Chicco Next2Me Forever co-sleeping cot review

It's this extended use that really makes the Next2Me Forever stand out from others in the Chicco range, like the Next2Me Magic and Next2Me Air, as well as other co-sleeping market leaders like the SnüzPod 4, £199.95

Tested by

Kirstie lives with her husband Jack and their two little boys. Kirstie is currently on maternity leave and tested the crib day and night with her 10-week-old baby in both its co-sleeping and standalone functions.

First impressions

This is a hefty piece of kit! Such is its weight and size; there is absolutely no way a pregnant woman could move it alone. My husband and I heaved the box upstairs with some difficulty.

Anyone with particularly narrow stairs might be better taking the bits of the crib upstairs in pieces. But its weight reflects how sturdy it is, and the parts feel very robust on first inspection, which is what you want from a baby product.

How helpful are the instructions to build the Chicco Next2Me Forever crib?

The instructions to build are a series of illustrations showing how to construct the crib, followed by another series of images showing how to attach it to a bed. But I feel they could benefit from being annotated to save confusion in places, particularly as some of the pictures were so small that it was hard to work out what they were depicting.

Having read all the relevant parts of the instructions and studied the pictures, I thought I had the know-how to put the crib together, but very quickly, I found this wasn’t the case.

How easy is the Chicco Next2Me Forever crib to build?

It started very well as I laid out all the pieces, and it was obvious from the images which bits I needed to begin with, but putting it together proved a bit more challenging.

The base is reassuringly heavy-duty but light enough for one person to lift. The first step is to lay it on the floor, pop in the two uprights which click into place, and then attach the side of the crib, which should slide into place.

I had several attempts at doing this third step; I put the crib on its side and tried pushing from above, I laid it back onto the floor and then tried pushing from the side – but to no avail.

Then I looked closer at the uprights – despite hearing that reassuring ‘click’, only one on each side had pushed into its hole. I promptly took the uprights back out and then it dawned on me that they were the wrong way round.

It’s not immediately obvious from the instructions which way round they should go as the pictures are so small. Upon Googling this, I found other people had also made the same error, so a little label on the instructions at this point would be helpful.

Once the uprights are in, the side should slide together and the tab locks into place, so you know the base is complete. Hoping it would be third time lucky, I tried to slide the two sections together again, but I just couldn't get them in any further.

In the end, I put the base on its side and shoved it down from above with my full body weight, and eventually, with sheer brute force, the two sections clicked together. I don’t think this is something a pregnant woman could – or should – do by herself, which isn’t ideal if you don’t have someone nearby to help.

MFM parent tester Hannah found it more straightforward, saying, ‘The cot is relatively easy to set up and attaches well to our bed. The instructions were clear, and the only thing we got stuck on was the side zippers, but that was through not following the instructions close enough!

How long does it take to put it together?

Once the base was together, the rest took minutes to construct again. The instructions could do with being annotated so it’s clearer which zips should be zipped first, but it was straightforward enough. It was a bit frustrating that something that should take 10-15 minutes to build ended up taking me almost 90 minutes.

How does the Chicco Next2Me Forever compare to other bedside cots?

Until testing this product, my son was sleeping in the My Babiie Closer bedside crib (RRP £129.99), which we also used for our eldest until he was about 6 months old.

Both have comparable features – they promote safe co-sleeping, have drop-down sides and make late-night feeds easier.

The Chicco Next2Me Forever is significantly larger than this in every sense – its height, width and depth – but this is because it is designed for use beyond 6 months of age. It can be used as a co-sleeping cot, a traditional standalone cot and a floor bed for toddlers and children up to 4 years old.

Does the Chicco Next2Me Forever crib come in a choice of colours?

Yes. It comes in two shades of grey (light and dark), so although gender-neutral, it’s perhaps not as visually exciting as some other patterned bedside cribs.

Is the Next2Me Forever an updated version of another Chicco co-sleeping crib?

Although Chicco has other co-sleeping cribs – including the Next2Me, Next2Me Air, Next2Me Dream and Next2Me Magic – this is a completely new product. It is the first that has the extended use element for a child up to the age of 4 and is the only crib of its kind on the market. It does cost significantly more than the others which range in price from £149.99 to £199.99.

What age is the Chicco Next2Me Forever crib suitable for?

This crib is suitable from birth to four years old, in its various modes.

How firm is the mattress?

The mattress is very firm and complies with the recommended safe sleeping guidance; when you press your hand into it there is resistance – it doesn’t sink in. It’s so firm that your baby’s face wouldn’t imprint into it if they rolled onto their front, which is reassuring.

MadeForMums Editorial Judge Gemma also rated the mattress, commenting: “The mattress is firm, and the sleep space is definitely big enough for up to 4 years.”

How easy is it to fix the Chicco Next2Me Forever crib to the bed?

