Review: Baby Bunk wood cosleeper
August 14th, 2008When we were looking for a cosleeper, the first (and basically only) option we found was the Arm’s Reach cosleeper. Arm’s Reach is essentially the only player in the cosleeper market as far as I could tell, and all of my mama friends had one and recommended them. But as it turned out, none of their models worked for our european-style Ikea bed, which has no box spring and is only thirteen inches off the ground.
We weren’t too bummed about that, because looks-wise the Arm’s Reach is a very utilitarian-looking metal/plastic/nylon structure in the same vein as a Pack ‘n Play - you’ve probably seen one already, they are everywhere:
Say what you will for functionality, this is not one of those droolworthy baby items.
And then I happened to spot an ad in the back of a Mothering magazine for a wooden cosleeper called The Baby Bunk. The photo was admittedly a little difficult to visualize from:
But it fit low boxspring-less beds, was in wood, and could be turned into a bench for kids later. It cost $295, more than the $220 for an Arm’s Reach, but figuring it was made from wood, that seemed fair to me. I gave them a call and found out I could actually rent it for $40 a month. RENT! I could return it whenever I wanted, no storing needed! For a baby item with a shelf life of three or four months, I was sold.
The woman I talked to was the owner and couldn’t have been nicer; don’t let the homemade vibe of the website worry you - I recommend calling instead of bothering with email, if you’re interested at all. She walked me through the details and had me take measurements over the phone to make sure it would work.
When it arrived, it turned out to be a beautiful, solid piece of furniture the advertisement photo didn’t do justice to (see our photos below for a better idea). It attached securely to our bed frame without a hitch and was fantastic for the four months we used it. When we were done, all we had to do was package it up in the box it arrived in and call for a UPS pickup.
You’ll need to buy the little mattress (and sheets), that isn’t included in the rental:
If you have a standard bed setup with a mattress and boxsprings, there is a different system for attaching the cosleeper that is similiar to the way the Arm’s Reach attaches. For ours, we paid $15 for the frame clips for our non-standard bed frame:
The feet are individually adjustable in case your floor isn’t level (like ours):
We put blocks in the photos to show scale; it’s definitely fairly narrow and won’t go beyond four months before the baby’s arms whack the sides (unless your baby is still swaddled at night):
I think the big bed mattress is technically supposed to rise above the edge of the cosleeper, but our mattress is so low-profile it didn’t do that - which I actually loved, because it was easier to maneuver the baby around.
So, we say go for it if you’re looking for an alternative to the Arm’s Reach. It’s not cheaper, the plusses are more about having a furniture-like cosleeper and, if you rent it, not having to decide what to do with it when you’re done.
So, to repeat myself: fits low beds without boxsprings, is in natural wood with a non-toxic finish, can be rented, or turned into a bench for kids. And no plastic in landfills when you/your mama group are really, really finished with it.
Now, if only there was a similiar scheme available for all those other things, like prams and infant car seats, that you can only use a few months!
Tags: arm's reach, Baby, baby bunk, bed, cosleeper, crib, review, wood
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August 22nd, 2008 at 3:55 am
Thank you so much for this post! I’m expecting in late October and have been very curious about this product but was having difficulty finding feedback from parents who have actually purchased it — other than the comments on the website. I love that it is a more attractive, smaller, yet functional alternative to the Arm’s Reach. Your review has persuaded me to go ahead and rent this. One question: It looks like you used it without the bumper - did that ever present a problem?
August 22nd, 2008 at 8:59 am
Congratulations on your baby! We arranged for the rental right around the same time you are, so it would be here plenty of time in advance. It was no problem at all not having the bumper. I should say that we didn’t get the bumper because of SIDS fears - everything I read said not to use them, period, so I followed that advice. To be frank, I think the bumpers would give it a cozier and warmer vibe, but wouldn’t actually serve any purpose past that. When our little Capucine got past three months, she was moving her arms enough to knock a hand into the side from time to time, but it was never enough to make her cry or anything. (She wasn’t at the age where she could arch and squirm enough to get her head near the side until she had outgrown it by at least a month.)
I should probably say here that one of the biggest functions of this bed was peace of mind that she wouldn’t fall or roll out of bed - she wasn’t moving at all, but that didn’t keep me from being afraid of it happening. Having the bed there instead of open space reduced my anxiety a lot, which is a big plus in anxiety-filled first weeks in my opinion. (Another reason to skip the bumpers - as soon as the baby arrived, my fears of SIDS mushroomed and I would have been tearing them right off if I’d had them.)
This bed was also a ‘trial crib’ for us, to let us try out sleeping arrangements. Ultimately, at night she spent her time at my side nursing laying down, and much less time in the Baby Bunk. When I told our midwife’s office manager we were going with a cosleeper so the baby could be ten inches away from us at first, she replied “Trust me - ten inches will be way too far”. Which turned out to be the truth. So renting was a big plus for us because it let us discover what we preferred. It was impossible to visualize ahead of time.
My entirely personal opinion is to choose the crib you want, but don’t purchase it until the baby is too big for the baby bunk. That will give you some months to navigate the absorbing realm of what sleep structure works the smoothest for you.
I guess I still had more to say on this product, thanks for the inspiration! I’ll try to move my comments up into the post, now you’ve inspired me to write so much. Best of luck and hope this little bed is as nice for you as it was for us.
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April 11th, 2010 at 9:38 am
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