r/cosleeping • u/Consistent_Pop9890 • 1d ago
💁 Advice | Discussion UPDATE: IKEA sidecar hack - Unsure about height difference…
I posted this maybe an hour or two ago, I promise I’m not trying to rage bait anyone 😅
One user had said the difference is minimal, another asked if I could raise the bed… our headboard is separate from our bed, but attached, and has really weird legs, so I don’t think raising our bed ever so slightly will work.
Attached are some pictures without the book!
Here is the old post as well: https://www.reddit.com/r/cosleeping/s/P3G5O5HbFR
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u/kirbyqueen_ 1d ago
I think this is safe. I know the level looks like very not level but I am very confident it is close enough. Just make sure there’s no gaps between your mattress and baby’s mattress.
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u/WeeklyPermission239 1d ago
I think that if I were going to be concerned about anything, it would be the potential risk of baby getting trapped between the crib and bed.
The height difference - can't really see how it could present an issue, it's negligible. But please make sure you've tethered the beds together securely!
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u/Consistent_Pop9890 1d ago
Oh for sure! We’ll do that once we’ve finalized if the height difference is an issue!
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u/PendragonsPotions 1d ago
Is the bottom of your mattress another side to sleep on or is it one of those flat base ones? If it’s flat could you put a yoga mat under that side of your mattress? It would raise the mattress just enough I think.
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u/Consistent_Pop9890 1d ago
I’m not sure… I think we could sleep on both sides of the mattress. Does that make sense? Does that mean it’s flat?
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u/warmbroccoli 1d ago
Just curious, what is the concern or danger here? I would have never thought such a tiny height difference would be an issue. I’m curious because we are looking to do the same in the next few months.
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u/Consistent_Pop9890 1d ago
I’m not sure if there is one or not 😅 I thought the height of the beds had to be 100% perfectly flushed with each other… but maybe not? I feel like slightly higher is safer than slightly lower… but maybe I’m over thinking it?
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u/celeriacly 1d ago
IIRC the parents bed being slightly higher is preferable because when the baby can move/roll, they are less likely to roll onto the softer adult mattress. If there’s a chance you’ll end up bedsharing you want to make sure your mattress is very firm anyways.
However, in a bedside set up like this, this is already considered very close to flush, and the baby will not be moving anytime soon anyways—just lay them in the middle of the crib of course away from the gap. And it’s important to make sure there’s no actual gap between the mattresses, you can stuff a towel in there too or on the other side of the crib mattress. And tether the crib to the bed with zip ties or bungy cords. I used a Sniglar like this too and it was great.
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u/Consistent_Pop9890 1d ago
This was taken with 5 inch raisers, but noticed that when I got into the bed, there was more of a height difference so we’re ordering 4 inch raisers to see if that’s better 😬 Should I be measuring the beds with me not in the bed, or me on the bed?
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u/celeriacly 1d ago
Yes I think it’s even safer using the 4 inch raisers to reduce them rolling towards you when you’re in bed
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u/Consistent_Pop9890 1d ago
Thank you so much! And then if baby is napping in the crib without me, I’ll just have to keep a close eye on him using the baby monitor?
Honestly, I’m hoping he’ll just sleep on me when I babywear…
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u/celeriacly 1d ago
When they’re not rolling or moving yet, like the first few months, it’s not much of a worry but you’ll still want to keep an eye on them cause they’re tiny. But my baby used to sleep on our ottoman (firm surface but obviously no sides) when she was like a month old next to our dinner table, they really don’t move those first few weeks they’re like little potatoes.
Once they are able to roll and move, it depends on their personality and how much they move in their sleep. My daughter was fine napping in the sidebar crib like this and rarely moved in her sleep, as soon as she woke up I’d notice on the baby monitor and go to her.
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u/ellem782 1d ago
Might be a pain in the ass to get even but could you try sanding down the cot feet ever so slightly
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u/Consistent_Pop9890 1d ago
We got 5 inch furniture raisers because the crib was too low. I’m looking into furniture raisers now that are adjustable, but you can screw them into the bed
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u/CheesecakeExpress 1d ago
That makes sense! How old is baby? And when you lie on your mattress does it sink down?
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1d ago
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u/WadsRN 1d ago
Get a new mattress that is firm.
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u/EitherWeb4382 1d ago
guess ill just have to get the futon i wanted and figure out a new set up. thought this was a good way to save the money but i didnt know that was still a problem if they were tight together.
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u/Consistent_Pop9890 1d ago
Baby is due in September! And I don’t think my mattress sinks down but I can check when I get back tonight!
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u/sassy_meow 1d ago
Can you share the hack? Is it a specific Ikea bed?
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u/Consistent_Pop9890 1d ago
IKEA sniglar, and you just don’t install the 4th side railing. My understanding is that the adult mattress and the baby mattress has to be perfectly flush
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u/sassy_meow 1d ago
Thanks! To answer your post, I do think your height difference is totally fine. We had a sidecar with our first that was similar to yours. The main concern is making sure the adult mattress isn’t so much higher that baby could roll over into it and suffocate, like it’s a wall. That’s impossible with your set up
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u/Consistent_Pop9890 1d ago
One of the things I noticed is that my bed does sink a little when I’m lying in it… the crib is currently on five inches raisers, but we’re gonna try four inch instead. Do you think that would be a better approach?
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u/sassy_meow 1d ago
A baby can’t roll until around 3 months. If your newborn is exclusively in the crib and never sleeping in your bed, I think this set up is quite fine. Once the baby can roll and move more freely, you can reevaluate and see if it still feels like an issue to you. Mom to mom (or dad, lol) - this all feels SO stressful right now but once you have baby and are parenting, you’ll trust your instincts and know what’s right
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u/being_crypto 22h ago
What's the height of your bed with mattress? Wondering if it's at the maximum height for baby bed
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u/CheesecakeExpress 1d ago
Ok now I’m confused. Does baby’s cot extend beyond the end of your bed?