Chicco Next2Me Crib: Review

I am going to hold my hands up and admit that I am probably a neurotic Mum! I think I get this from my Mum though...

I vaguely recall one occasion, when I was little, where I had tripped and landed face down on my nose. Pale liquid came out of my nose afterwards, which I now realise was probably just runny snot (sorry for the description), but my Mum was worried and stated it was probably my brains coming out my nose and took me to A&E.

Anyway, back to me being a neurotic parent. One thing I have been neurotic about is my baby's sleeping arrangements. My baby has pretty much outgrown his Cocoonababy (which I did a full review on here). I love the Cocoonababy, it has been magic for my baby's sleep and I am really sad he has outgrown it. I can put him in it and he will always fall asleep and get a good rest. He doesnt like going onto his back, flat sadly.

In addition to him sleeping well in the Cocoonababy it has meant that he has been able to sleep in bed next to me, while in the Cocoonababy. As it is raised and he is "strapped in" he has been able to be right next to me as my partner has been sleeping in the spare room (my poor husband was starting to fall asleep at his work desk due to night time feeds interrupting our sleep, so being a good wife I let him sleep in the spare room).

I have loved having my baby right next to me, safely in his Cocoonababy. But now that he has outgrown it I don't want to just co-sleep with him. I would be worried about the dangers without the "safer" option the Cocoonababy offers. But I don't feel ready to have him move to his large cot, further away from me.

I blame Google. You Google good baby sleeping practices and suddenly you are reading statistics about SIDs (and if you are like me, panicking!). I once Googled babies hiccuping in the womb (as Archie did that a lot inside me) and suddenly I was reading about how it was a sign of a knotted umbilical cord and I should consult my midwife ASAP... needless to say this wasn't the case but the hiccup/Google incident made me very upset.

But because of this, I was a bit desperate to have a way of having Archie stay closer to me, for a little longer. Luckily, I have a fellow Mummy friend who has lent me the use of her Chicco Next2Me Crib. Firstly, just a big thank you to that fellow Mum... and secondly, I am now one happy Mum thanks to the Chicco Next2Me.

Admittedly I have been eyeing the Chicco Next2Me since before Archie was born but we already had the Chicco Lullaby Travel Cot for downstairs, the Cocoonbaby and a Alma Bloom Mini Crib... I couldn't justify another £100+ for the Chicco Next2Me.

But borrowing it has been amazing, and so much appreciated. For those of you that aren't aware the Chicco Next2Me is a crib that allows a safer form of co-sleeping (well it is technically called side-sleeping).

The side of the crib comes down and the crib secures to your bed so that you can have the baby right next to you. But you aren't able to roll onto the baby and the slight "lip" in height difference between the bed and the crib means that baby is unlikely to roll onto your bed.

Having my son right there, in plain sight is so comforting. I have literally fallen asleep holding his little hand. It offers me peace of mind until he is that little bit older.

http://www.chicco.co.uk

On a practical note it is so easy to assemble, it took us only a few minutes. It could also be used as a travel cot as it packs away to a decent, transportable size. The side does come down but it is also secure if placed up (as if it was a normal crib).

The mattress doesnt feel too hard, just right, whereas I have found the Chicco Lullaby Travel Cot mattress does feel too hard (to the extent I think my son is finding it harder to sleep in during the day, as it is his downstairs/daytime cot).

A lot of the fabric fixtures for the Chicco Next2Me seem to be removable so they can be washed, this is important when your baby seems to be performing a scene from the Exorcist in his nappy!

And although I don't breastfeed myself I have heard that it is very useful to have for that, as you are able to feed in a sleeping position with the Chicco Next2Me.

Overall, I am really impressed with the Chicco Next2Me and am so grateful to have something which means he is still close to me during the night. I would highly recommend it.

This is not a sponsored post.