djningr's Full Review: Arm's Reach Mini Co-Sleeper
The big debate: Bassinet vs. Crib
Last spring before our son was born we were trying to decide what he should sleep in. Crib? Seemed too big and far away from us... Bassinet? Most of the ones we saw were round and bulky- just not for us... AH HA! We saw the Arm's Reach Co-Sleeper Bassinet-The Mini and it seemed like a perfect fit for us.
So what does it look like?
The Mini looks like a rectangle, basically a smaller version of a crib. In the set up of the Mini it attaches underneath the mattress, so that it fits snug up to the side of your bed. The side of the bassinet has a rail that comes down, but you can leave it up permanently because that rail will just be up against the side of your bed. We found that this bassinet fit between our bed and the wall quite nicely and just made more sense. We were looking for something that could put the baby near us (without putting the baby into our bed), but also for the convenience that would help those middle of the night feedings when I would have to roll over to get my son and we could nurse without having to get out of bed.
The setup:
When my husband put the bassinet together it was a fairly easy set-up except for the locking of the bars into place. At first it was difficult to see how they were supposed to lock, but after he got the hang of it set-up and tear-down went pretty quickly.
The process starts with unzipping the carrying bag and removing the bassinet. Unhook the Velcro strips and set the mattress to the side.
Then you must stand the bassinet and pull the posts apart, then lock the top bars. After that lock the bottom bars and place in the mattress with a sheet on it.
Every time that we used the bassinet we put in the mattress only with the mattress cover that came with it. We found that the mattress itself was pretty thin and fairly hard. But it didn't matter to us since we planned on our newborn sleeping on a wedge on his back and not directly on the mattress. (This made it easy for cleaning too. Whenever our son had an accident it was on the swaddlewrap or the cover on the wedge, so I never had to wash the mattress cover except for once at the end).
The bassinet also had pockets on the end that were big enough for a couple of newborn size diapers and a wipes container in the larger pocket and two small toys in the smaller pocket.
Also, if your bed is too tall you may need the extensions for the bassinet. Since, our bed was the right height, I didn't have to buy those and don't know what they cost.
Our experience:
We loved this bassinet from the beginning. It was so easy to care for our son with the bassinet. When he would awake and would be crying I could be lying in bed with my arm dangled in his bassinet soothing him without necessarily having to get him out. Nursing was great, no problems... my husband and I had a deal in which he would do the diaper (on the changing table in the other room) then bring him back to me then I would nurse him and my husband would go back to sleep. Then I would put my son back in the bassinet when he was done.
Other details:
The bassinet is meant for babies that weigh less than 23lbs and less than 26 inches. Believe me in that your baby will be too tall long before they would weigh that much. We had our son in our room for 2 months before letting him sleep in his room for the first time. He had gotten too tall for the bassinet and his startle reflex kept waking him up every time he touched the sides. He was ready for his crib in his room. I think the transition was harder on mommy and daddy than on him.
Also, this bassinet warns against using this when a child is able to roll over and pull him or herself up to a kneeling, sitting, or standing position. But, again, I can't imagine that being an issue since your baby will be taller than 26" and outgrow this long before then. The bassinet is 20"x 34"x 31" and accommodates adult beds that are 22-24" high (without the extensions). The carrying case and bassinet when taken down weighs 24lbs.
The only negatives...
The only negatives would be the hard mattress (which we didn't put the baby right on) and the difficult first time set-up.
Overall:
We love this bassinet and recommend it highly to all to who are expecting a baby. This bassinet fit our expectations and we hope to use it again if we are blessed with more children in the future.
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