Co-sleeper or pack and play???

[Oct.Mom]

Hello,
I am expecting in Oct., so I am trying to determine what we will need when the baby arrives. I am looking at the co-sleeper and the pack and play and trying to decide which one would be better/useful??? Could anyone give me their input to what they like or what worked best for them??
Thanks,
Mother to be

[olim]

For the first few weeks we used the Close & Secure Sleeper from One Step Ahead and then moved Madeline to the Pack-n-play. I really liked the co-sleeper but I really didn't want to spend so much on it knowing that Madeline was only going to sleep in our room for a couple of months. The Sleeper was only $49.99 compared to over $100 for the co-sleeper.

Using the Close and Secure Sleeper and Pack-Play was perfect for us.
Link to Close and Secure Sleeper http://www.onestepahead.com/product/27203/217761/117.html
SAHM to Madeline Penelope Jan. 9 2004

[loewymartin]

I can't compare since we had a bassinet and a PNP. I can say we used the bassinet for a few weeks, but still use the PNP to visit grandma, etc. We would bring it to friends houses for Alia to sleep in too (we never co-slept). I think it depends on how you plan on sleeping with your child. I personally think the PNP was a great purchase for us as we're still using it 2 years later!

(Ours has the bassinet attachment as well as the tent - we used the bassinet a few times, but hardly ever used the tent!)

Michelle - Mom to Alia born 5/16/02

[matthewsmom]

We ended up getting the co-sleeper as a gift from my inlaws when DD was about 3 months old. By then he wasn't sleeping with us so we really didn't use the co-sleeper portion of it. However, the Arms Reach co sleeper that we have also can be used as a bassinet and also as a PNP. We use to travel in and love it. It is very sturdy and he didn't complain in it when we traveled. I was nervous b/c he is such a picky sleeper but he slept through the night fine. I wished we had it earlier so we could have used it as a co-sleeper b/c he was sleeping with us for the first 3 months. I was always nervous about him getting hurt in our bed. HTH!

Carolyn
Mom to Matthew 7/19/03

[JMS]

Hi,
My DD outgrew her bassinet but I still wanted her in our room at night... although I knew that I only had about a month before she reached the max weight limit on the PNP, I decided the PNP was a better option for the money. Since I really wanted to eventually start putting my DD to sleep in her crib, I thought the PNP would work out long enough. So far the PNP has worked out great (it's been about a week) and although I can't give you a good comparision (since I've never actually tried the co-sleeper), I will share one thing that I'm glad I added to the basic PNP. After reading a few positive posts on these boards, I purchased a Colgate PNP mattress from kidsurplus.com (about $22) and the Koshies (sp?) flannel sheets. They make the PNP so much more comfortable. I just felt like the thin mattress with the hard backing that the PNP came with was too firm especially as my DD got more heavy. I probably could have skipped the traditional bassinet all together but I do like the cozy feeling it seems to give.

I also have heard that the co-sleeper is harder to put together and take apart. I originally purchased a Baby Trend PNP from BRU but it was hard to put together and even harder to take apart, so that was returned the same day for a Graco PNP (I got the Jackpot version b/c I knew I would never need the changing table feature). I had it together in less than 5 minutes and I think it will be great for visits at the grandparents..

HTH!