It’s been over a month or so since I last posted on Brighton Mums. It’s been a bit of a whirlwind and now I have a newborn son with all the new experiences being a family of two brings.
Froglet was born 4 weeks early and for the first day he slept super well. Of course that was the gas and air, pethadine and epidural still in our systems yet in day two his little body was jaundice and so a whole new sleep pattern came. The next few days meant sun bed style lights either below or above his body to try and flush it from his system. We stayed 5 days in hospital when neither of us got much sleep. As you would expect I couldn’t wait to be home and in our own beds.
That’s right our own beds….
With my 4 year old we fell into co-sleeping early on. It was a natural progression to the pick up and put down to sleep of the cot. Breastfeeding on demand meant shorter sleeps and co-sleeping meant we could cuddle, feed and sleep without the crying when parted to sleep.
With Froglet I was keen to have some element of this again but with the market changing in terms of cots we found 2 companies with bedside cribs that allowed a co-sleeping element whilst also having our own space.
The Bednest can be found on the NCT website. There is a choice to buy or rent. With a rental costing £80-£100 for up to 7 months this is a great choice for those who don’t want to splash out or don’t have the storage space after the crib has finished use. Great for those, like me, that know they won’t be rushing to have another child. The buy price is £299 which is quite costly if you are only just finding it after already having children. The crib comes with a new panel and new mattress with every rental and can be delivered the very next day. It’s simple one move to make up the base (which can tilt too) and the same to make the main crib. Add the side panels and it’s good to go. I found this very easy to pop up and the crib was quite spacious. The only downside for me is that the mattress did have a gap of around 1-2cm between the sides and where the mattress goes in. The see through side panels are great for seeing baby but may create an element of too much space as they are on both sides. 
One side panel comes down completely to create a co-sleeping space next to your own bed and the other can fold in half or do the same. Perfect for when baby starts to roll and you get a bit worried about them rolling into your bed without you knowing.
For more information or to get questions answered you can follow @bednest
The second co-sleeping crib we are trying and one which has become our main co-sleeper is the Snuzpod from The Little Green Sheep. At less than £180 this comes with or without a natural mattress. I have to say this is both a hit in comfort and looks. The mattress is a lot firmer than those that are foam based but you are benefiting from natural products that are good for baba.
The snuzpod doesn’t come as easy to put together as the Bednest. However it took about an hour to put up - this included breastfeeding breaks. The crib is not as wide as the bednest and I think is makes our Froglet feel secure. It’s only open panelled on one side too. The white fabric goes right around and the final panel is the zip down co-sleeping panel which is easy to lay down or zip up. It also rocks which is a great addition especially when settling a newborn.
It comes in lighter than the Bednest which means it’s easy to take the crib off and move into our living room when needed too.
Overall both products are great for co-sleeping although at the moment the Snuzpod pips it for us. Both give that element of co-sleeping without bed sharing. My main test is whether I could breastfeed while Froglet was in his own bed. I have found that easy in the Snuzpod and less so in the bednest due to the mattress gap.
Before you think about co-sleeping please visit these websites and get advice from a health professional. My experience is mine alone and I made sure I knew the risks and benefits before co-sleeping. As froglet was premature there is also added risk to consider so it is always best to speak to someone first before making your decision.
http://www.lullabytrust.org.uk
http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/pregnancy-and-baby/pages/sleep-problems-in-children.aspx
http://www.independent.co.uk/voices/comment/dont-pressure-parents-on-cosleeping-its-the-only-option-for-some-people-8631275.html
