Manufacturer's Notice
http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml11/11187.html
This review is for the Universal Bedside Co-Sleeper, which is exactly the same as the Original except it's sized for beds that are 18-24 inches tall (the Original is sized for beds that are 24 inches tall and taller).
After only a few weeks of using a traditional, high-sided cradle for our baby (who gets up to nurse several times in a night), we decided that we needed something to make moving the baby between her bed and ours easier. We chose the bedside co-sleeper and we haven't been disappointed.
The low side of the co-sleeper is level with our mattress, and the mattress of the co-sleeper is about 4 inches lower than that. This means that when my baby wakes in the middle of the night to nurse, I only have to lift her four inches to get her into my bed. I don't even have to sit up to manage this. Plus, since there are no bars or slats between her bed and mine, when she's fussy at night I can easily reach out a hand to soothe her or find the pacifier she's let slip from her mouth. The four outside pockets (one on each short end and two on the long end) are convenient for holding burp cloths, extra diapers, baby wipes, etc - everything I need for late-night feeding and changing.
Some reviewers have complained that the mattress is too hard. Actually, I found that the mattress is padded but lumpy. This is because it's designed to fold up (so the co-sleeper can be portable and fit into a travel bag). I solved the problem by putting a Quilted Multi-Use Pad on top of the mattress underneath the fitted sheet. The quilting helped smooth out the lumps and make the mattress more comfortable without making it so soft that I'm worried about a smothering hazard. Also, the pad is good protection for the mattress in case of nighttime accidents, since the mattress is made only of cloth with no plastic cover (unlike typical cradle mattresses). Be sure to buy at least one extra fitted sheet when you purchase the bed (one is included with the bed itself) since regular crib or cradle sheets won't fit.
My only complaint so far is that the solid fabric sides of the co-sleeper prevented me from hanging my baby's crib toys on the bed. Otherwise, I've found this bed to be an absolute lifesaver and the only kind of infant bed I would recommend.
