A co sleeper is an ideal interim solution for parents who do not want to or cannot sleep with their children in a family bed. In this article information about cosleepers and how you can make one yourself.
What is a co sleeper?
A co sleeper is a cot with 3 sides. The open side faces the parental bed. You can buy them ready-made or make them yourself. The most famous co sleepers are those of Arm’s reach.
Co sleepers are often used to breastfeed smaller babies. The big advantage here is that the mother does not have to get out of bed to breastfeed. She can breastfeed while lying down or sitting with pillows on her back and put the baby to sleep peacefully in the co-sleeper without getting up.
You can also use a co sleeper as an intermediate step to your own bed. For example, the child can lie in bed with the parents if he needs physical contact. Parents do not have to rush to their child’s room during nightmares or nightly crying spells, but can comfort their child in their bed. As soon as the child mainly sleeps in the co-sleeper, it is time for his own bed.
How do you make a co sleeper yourself?
Considerations
There are various manuals on the Internet. With some common sense and skill you can turn any cot into a cosleeper. However, there are a number of points to consider:
- Firmness: the bed must not wobble and must be able to bear the weight of the child.
- Safety: there should be no sharp edges or screws protruding which could injure the child.
- Safety: there should be no gaps or holes where the child could get stuck (like between the 2 mattresses for example).
- Safety: the bed must not slip and must be firmly attached to the parental bed.
- Comfort: the child must lie comfortably on a pleasant mattress.
- Comfort: the child must have its own blanket.
A simple cosleeper
Necessities:
- baby bed (eg “Sniglar” or “Gulliver” from Ikea)
- screws
- sturdy strip (s) to reinforce the side
- tie wraps or sturdy textiles or screws to attach to the bed (depending on the parental bed)
Method
- Remove the side of the cot.
- Attach the slat (s) to the side with screws (to prevent the bed from wobbling)
- Secure the co sleeper to the parental bed with tie wraps (use enough) or sturdy fabric (tighten very well so that it does not stretch) or screws. There should be no play between the co sleeper and the parental bed.
- If the mattresses are not at the same height, you can place a rolled up towel or blanket against the highest mattress so that the gap between the mattresses is closed.
- Make sure that there is no play between the mattresses by, for example, putting a towel or blanket between the side and the mattress.