For those who used the Arm's Reach

[Lila]

I decided on the mini. Don't ask me what I'm basing my decisions on! But I just had to pick something, so I went with the classic mini in the "tan dot" pattern.

Think the mini is better than the regular? What about the clear-vu?

Ugh! So many decisions.

Also, how many of you replaced the sheets and mattress for the organic kind? They sell them on the Arm's reach site - maybe the organic cotton or the brushed cotton sheets are a little softer?

[soontobe]

I got the regular because I am hoping to be able to use it as a play pen when my ds gets a little bigger. I just stuck with the regular sheets and got an extra one-they seemed just fine to me
good luck

[kijip]

We got the mini because our room is not the largest. We ended up with pink because that is what a friend was selling for cheap and we figured what the heck. I did not bother with organic sheets/mattress.

As it turned out, the thing totally did not work for us. F flat refused/refuses to sleep in it so I have taken some pictures and when I get around to it I am going to list it on Craigslist for a few bucks.

Here's hoping it works better for you than us! A lot of babies like them, ours just did not and we are ok with just sharing our bed with him for now.

[ThreeofUs]

We have the mini. Both DSs refused to sleep in it. But it works pretty well as a bed side protector and stores all the monitors, etc., that I have there to deal with a cosleeping baby. ;)

Try it. You never know - some babies love them.

[pastrygirl]

I have the mini, but had to "train" my son to sleep in it. He wouldn't sleep outside my arms at all for a few months. I trained him by buying a sleep positioner, and moving him back/forth from my bed to the co-sleeper. The positioner kept his ambience the same as I moved him, so he didn't notice. (No crying, though! It wasn't that kind of training.) Eventually I was able to ditch the positioner and just move him to/from the co-sleeper to nurse in bed.

I used king-sized pillowcases as sheets for the mini. They work perfectly!

[poppy]

My DS loved it and so did I. It was great knowing he was right there and I pumped, did not BF the traditional way, but still it was great. I got the mini but I wish I had gotten the regular b/c it only lasted him 3 mths. The regular lasts for 6 mths. But I probably would have preferred a Universal that can last up to over a year, per a rep I spoke with at Arm's Reach. Most likely, your DC will get used to it, if you put them in it right away, when you get home from the hospital. Don't put them in your bed or a crib, otherwise, they may not like it as much.

I used thin quilts and towels for bedding and just used the sheets that it came with. I bought extra sheets from BRU but found them to be of poor quality.

I don't know about clear-vu.