Side beds are very practical and offer a lot of advantages to both parents and the baby.
For babies, especially in the first months of life, it is reassuring to be able to sleep next to their parents and most parents can also sleep better near their baby. Especially for breastfeeding mothers, a side bed offers a special advantage. If your baby wakes up hungry at night, you can easily pull him or her close to you and nurse comfortably in bed.
In this guide, we would like to introduce you to 5 recommendable baby beds. Our checklist and the selected product recommendations below will help you make the right choice.
Table of contents
The Bestsellers Of The Side Beds For Babies
In this bestseller list, we have compiled the most popular side beds for babies for you.
Checklist For Side Beds For Babies
- An extra bed for babies is closed on three sides and open on one side. With the open side, it can be pushed directly to the parent bed. It is important that the height of the slatted base of the baby crib matches the mattress height of the parent’s bed.
- For addedsafety, the crib should be able to be attached to the parent’s bed.
- With many models it is possible to convert the extra bed into a normal baby bed with a separate crib. Additional castors give more flexibility. It is ideal if the bed can be converted into a comfortable sofa for playing once the child has outgrown the crib.
- Typically, baby beds can be used from birth of the child until the age of about 15 months.
- Cribs for babies are usually made of wood. Beech in particular, enjoys great popularity here.
- Wood is an extremely stable and natural material. However, regardless of the type of wood chosen, the wood should not be treated if possible: Lacquered or oiled wood is often less health-friendly.
- Most beds come with a slatted frame.
- In some models it is a real slatted frame, in others a simple wooden plate.
- Wooden boards have the disadvantage that air cannot get to the mattress from below. The poor air circulation causes that the mattress can mold. Therefore, the mattress should be regularly aired in baby beds with a wooden plate as a slatted frame.
- The slatted frame should definitely be height adjustable. Ideally, it should be infinitely variable so that the baby’s lying surface can be optimally adjusted to the height of the parent’s bed. In addition, the baby bed can later be used as a seat.
- If the baby crib has wheels, it can be pushed anywhere like a bassinet. Make sure that the baby crib with wheels is equipped with a brake.
- Some baby cribs already come with a mattress. Often these mattresses are not soft or thick enough.
- We advise you to take a close look at them, and if in doubt, replace them with a mattress specially designed for babies.
Recommended Side Beds For Babies
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Current Offers Of Side Beds For Babies
Here you can find a collection of the current offers of side beds for babies.
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Side Bed Advice
Which Side Bed Suits Me?
An extra bed is really a worthwhile purchase, because it not only lets parents and child sleep better, but also prevents you from having to get up at night when your child wakes up and cries.
I think a lot of pregnant women underestimate how exhausting it is when you have to get up several times a night to hold and soothe your child or put them to your breast. And then, completely overtired and hectic, you quickly buy an extra bed, which is then often not so good, or does not fit your needs. Therefore, I would like to help you here in deciding which extra bed suits you, because there are a variety of models with different strengths and weaknesses and in different price segments
Basically, we can distinguish between side beds that are really only bought for use in the first few months and side beds for long-term use.
You Only Want A Side Bed For The First Few Months?
You Are Type A!
Maybe you already have a baby bed, but you still want to have an extra bed for the first months? Then it should certainly not cost so much. That’s why I recommend you two extra beds, which are available on average for under 100 euros and have a top price-performance ratio.
The Fabimax Basic Extra Bed
The Fabimax Basic rollaway bed has a comparatively large lying surface and therefore offers your baby more space to sleep, which means that it can also be used as a rollaway bed for a little longer than other models. If desired, it can also be easily converted into a baby bed with the necessary accessories.
The Fabimax crib is made of untreated alder and comes with both a matching mattress and a cozy nest.
The attachment of the Fabimax is very easy due to hooks and the stepless height adjustment. It even fits parents’ beds with up to 5 cm edge easily and without transition.
The Fabimax crib is a great, easy-to-use product that comes at a great price.
The Dreamgood Extra Bed
The Dreamgood rollaway bed is characterized primarily by its high quality at a comparatively low price. You can’t really go wrong with this bed. It is a real TOP recommendation.
The extra bed from Dreamgood is infinitely height adjustable and made of solid beech. It complies with the European safety standard DIN EN1130-01 and the paints used for the different designs of the bed are all tested for harmful substances. The included mattress and cozy nest are also high quality and washable.
The Dreamgood side bed can also be converted into a practical bassinet with the matching locking gate and castors. It is however, narrower than the Fabimax Basic rollaway bed and is therefore really only suitable for the first months of your baby’s life.
You Want To Use The Extra Bed For As Long As Possible?
You Are Type B!
For type B, there are several side beds that come into question. Her too, you should think about whether you want to use the bed primarily as a side bed or in the long term also as a baby/child bed or in other forms.
You Want To Use The Bed In The Long Term As A Side Bed Or Also As A Baby Bed?
Then you need an extra bed that is as large as possible so that your baby has enough space to sleep for many months. The Fabimax Basic, the Babybay Maxi and the Roba Room Bed are suitable for this. Even if you decide to convert it into an independent baby bed, this is possible with all these models.
