Bedside cribs and co-sleepers that will change your nights

1		Chicco Next 2 Me Side Sleeping Crib	L94xW69xH83cm	Price: ££		Check it out
2		Tutti Bambini CoZee Bedside Crib	L92xW69xHx56cm	Price: £££		Check it out
3		SnuzPod 3 Bedside Crib	L100xW49xH95cm	Price: £££		Check it out
4		Maxi-Cosi Iora Bedside Crib	L93xW55xH74.5cm	Price: £££		Check it out
5		Babylo Bedside Cozi Crib Cheapest	L95xW82xH70cm	Price: £		Check it out

Becoming a mother is a time of joy during which your heart fills with more love and happiness than you ever thought possible. Your wide-eyed, finger grabbing, soft skinned bundle of warmth, noise and poop is simply perfect.

Laying in the hospital bed next to your gorgeous little bundle in their funny, plastic bedside crib; that’s when it hits you. The enormity of the fact that this baby is coming home with you and you’re going to have to keep it healthy and happy for, well forever!

Feeling anxious and worried about your tiny child is natural and normal, so don’t worry about worrying. There are many things you can do to stay away from ‘Panic Stations!’ and co-sleeping with a bedside cot or a ‘next to me crib’ is one of them.

From one Mother to another, these are my co-sleeper cot and bedside crib recommendations.

Chicco Next2Me Crib

The Chicco Next2Me Crib was one of the first co-sleeper baby beds on the market. I love the adaptability, versatility and size of this bedside crib.

The soft, calming colours available are neutral and would suit any room, though to be honest it’s such a great product it could be sky blue pink with yellow dots and parents would still buy it.

Why choose the Next2me bedside crib?

• A 3-in-1 concept which can be cleverly used as a bedside cot which can be attached to the side of the bed, as a separate Chicco crib for older babies or as a travel crib (it’s only 8kg and there’s a handy bag included in the price)
• The side sleeping crib design has six height options and fold away feet so it will attach safely and securely to most beds.
• When in stand-alone mode, the Next2Me crib is easy to move and then secure with sturdy braked wheels.

What I love most about the co-sleeping crib that Chicco have so thoughtfully designed, is the size of it. It’s still neatly compact so that you’re not tripping over it as you get up to go to the loo. However, the mattress is 50% bigger than the vast majority of Moses baskets.

Most new parents buy a prettily, flounced wicker Moses basket to find that it lasts about five minutes before baby’s feet are at the end. They also feel a little rickety on their wooden stands and well, most babies don’t really like sleeping in them!

Most retailers will also sell the Next2Me crib sheets which were designed by Chicco to fit their bedside crib perfectly.

The Tutti Bambini CoZee bedside crib

This practical and stylish baby cosleeper won a respected Mother & Baby Magazine Bronze Award, a prize which means a lot to many UK mums.

Why choose the Cozee bedside crib?

• Value for money. It can be used up until your little one is sitting up and, much like the Chicco crib, the mattress is large.
• Six step height adjuster means this co-sleeper crib will fit onto most beds and the clever attachment system is simple to use. One reviewer thought that one quick look at the instructions was enough for her to operate the crib quickly and with one hand, so helpful when you have a baby on your hip.
• A shelf for nappies and wipes for easy access in the night. Never have storage solutions caused so much excitement than when you’re a new parent. Am I right in assuming that your house is now covered in cotton wool, muslin squares and endless, bamboozling amounts of stuff!
• Easy to wash. A zip off and on washable liner means that it’s super easy to whip off any icky covers and stick them in the washing machine.
• Foldable: easy to fold flat and compact. You can store it easily between two kids.

Parents of babies with reflux or a snuffly nose will adore the incline option on this clever co-sleeper crib. It lifts at one end just enough to aid digestion for sicky babies and congestion for those suffering from a cold. Not having to use a nasal aspirator ugh to suck snot out of a tiny nose at 3am HAS to be a good thing.

SnuzPod 3 Bedside Crib

The SnuzPod 3 is the third version of this cute co-sleeper crib. The company who make it are constantly looking at their customer’s likes and dislikes and altering their design to suit. I enjoy any baby kit company who listens to parent’s feedback and the reviews from parents buying the SnuzPod 3 for second and third children repeatedly applaud Snuz for this.

Why choose the SnuzPod 3 bedside crib?

• The SnuzPod 3 is the best bedside crib in terms of being lightweight. It’s so easy to carry from room to room that you could use it as a bed for daytime naps downstairs. The bassinet is easily detached from the stand making it even more portable.
• Rocking stand: you can soothe your baby easily in the crib.
• Height adjustable to allow you to adjust it to the correct height of your bed
• A new innovation with this bedside crib is that it has virtually transparent mesh on both sides. This makes it extra breathable and you can very easily see what your little treasure is up to. It’s a lovely idea but then they can also see you easily to and an eye-open shuffle back to sleep could turn into a ‘Oh look, there’s Mummy, let’s play!’
• Made from high-quality English solid wood. An increasing number of parents are wary of products made from plastic and other artificial material so this is a great product for them.

The benefits of using a co sleeper or bedside crib for you and your baby.

• Better sleep for both you and your baby. Closeness creates comfort and relaxation easing you into blissful, peaceful dreamtime. Your sudden urges to check on the baby are easily fulfilled and they will feel reassurance from having Mummy and Daddy so close.
• Matching sleep patterns. You, your partner and baby will find sleeping together synchronises your bedtime and wake up times. The cues of when it’s time to go to bed and when it is acceptable to wake up for the day (NOT 4am!) will be learnt much quicker by a baby sleeping close to you.
• Breast milk regulation. Should you be breastfeeding your newborn then being close to them as much as possible creates a consistent, constant milk supply.
• Ease of feeding and changing. Leaning over to gently lift baby out of a co-sleeper cot right next to your bed is easy and quick and you will both stay warm and baby is more likely to settle quicker.

Have you chosen your perfect cosleeper?

The bedside cribs that are available to parents of new babies have developed a huge amount since the first parent decided to shove a drop-side cot up next to their bed and create an oasis of sleepy calm.

I believe that these three arm’s reach co-sleeper examples are the ones I’d be choosing to put my baby to sleep in. They do everything you need them to do and do it well.

Sleep is the ultimate obsession of nearly every new parent you will ever meet. Anything that will guarantee a good run of unbroken hours of shut-eye is essential baby kit.

Our articles on the ‘Best Cots’ for your nursery and ‘The Best Baby Pods’ will give you the advice and information to ensure that each transition to a new bed will be stress-free and lead to sweet dreams for everyone.