Chicco next to me crib review

Hi ☺

I have mentioned this crib in a few posts now, including my newborn favourite post so I thought I would do a full review.

We got ours from mother care and we got it in silver, there are 3 colours...dark grey, pink and silver. We chose the silver because it matched the other furniture in our bedroom. 
I didn't actually put it up but I'm assured by hubby that it is very easy to do and everything just clicks into place...no screwdrivers needed.
The crib comes with a mattress which is good as we weren't sure what size mattress we would have needed. The mattress has a cover on it but some people also use an extra sheet just to make it a bit more comfortable for baby. The mattress is quite hard, especially compared to our mattress and the one in the moses basket. EmJ doesn't like being in the crib and we are actually wondering if it is because of the mattress as she is fine in the moses basket and if we put her on another bed while we change her etc she goes to sleep there too.

The crib can be used as a stand alone crib or can be attached to the side of your bed.if used as a stand alone, there is a side with mesh in it so you can still see your baby which I love as I do tend to panic a lot and have to keep checking on her. The height can be adjusted, and it can even be made to be on a tilt if needed. If it is attached to the bed, the height of the crib should match the height of your bed including mattress. The side with the mesh in it unzips and folds down so that the crib is like an extension of your bed and you can reach over and comfort your baby. There are straps which attach to the bottom of the crib and attach the crib to the bed so that it can't move. This is what we use the crib for most of the time.
The crib is bigger than a moses basket so can be used for longer, and the baby has more space to move in (EmJ likes to wriggle about in her sleep) while still being safe. The sides are also taller than those of a moses basket so the baby is less likely to be able to climb out when it gets a bit bigger.

I personally love this crib and think it is worth the money (I think we paid about £100 for it) as I like being able to be close to EmJ while she is sleeping but not be actually sharing a bed with her. EmJ seems to like being able to see me as it seems to provide her with some comfort that I am watching her. When she wakes up she always looks over to where I am and either cries to get my attention or shows me she is hungry etc. Sometimes she just watches me until I read her a story or play her some music.

We took this with us when we went to stay with my parents for a few days and it was simple to collapse and put back up again.  It also meant that although we were in a different house in a different city, EmJ could still go to sleep in a familiar environment which provides her with comfort.

Overall I would recommend this to everyone! I will continue to use this with EmJ and if I ever have another child I will use it again with them.

💖xxx