We didn’t realize it before baby was born, but our sleeping arrangement was everybody’s business. We received opinions, solicited or not, from just about everybody we talked to. Apparently, this single decision would determine the outcome of the rest of baby’s life. No pressure, though.

After giving it a lot of thought, we decided to use the Arm’s Reach Mini Co-Sleeper. It seemed like the best way to balance having baby near enough to make sure she’s still breathing at any given moment while keeping our bed to ourselves and not having to worry about rolling on her or covering her mouth with the blanket. For baby’s first six months, this worked out great.

We liked a lot about it, including:

• it’s compact enough to fit next to the bed without forcing us to rearrange the furniture in our bedroom
• the side facing the bed drops down so that the parent sleeping next to it can reach in easily
• it’s simple and elegant, without frilliness
• it’s sturdy
• it folds up easily for travel
• it has a higher weight limit (23 lbs.) than a typical bassinet (usually 15 lbs.)

Pooky has since graduated from her co-sleeper. First to her crib, then, when she decided she’d had enough of that, into bed with us. It’s crowded in there now. I sure do miss that co-sleeper.

The best price we found online for the Mini Co-Sleeper is $128.95 at Baby Bungalow - this includes Free shipping.