Fixing the crib to the bed was much easier after watching Chicco’s how-to video on YouTube. I didn’t find the instruction booklet particularly insightful for this part of the build – the pictures alone just aren’t detailed enough and a couple of accompanying sentences would make such a difference.

Annoyingly the QR code on the label takes you to Chicco’s Italian website when scanned, which is helpful if you can understand Italian, but not if you don’t!

Can you attach it to the bed on your own?

After watching the video, attaching the Next2Me Forever crib to the bed is easy, but involves a great deal of strength. You have to pull the straps out and around your bed frame simultaneously before clipping them together underneath the back of the crib.

The effort needed to do this is however justified, as this step pulls the crib tight to the bed where it feels very steady and secure – there is absolutely no budging it.

When you’ve done it once and got the hang of it, it’s very easy to do again, which means it’s quick to detach the crib to move when changing bedding on the parents’ bed, then reattach it again.

MFM parent tester Hannah says, “The multiple cot heights are really helpful, as our bed is on the lower side. We have also tried it as a standalone cot, and again, it works great; perfect for when trying to transition babies from co-sleeping to independence.”

Can you attach the Chicco Next2Me Forever crib to any type of bed?

It can attach to a range of beds, but the mattress has to be of the standard rectangle shape and a minimum of 53.5cm in height and not exceeding 72cm.

Our Victorian frame bed and mattress were only just tall enough to configure with the bed, so this is something to be aware of.

An added design feature is retractable feet which fold in, meaning the crib can still sit alongside the bed if you have under-bed storage drawers.

How easy can you access your baby in the Chicco Next2Me Forever with the side up and down?

When the side is down, it’s very easy to access the baby, which is perfect for night feeds. I’m breastfeeding, and during the night, I just have to lean over and pick up my baby without having to get up or leave the bed, which is ideal because it’s easier to get back to sleep again afterwards. It also makes it much easier to place a sleeping baby down again gently.

When I used the crib as a standalone cot with the side up, I felt it woke me up more because I had to physically get out of bed to pick my baby up, take him to bed to feed him and then get out to put him down again.

When the side was up, it was a bit trickier to lower the baby down without waking him, but at that point, he was only 10 weeks old.

I imagine most people would still be using the crib in the co-sleeping mode at the newborn stage while they’re still feeding so often, rather than the standalone cot mode.

MadeForMums Editorial Judge Gemma also tested the sides and says, “The drop-side itself is easy to operate one-handed and smooth when in manual mode. Engaging the safety clips for cot mode basically makes the drop-side unusable, so parents must make the call whether they trust themselves to always put it up or not to bother using it.”

How easy is it to lower the side?

The Chicco Next2Me Forever features a patented safety locking barrier that only stays down when the crib is properly attached to the parent’s bed. This is an excellent safety feature because it means it’s impossible to keep the side lowered when the cot is in a standalone position so the baby cannot fall out.

When the crib is attached to the parent’s bed properly, you can slide the side down with one hand, and it glides down easily and, more importantly, stays down. It’s very sturdy, and there’s no risk of it springing back up again, and while it’s not a silent mechanism, it’s not noisy enough to be disturbing either.

How easy to see your baby inside the Chicco Next2Me Forever crib?

It’s easy to see the baby through the mesh panels, but I found the solid fabric corners slightly obscure the view of the baby from the bed. The side are also a lot taller than the average co-sleeping crib (because it’s designed to operate safely as a standalone cot), making it harder to peer over while in bed for a full view of your baby.

I had my baby lying with his feet at the end closest to me so that I could peek around the fabric sections and see his face rather than his feet and found this also worked well for picking him up while I was in bed.

How portable is the Chicco Next2Me Forever crib? Is it easy to move, easy to store and fold?

The sheer scale of the crib (W 121cm x H 91.1-108.2cm x D 73.8cm) means it isn’t possible to move it from upstairs to downstairs like you would with a Moses basket in the early days; however, it does have castors making it surprisingly easy to shift around the room given it weighs in at just over 20kg.

The crib isn’t collapsible, so it doesn’t fold down – it’s a pity it doesn’t because it would make an excellent travel floor bed for a toddler who isn’t yet capable of sleeping in a big bed.

Does it rock?

No, it does not rock.

Does it tilt?

The crib has 11 different height settings allowing you to safely attach it to a variety of styles and heights of bed frames. The height at each end of the crib can be adjusted independently, which allows you to raise one end – this can help make sleeping more comfortable for a reflux baby while still following safe sleep guidelines.

Raising one end of a crib to tilt slightly is recommended over any devices that raise the mattress, and as the mum of a reflux baby, this is a feature that I appreciate.

How comfy is the Chicco Next2Me Forever crib?

Although the mattress is firm, my baby was generally happy enough to settle and sleep in the crib when it was in the co-sleeping, ‘next to me’ configuration at night-time; however, he wouldn’t really entertain daytime naps.

He also seemed less inclined to settle in the standalone cot set-up, but I think this was more likely due to him still being a newborn and wanting to be closer to me.

