arms reach mini-co-sleeper

[booboobunny]

hi, i'm wondering if anyone else has this product and can give me the benefit of their wisdom please.

i have just had my third child and purchased this item to allow me to co-sleep with the new baby without stopping my other 2 (aged 3 and 4) plopping themselves into our bed in the night if they want. it seemed the perfect product for us and i've been really excited about using it. however i've come to set it up and to be honest i am now really a bit scared of it. it has so many caveats and warnings attached to it that i'm worried about using it in the co-sleeping position.

chief warning is never leave your baby unattended in it? well i want to put her down to sleep in it in the early evening and come to bed a bit later myself. the warning suggests this isn't possible. also i can get the co-sleeper level (at best) with my mattress but definitely not below it, which the warnings state is preferrable. our bed doesn't seem unduly low so i must be doing something wrong? or misunderstanding the instructions?

of anyone else has any experience of this product and its limitations i'd be really pleased to hear from you as at the current time i'm a bit fearful of using it in the co-sleeping position making it a very expensive, small travel cot really. thanks

We bought the "universal" but I imagine the idea is the same.

I also found the warnings unsettling. It seemed like every time they noticed a problem, rather than redesigning, they added a piece of velcro and another xeroxed sheet to the instructions, of course with DANGER OF DEATH OR SERIOUS INJURY if you don't follow the instruction.

Despite the warnings, once it was set up it didn't seem like a death trap. We used it for a long time and it worked fine. Like you, I would settle my DD and leave her (UNATTENDED) in the cosleeper until I went to bed. I think it's for up to 3 months in the cosleeping position? I don't know, but obviously at some point it won't be safe for a baby that can sit up, like anything else. I worried a bit about the warning but I think any product for babies says not to leave them unattended.

It's quite nice to wake up in the morning and peek at the baby, who has a big grin on her face because she's watching you wake up. . .

I can't help with assembly -- I remember the instructions weren't clear and the illustrations were by someone who couldn't draw. Ours did wind up lower than our bed, though.

Don't know if I'd buy this again if I had it to do over -- I thought I would use it as a travel play pen but it's way too heavy.

We have the mini too, bought fairly cheap second hand on ebay. I too was a bit at all the warnings but I think it is just an American thing as obviously in the US all babies are intent on killing themselves with their cots then suing the manufacturers!

We have a really high bed and the cot is just below the mattress level but I think you could maybe remove some of the plastic off the feet to make it lower?? We have it strapped to the bed with the ties supplied so can't see how it is anymore "unsafe" than any other cot to be honest. We leave DS asleep alone it in for a few hours every night before we go up to bed.

On the whole I have been happy with the cot but I think it is a bit expensive at full price, especially as I don't think it will last us much longer as DS is HUGE and rapdily outgrowing it....

thanks for your thoughts. i too bought mine on ebay - it wasn't exactly cheap, but it was local and i really liked the look/idea of it!
i did use it last night wedged between the wall and the bed, so it's going nowhere! it doesn't really do the job i thought it would but it does allow some degree of co-sleeping while allowing my other little folk to crawl in the bed too.
i have taken the feet and wheels off but it still comes up a bit high. we have a memory foam mattress and i think they come up a bit thinner than a traditional sprung mattress, which is maybe why i can't make it match the manufacturers instructions. i am grateful for your reassurances though as i was genuinely thinking i'd just resell it and use my moses basket (which i hate and so have both my previosu babies!). i think i'll give it a proper try now and just keep an eye on all the safety aspects.
thanks again for you thoughts.

Hey I have the universal and came to the conclusion that the warnings were just US scaremongering - after all a child is technically unattended if you are asleep!! I leave my DD unattended in hers which I shower etc - however O don't have it attached to bed - instead I raised the nearside slightly and just have it close to me. She has slept well in it (through the night) from 4 weeks so must be doing something right!