Fabimax Basic
The Fabimax Basic rollaway bed is continuously height-adjustable and also adapts well to beds with an edge up to 5 cm wide. It has a comparatively large lying surface and can therefore be used longer than many commercially available smaller models. With the right additional accessories, it can also be easily converted into a normal baby bed. With its good price-performance ratio, the Fabimax is a good investment that you will be happy about in the long run.
Babybay Maxi
The Babybay Maxi is a very versatile bed and can also be used as a high chair, a seat for children or a normal baby bed in the long run. Its size makes it suitable for twins, or for long-term use as an extra bed for single children.
Babybay Maxi extra bed has good air circulation due to air slits in the bottom. It is also sturdy and made of natural solid beech wood, which has both antibacterial and antistatic properties. The Babybay Maxi is also GS tested and only paints that are completely free of harmful substances are used. A great sustainable bed that I can highly recommend.
Roba Room Bed
The Roba Room side bed has a fabric wall on the side that is normally open on side beds, which can be easily opened with a zipper. This allows the Roba Room Bed to be used as a standalone crib at any time without the need to buy extra accessories. It also has a large lying surface, which is why it can also be used as a baby bed in the long term.
The bed from Roba seems comparatively high-priced at first glance, but for that you get a full-fledged side bed and baby bed including a matching mattress, a cozy nest and even bedding and a canopy to go with it. Roba also offers some nursery accessories in matching design to the bedding.
The Roba Room bed is 6-way height adjustable and is suitable for beds with a lying height of 22 cm to 43 cm. It is also a very high quality bed. The fabrics comply with the Oeko-Tex Standard 100 and the bed has the GS seal. Due to the integrated slatted frame, the bed is sufficiently ventilated.
You Want To Use The Extra Bed Flexibly For Many Years?
Then you should choose a model from Babybay. Babybay beds, both the Babybay Original
and the Babybay Maxi, are versatile thanks to various extension sets, so that not only you but also your child can enjoy them for many years.That’s what the models from Babybay can be used for.
- Extra bed
- Baby crib
- Bassinet
- Playpen
- High chair
- Baby seat
- Doll changing table
- Painting table/play table
So they are very versatile products that you and your child will benefit from for many years. In my opinion, a great investment if you want to buy more than just a side bed.
Extra Beds Info
Why Do I Need A Baby Crib?
Especially in the first months of his or her life, your baby needs a lot of closeness and the right crib guarantees that. This allows you and your baby to lie right next to each other and still both have enough space to sleep. In addition, many mothers worry that they will turn the wrong way at night and won’t get a wink of sleep. With a rollaway bed, however, your baby is safe and close to you in its own little bed. So side beds offer the perfect combination of safety and closeness.
And you will quickly appreciate this, because when your baby wakes up at night, you don’t have to get up. A rollaway bed allows you to stay comfortably in your bed and pull your baby over to you to soothe him or take him to your breast. Therefore, side beds are especially great for breastfeeding moms.
What Should I Look For When Buying?
There are a few aspects that you should pay attention to when buying a side bed, which I would like to explain to you here again in detail.
- Attachment
- Size Of The Lying Surface
- Quality
Attachment
In general, it is always an advantage if the extra bed is infinitely height adjustable, because then it can be easily adjusted to the height of your bed. However, this does not mean that the 6-step height adjustment must be a direct exclusion criterion. Just remember to pay close attention to how high your bed needs to be so that it really fits without transitions in this case. Because transitions can be a risk of injury and are also uncomfortable.
When attaching it, make sure that the extra bed is really securely anchored without transitions. The secure attachment is given in all of my top 5 recommendations.
Size Of The Lying Surface
Before buying, think carefully about how long you want to use the extra bed, because the smaller the lying surface, the shorter you can only use it, otherwise your baby will not have enough space. Often it makes sense to buy directly a bed with a larger lying surface, because when you buy it, you actually can not know how your baby and your sleeping habits will develop and it would be annoying if the extra bed becomes too small before you are ready to stop sleeping next to each other.
The Quality
As with all baby and children’s furniture, you should place a special emphasis on the quality of the materials used. They should be free of harmful substances and built from sturdy materials for safety.
A good sign is the Oeko-Tex Standard 100 certificate and the TÜV or GS seal.
In addition, the extra bed should offer sufficient possibilities for ventilation to ensure good air circulation and thus a good sleeping climate.
FAQ For Extra Beds
How long you can use your extra bed depends on the size, of course. Smaller beds are suitable up to the age of about half a year, while larger variants are quite suitable for children up to about 1.5 years. Especially practical are combination solutions, i.e. cribs that can be converted from a side bed to a free-standing crib. If you need more detailed information and/or help with the selection, feel free to check out our guide article with comprehensive checklist and helpful recommendations.
How long you should use the extra bed is individual. Especially combination solutions that can be converted into a crib or a place to play are practical. If you need more specific advice and want to see helpful product recommendations, check out our guide article.
Mattresses need to be of high quality, because babies spend most of their time lying down. Of course, you must also pay attention to the correct dimensions. To make your choice easier, you can take a look at our guide, where we present the best baby mattresses and list all the important buying criteria.
How high the extra bed for your baby should be depends on the height of your bed. Therefore, cribs that can be continuously adjusted in height are good. It is important that you can attach the crib to your bed to ensure maximum safety.
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