How robust and durable does the Chicco Next2Me Forever crib feel?

This is a very solid and robust bit of kit. When it is attached to the bed, it’s firmly anchored and braced against the frame, which is reassuring when seeking a safe sleeping space for your new baby.

The crib feels solid and doesn’t twist or shift when you push it on its castors. It’s also very sturdy and feels like it would last well over the four years it’s designed to be used for.

MFM parent tester Hannah agrees, stating, “It is well made, and it felt very robust- more so than I was expecting. The colours are stylish and neutral, and the built-in barrier safety feature is very impressive- and works.”

How easy is the Chicco Next2Me Forever to clean and keep clean?

The plastic frame and the grey fabric panels wipe clean, and the mattress cover can be removed for washing. The mattress comes out in two sections, as demonstrated in the instruction book, allowing the cover to be machine washed.

It’s a bit fiddly and not something you really want to be doing every day, so it would probably be pertinent to invest in a waterproof fitted sheet to stretch over the mattress, particularly if you have a sick baby or if you’re at the potty-training stage. The mattress isn’t a regular rectangle shape, but it’s easy enough to cover with a standard cot sheet.

Does the crib have built-in storage?

There is no built-in storage.

What other features of the Chicco Next2Me Forever crib did you find beneficial?

The mesh sides are a well-considered design feature as they are breathable, soft, and comfortable for babies and toddlers who like to wriggle around at night.

Also, there are no hard cot bars for them to bash heads on or poke their arms and legs through.

This bed has been designed with extended co-sleeping in mind, and it’s an absolute game-changer for parents who have a child who won’t sleep or settle independently but don’t feel comfortable with bed-sharing.

The cleverest of all the design elements is the fact the crib can last a child for the first four years of their life, making it a great in-between tool for transitioning a toddler from a cot to a big bed.

Transforming the crib into a toddler floor bed is as simple as removing the legs; no tools are required. You are left with an open-sided bed giving your toddler the freedom to go in and out, and because it’s at floor level, there’s no fear that your little one will roll out in the night and hurt themselves.

Features such as the drop side and raised ends that can be operated with one hand are also helpful if you have a babe in arms.

And while it’s not an intended design feature, I found the thickness of the frame meant I could easily hook the baby monitor over the crib for attempting a daytime nap rather than having to affix it to a wall or nearby object, which I found really useful.

MFM parent tester Hannah added, “I am also very impressed that you can tilt the cot to help with reflux/coughs and colds. This has always troubled us when co-sleeping (without the Next2Me), so this is a fantastic feature.”

What would you have wanted to know about the Next2Me Forever crib before purchasing?

Anyone thinking about buying this product should take note of the amount of space it takes up – it is a colossal bit of equipment. Our cottage bedroom is small, and the crib pushes us to the limit of spare available space. Sitting alongside my bedside table, it takes up the whole side of the bed. But its size is necessary as it is designed to change and grow with the child. Also, I’d highly recommend watching all the videos on Chicco’s website, as these are much clearer than the written instructions when putting it together.

What items come in the box?

• Instruction booklet
• Base (in two sections)
• Two frame uprights
• Two legs and feet
• Bar for drop side
• Fabric frame cover
• Mattress
• Straps

Are there any additional extras?

A Chicco Next2Me Forever mattress protector is available from Mamas and Papas for an RRP of £18, which is quite costly for a single sheet, and I found a standard cot cover worked okay.

Who do you think would find the Chicco Next2Me Forever crib most useful?

Parents who want to practice extended co-sleeping, but in a manner that follows safe sleep guidelines.

Is the Chicco Next2Me Forever crib worth the price tag?

Although the initial outlay at £359 is far more than a Moses basket or another co-sleeping crib, it is an investment piece that pays dividends in terms of its longevity and usefulness because it is designed to last for 4 years rather than 6 months. While you probably could buy a crib and a cot for a similar total price, this all-in-one system saves having to store different items and has the bonus of turning it into a toddler bed.

How does it compare to other cribs on the market?

Where can I buy the Chicco Next2Me Forever crib?

You can buy it from Mamas & Papas, John Lewis and Argos.

MadeForMums verdict:

The Chicco Next2Me Forever crib is a fantastic product that confidently fills a gap in the market, providing a safe solution for families who want to practice extended co-sleeping. The crib gives the child and the parents the space and ability to sleep independently and remain close enough for comfort.

While the Chicco Next2Me Forever Crib is undoubtedly expensive, it is a very innovative, high-quality product built to last 4years. It could be the answer to many parents’ prayers when it comes to bedtime battles. The only thing that lets it down is the poor instructions.

MFM parent tester Hannah adds, “This is excellent quality and innovative, offering far more versatility than a standard cot bed. It was more compact than I expected, but my 3-year-old still fits in beautifully (and the 1-year-old has loads of room), so it’s an investment for the years ahead.”