Next2Me

[Penguin27]

We've bought a Next2Me crib for the baby when s/he arrives, and I just have some questions please.

Do we need to buy a mattress protector? I read somewhere that they're not safe as they restrict airflow, but I don't understand how this would be as surely the mattress doesn't allow airflow anyway? I was looking at this one (link below), but it has elastic bands which go over the corners of the mattress, which look a bit dangerous to me!

http://www.jojomamanbebe.co.uk/night-breeze-next-to-me-matreess-topper-d4802.html

Also, when putting baby down for a nap in the day, does the side of the crib need to be up or is it ok to have this down and attached to my (empty) bed? Does the guidance about having the baby sleep in the same room as you apply to daytime naps?

As you can tell, I'm a FTM

I used a Next2Me and loved it!

Didn't have a mattress protector but really wish I had the night DD projectile vommed EVERYWHERE. It's a pain to clean and getting the cover off was impossible - I used every cleaning method going and eventually it was ok, you'd never know. If you use a mattress protector you could also use a mattress cover sheet like you would a bed so the elastic bits won't be an issue. As for breathability we used a sleepyhead in our Next2Me so DD wasn't on the mattress directly anyway so not sure how this would be impacted.

We used to have her sleep in the bouncer downstairs with me during the day until 3 months when she wouldn't sleep for being disturbed. Then I started putting her in the Next2Me, still attached to the bed in our room and would just check her every 10 minutes. There was a lip up to our bed (I think it says no more than 2 cm in the instructions) and so she wouldn't have just rolled clean out. Plus she was still in the sleepyhead anyway so couldn't roll.

The guidelines for SIDS do mean all sleeps including daytime naps up to 6 months, so it's up to you how strictly you follow this - it was the only guidelines we didn't follow and decided this worked for us and our baby. If you want to have her with you for all sleeps you'd be better having some sort of downstairs Moses basket/sleepyhead/pram carrycot set up as moving the Next2Me downstairs and reattaching to the bed will be major faff. Or you could sit with them while they nap in your room.

Good luck with your new arrival!!

I didn’t have a mattress protector, but should have as Dd did a HUGE poo one night and it went bloody everywhere so we have a lovely stain from that.

Naps, I had a Moses basket downstairs from when she was tiny and she would sleep in that. When she was a few weeks older I popped her upstairs in the Next2Me with the side down and she slept fine in that for daytime naps. That also meant I could have a shower (take the monitor with you).

It all went to pot at 4 months when she had a massive sleep regression and decided she would only sleep on me and continues to do so at 11 months 😂

Hippy chick mattress protectors are really good, no plastic or elastic. I also use a flannelette sheet over the mattress protector, then a top sheet so anything is absorbed and doesn't run off the mattress.

I used a Little Green Sheep mattress protector, it just lies on top of the mattress under the sheet, no elastic but was slightly smaller than the next2me mattress. Glad I had it as it soaked up al sorts and washed nicely.
Our baby napped in her pram downstairs but I (after the early days when i would crash out at 7pm) used to put her to bed earlier than us in the next2me with the side down as I figured the lip where it attached to the bed was enough to stop her rolling out, and put a monitor on. Not strictly guidelines but it worked for us.
Congratulations on your impending baby!

Thanks for your replies! Ok, looks like a mattress protector is a good idea. I'll have a look at the hippy chick and little green sheep ones, thanks for the recommendations.

Our pram has the lie-flat carry cot so that will do downstairs for naps to start with.

Can second the little green sheep ones.
We had a Moses basket downstairs for naps but she mainly naps on me.

You can get breathable mattress covers.

Yes, the safe sleep guidelines apply to all sleeps, including day time naps.

I didn't use a side sleeper, but I believe the side is supposed to go on if they're ever left in it unattended. There was a 7 week old baby who died a couple of years back because she was left unattended with the side off 😔

Just to follow What Spam88 says, yes you do need to be careful with any product you use around your baby. But so you don't panic, here's the link to that story if you want to know more about what happened - www.madeformums.com/news-and-gossip/bednest-nct-stops-selling-bedside-crib-following-death-of-7-week-old-baby/37770.html

There were many factors including the crib being secondhand (not recommended), baby was put face down and the side was much higher up than in the Next2Me (it was a Bednest that was being used).

The safest way to do anything is follow the instructions/guidelines to the letter - but sometimes you can tie yourself in knots panicking and stressing when that isn't necessarily working for you. Do your research, and do what you feel is right because only you will know what that is for you and your baby.

Oh that's really sad thanks for the additional info user, that's helpful.

I used my Pram top on a Moses basket stand downstairs with me for the first 6 months. I had the Next2Me but just put a towel over the mattress and under the sheet. Worth noting that you can keep the cot on a recliner for reflux/colds. We had a very refluxy baby so was permanately if 45 degree angle. She slept in it for almost a year.

I use a hippychick cot-sized mattress protector with my tutti bambini cozee. It's too big, but the fitted sheets for the mattress control the excess fabric and it means i won't have to buy one for the cot when she moves into it.

Now I just need to get Dd to actually sleep in the cozee.