Arm's Reach Clear-Vue Co-Sleeper Review

Arm's Reach Co-Sleeper® brand bassinet began with new parent's need for a safe sleeping space for their baby. Like many parents, they wanted to enjoy the advantages of co-sleeping but were concerned about the risk factors for baby-related to SIDS and other injuries. They created a way to have a baby within “arm's reach” but safely out of their bed and associated dangers. The result of their efforts can be seen in a variety of bassinets that stand alone or connect to the parent's bed for increased bonding, easy late-night feeding, and the ability to carefully monitor infants without losing sleep.

Performance Comparison

Ease of Use

The Clear-Vue earned one of the highest scores for ease of use. This metric includes the features and functionality that impact daily use.

Accessibility

The Clear-Vue is one of the most accessible bassinets in the group. It can adjust for mattresses of various heights, and it has a flat part that connects to the opposite side of your bed via a long adjustable strap. This connection keeps the bassinet snug to the edge of your bed and allows you to reach your baby while you are lying down.

Portability/Mobility

This product has four locking wheels and weighs 22.1 pounds. Despite the heavier weight, the wheels make it super easy to move from room to room without picking it up. It measures 34.8 inches high, 34.5 inches long, and 20.3 inches wide, so you'll have no trouble making it through interior doorways. However, it doesn't fold down or easily breakdown to take with you in the car on your journeys.

Additional Features

You can lower the side of this product to use it as a co-sleeper, and it has a storage bin under the sleeping area (above left). The ends also have small mesh pockets for storing essentials you may need in the middle of the night (above right).

Ease of Setup

This product took almost an hour to set up because we had to start over. This setup was less than ideal. It isn't hard to assemble so much as the manual fails to offer essential details on how to put the parts together like what direction the side rails go on. It would also be easier for two people because several pieces require balancing while you screw them in, which is much harder to do with only one free hand.

Cleaning

Cleaning this product is a mixed bag. The mattress wipes clean only, and the lining and sheet are both machine washable. It can be an arduous process removing all the Velcro to remove the fabric from the frame, and you have to line dry them both.

Breathability

The Clear-Vue ranks about average for breathability.

The majority of the side walls on this bassinet are breathable mesh, but it does have some fabric panels on the corners and running the length of one side. The side panel is higher than the baby's nose or mouth would be, and while the corner fabric is thicker and harder to breathe through, we don't think a baby could position themselves in such a way that they would only be breathing through the corner fabric.

Sleep Surface

The Clear-Vue earned an excellent score for the sleeping surface.

This mattress is very stable, with no low spots or shifting. It performed better than the majority of products, providing the baby with a more supportive surface for cozy sleeping.

Quality

The Clear-Vue bassinet is of great quality.

This product is sturdy with no tilt even with pressure applied to the top rails. The frame doesn't move when you press down on it, but it does rock slightly back and forth when you push on the sides. The mesh sides have a slick and smooth feel to them for easy cleaning, and we didn't observe any poor stitching or pulled threads on our product. Overall, however, it looks frumpy and has a disappointing fit and finish. The fabric and Velcro are crumpled, and the warning labels look like someone balled them up before attaching them.

Eco-Health

The Clear-Vue earned one of the lowest scores for eco-health, though none of the bassinets scored very well in this metric.

Arm's Reach offers more information on its materials than much of the competition, and they assured me that “we do not use flame retardants in any of our products.” However, the Clear-Vue lost points for eco-health because the mattress pad is made with polyurethane foam, which can emit harmful VOCs. In addition, the mattress is supported by an MDF board, which can off-gas formaldehyde. Even the standard sheet is polyester. Still, you can replace it with the organic cotton sheet sold separately by Arm's Reach.

Should You Buy the Clear-Vue?

From the incredibly easy baby access to the top-notch sleeping surface and sturdy build, the Arm's Reach is an excellent, economical choice. You may need help setting it up, but once it's assembled you'll appreciate the ability to roll it from room to room. The only downsides are that it doesn't travel well and it may not appeal to those with a modern aesthetic or eco mindset. Still, the Clear-Vue is one of the top-performing bassinets, and any family looking for a basic co-sleeper to keep their baby near will enjoy it.

What Other Bassinets Should You Consider?

If you need a bassinet that can fold down and travel with you in the car, you may consider the Baby Delight Beside Me Dreamer or the Lotus Bassinet; however, both have a less firm and stable sleep surface. If better aesthetics and eco-health are what you're after, the babybay Bedside Sleeper is made with Beechwood and food-grade foam, but it's pricey and doesn't have wheels to move it around your home.

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