Which bedside crib for baby?

[strawberrylaces7]

Can anyone recommend which bedside crib to go for? Baby will be formula fed so the ease of breast feeding isn't necessary but still like the idea of being as close to the baby. I'm probably going to try and buy second hand if I can and just buy a new mattress.

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This thread is a little old now so some of the suggestions may be out of date, but if you’ve landed here looking for a crib or bedside co-sleeper, we’ve recently updated our best cribs page with lots of great options, as tried and tested by Mumsnet users and their babies. We hope you find it useful.
MNHQ

I’ve got the snuz pod, baby isn’t here yet so can’t say how useful it is but really like how it looks and it was easy to build. I was between that and the chico one

Speaking as a mum of 4 and baby/toddler sleep consultant- I would go straight to a sidecar cot, used from birth.

A sidecar cot is a normal, full sized cot with one side removed. Almost all cots are flat pack and very easy to remove one side from. Then just wedge it up to the side of your bed. Use a baby sleeping bag so you don't have to worry about Feet to Foot bed covers.

The fact that the cot is larger than the crib means that there is much more room for you to roll over from your bed and deal with baby in the cot.

Also, obviously cost effective since you will need to buy a cot anyway. No need for an additional crib.

Finally, babies tend to grow out of crib from 4 months old. No need to transition to anything new when you start off in the cot.

I used next to me for six months (which seemed bigger than snuzpod but otherwise they seem similar)

but i actually like @FATEdestiny’s idea of a sidecar cot as our DD was in the next to me for only 6 months as she got too big and it seems a bit of a waste!

she is now 2 and still has lots of space in her cot

agree also that a sleeping bag is much better (and possibly safer) than even cellular blankets - our DD kept kicking off the blankets even from a week old!

Hi, I've just bought the maxi Cosi iora. It looks nice (which to be honest was the main appeal) and also seems slightly larger than the others on the market (my first baby was 98th centile for height!).

We had the bed nest for our 2. It packs away small enough to go in your boot which is great for weekends / holidays. My big 6 month old still just about fits in it.

I have. Tutti bambini cozee to use this time. I’m only 26 weeks so haven’t used it yet therefore can’t comment on what’s it’s actually like. But I was recommended by several friends and I do love the look of it! X

@shouldistop

We had the bed nest for our 2. It packs away small enough to go in your boot which is great for weekends / holidays. My big 6 month old still just about fits in it.

We had a Bednest via the rental scheme with our first which was great but it doesn't look like they run the rental scheme anymore? We are gutted because we loved it but can't really justify the cost to buy one especially as we are unlikely to have any more after this one comes.

We've just bought a Next to Me although still 3 months til she's here. Was recommended by a friend but it's all personal preference and space.☺️

We have the joie roomie glide dlx. I think it’s brill, baby is only 2 weeks old so obviously not had long term use yet but I can’t fault it. It’s super spacious and she will fit in it for a good while. It also has a glide feature (which I haven’t actually used yet). It also can be inclined if baby has colic etc.
I had a c section and found it much easier to get her in and out of while I’m in bed, plus you can see her easily at all times.

@MeadowHay if you're anywhere near Glasgow then I'll be selling ours for a small amount to put in the kids bank accounts. We'll be done with it in a couple of weeks

All cribs should be one foot away from any furniture, including a bed.
It is not safe to sleep with a side down open to your bed.
This is because there is a danger of the baby rolling and getting caught in the furniture, as well as a danger of your duvet/pillows ending up in the crib.
I used a snuz pod myself for both my children, but safely.

Also blankets are not safe.

I'm currently using a Chicco Next 2 Me Air. I absolutely love having it as it is so easy to just see my baby in the night, but I don't necessarily think it's the best of its kind as it looks and feels a bit nasty - not the premium product you would expect for the money!!

We have bought a Snuzpod 4 for baby who is due next month. We have a really high divan bed and it was the only bedside crib which would go high enough to be level with the bed

We’ve just got a snuzpod for £50 off Facebook market place. Immaculate condition and we’ve just bought new sheets. Definitely recommend having a look on there before buying new

We got this one :

https://www.johnlewis.com/chicco-next-2-me-air-bedside-crib-titanium/p4921503?tmad=c&tmcampid=7&sshare=jlappioss_Y29tLmFwcGxlLlVJS2l0LmFjdGl2aXR5LkNvcHlUb1Bhc3RlYm9hcmQ=

My partners mum bought us a mini uno next to me crib second hand. I would have preferred a snuz or a Chicco but it is adequate. Spent £40 on a new mattress for it- had to order from a place that do custom sizes as it was so tricky to find.
I would recommend if you are buying second hand to first see how easy it is to buy a new mattress.

We had the snuzpod for DD1 but I won't get it out for DD2 until she is bigger as it's really large for newborn. We found DD1 slept much better in a Moses basket as it's much smaller. So I would say get a Moses to start with to be honest. The snuzpod is good though and looks nice I can't really fault it for what it is.

Hi @motleymop I have just bought the chicco next to me air, I am quite disappointed in its appearance, as there are massive labels hanging on the inside? Did you cut these off? Also I can’t seem to get the side down?? Any help would be appreciated please

Hi @day86. I know what you mean about all the labels. I have kept most of them (think I removed one big one) as I thought they might be needed if/when I pass it on. I've got used to them - the whole cot is hardly aesthetically pleasing! I don't know about getting the side down, but I do remember that the bits that the illustrations showed as clicking neatly together when the side was down just didn't.
I have to say I think it's pretty crappy for the money. I hate the way it's all rickety as well without tying it to the bed.
I bought a Bugaboo travel cot which is pricey but is just so much nicer - it feels really well made. I'd use it all the time but I can't see into it so easily from my bed (plus you can't elevate one end if you want to for reflux issues).

I've been looking at the next to me forever as it says it can be used up until age 4 as can transfer into a cot... dont know ifni would use for that long but knowing I could keep baby next to me longer then 6 months sounds good to me

@FATEdestiny

Speaking as a mum of 4 and baby/toddler sleep consultant- I would go straight to a sidecar cot, used from birth.

A sidecar cot is a normal, full sized cot with one side removed. Almost all cots are flat pack and very easy to remove one side from. Then just wedge it up to the side of your bed. Use a baby sleeping bag so you don't have to worry about Feet to Foot bed covers.

The fact that the cot is larger than the crib means that there is much more room for you to roll over from your bed and deal with baby in the cot.

Also, obviously cost effective since you will need to buy a cot anyway. No need for an additional crib.

Finally, babies tend to grow out of crib from 4 months old. No need to transition to anything new when you start off in the cot.

This does seem like an ideal solution (if you have the room) but is it safe? I think you'd need to be careful about ensuring the crib or bed couldn't move to create a small gap the baby could get wedged in, and also about the relative heights of the mattress of the two - I'm thinking about the bedside cots that were recalled because a baby got its head stuck at a lower height than her body and suffocated . Something like a next to me attaches to the bed and is height adjustable because of these issues and I think you could recreate this with a cot that wasn't made for this purpose but it might take a lot of thought and measuring beforehand.

I had the chicco lullago have happily used for 2 kids and folds away nicely. Doesn't seem like they do that any more but the chicco zip and go is the new version. Wish I had it it looks great! Easy to take with you so if you have a nice away when your baby is little you don't have to worry about settling them in a crib they are not used to