping crib

[Elephantgrey]

I am looking at getting a co-sleeping crib for when my baby is born.

I really like the look of the Chicco next to me but am looking at other options as well.

Can you tell me your experiences of using a co-sleeping crib. Did it work for you? How do you make sure you co-sleep safely. What about when the baby is too big for the cot did they move into their own room?

It would be nice to hear people'a experiences.

I could never get the hang of feeding my LG in the Chicco. Also she would not settle unless she was on my chest or right next to me, so it was kinda pointless for sleeping. It WAS useful for nappy changes and storing drinks/snacks/nappies etc! We bought it second hand (bought a new mattress though) so I didn't feel too put out at its lack of use. I resold it at the same price I bought it too. Once my LG got to 3/4 months we moved it to the end of the bed and used it as a Moses basket, by that point she would settle for the first half of the night in it. She outgrew it by 6 months and we put a cot at the end of the bed and she transitioned fairly easily into that. She's 9months and still in our room. We probably won't move her out until we move house (hopefully soon!!) as she's still waking multiple times per night

I strongly recommend the Ikea Gulliver with one side down - same effect and can be reconfigured and used until they’re about 4!

In terms of safe bed sharing, UNICEF have some good info:

www.unicef.org.uk/babyfriendly/baby-friendly-resources/leaflets-and-posters/caring-for-your-baby-at-night/

We used the Next to Me. I would definitely use it again. We ended up putting a Sleepyhead inside it as the mattress was very firm (as to be fair, it’s meant to be) and he just didn’t sleep in it the first few nights until we bought the Sleepyhead. That meant that there was no way I could roll onto him or anything. I breastfed and I would pick him up out of it, feed him then I could slide him back into it and extract my arm (eventually!) so not co-sleeping and the laying down feeding, which even now at 16 months neither of us likes! But I didn’t have to get out of bed. Initially I loved being close enough to hear his breathing all night but after a few months I felt we were waking each other so I used to roll onto the other side of the bed after I’d fed him (DH was generally in the spare room!). We then moved him out of the Sleepyhead and then at about 5.5 months out of our room into his big cot in a desperate hope that he’d sleep better (he didn’t!).
In summary, I’d use it again if we had a second!

Was going to but got a cheap second hand Ikea cot instead with a new best mattress available for far cheaper and then adapted it to be a co-sleeper. Meant it hasn't been outgrown.

I loved our next to me. I didn’t master feeding lying down but it was easier to do night feeds without having to lift DS over the side of a cot and I liked being able to see him.

If he needed settling in the night when a bit bigger, I’d shuffle over so I was almost in it with him and cuddle him back to sleep then roll over to go back to sleep myself. We used it until he was 9 months but he was a small baby so yours may outgrow it sooner. Now we just have a cot with the side off against the bed because he still needs feeds/comfort in the night and I’m too lazy to get out of bed to do so I don’t see why you couldn’t just do the cot thing from the start to be honest, we just didn’t think of it!

We also took it away a couple of times and it was SO much better than a travel cot.

I used a Moses basket for dd then a next to me for DS. The bedside crib was so much easier. We could see each other and just shush him or put my hand on him to get him to settle. I also didn't have to get up for breastfeeding.

My ds is tall but didn't grow out of it too soon, they're bigger than a basket. They're more expensive than a basket but you can rent one from NCT or sell it in afterwards.

As for safe sleeping, I felt it was safer than co-sleeping. You can't roll over onto the baby and they won't be rolling whilst in them for six months.

We have the next to me. I love it. Live that baby is so close and able to put dummy in, put my hand on him and let him know were here without lifting my head! I would recommend completely

Hope and joy thank you for the safe sleeping guidelines. That is the sort of thing I was hoping for. We don't want to bedshare as we are concerned about safety but want to have the baby as near as possible.

We have already got a cot bed as we were able to get a second hand one for a very good price. So we could look into adapting it.

It is good to hear that they hold their value if you do want to sell them.

I used a Waldin Co-Sleeping Crib: www.amazon.co.uk/WALDIN-Bedside-Co-Sleeping-adjustable-untreated/dp/B00BY2WVKU?tag=mumsnetforum-21

I was put off the Next to Me after reading comments on here about babies growing out of them by about 4 months and difficulties rolling them through the gap once they reached a certain size. Even second hand they seemed really pricey for something that wouldn't be used long.

The Waldin has been fab. My son slept in it* until his was 6 months (it would have been longer but we went travelling for 5 months in a campervan - although he had his own bed, we took it in turns to sleep with him). Now he's 13 months old and happily sleeping in a cot in his own room. I still have the Waldin in the side sleeper configuration next to our bed. It's been really handy when he's been poorly, or teething or just having an unsettled night.

Having my son sleeping next to us was perfect for us. It made night feeds easy. It was also easy to settle him without having to get out of bed.

For the first four months my son actually spent about half the night either sleeping on my chest or my partners. We both enjoyed the closeness and felt the contact was beneficial for our son too.

I miss him now he's in his own room and I'm secretly glad when he has to come back in with us!!

I used a next to me for both mine....I worried about the duvet going in it but we just pushed it over to my hang off the other side of the bed. I never fed lying down but easy to pick baby up, sit up and feed in bed then pop baby back in. I also slept holding hands with both of them or with their face resting on my hand.

My eldest was in it until 7 months then went straight into a full size Ikea cot in his own room (had been doing naps in there and transferred easily). Second is in a sleepyhead so that just got put in the bigger cot

We used a Knuma Huddle 4-in-1, I highly recommend it - main reason we chose it over the Next to me and Snuzpod is that it was the only bedside crib high enough to fit our (very large and high) bed.
After it’s outgrown (in our case 6-7 months) it can be converted into a desk and bench for a toddler/child, we did this and use it for our 3 year old.