REASONS TO BUY
Budget-friendly
Super accessible and portable
REASONS TO AVOID
Not as eco-healthy
Frustrating setup
Arm's Reach Clear-Vue Co-Sleeper Review
Great portable co-sleeping bassinet with a nice price
The Arm's Reach Clear-Vue Co-Sleeper has the top performing mattress in the group.
Credit: Abriah Wofford
RELATED: The Best Bassinets
The Skinny
The Arm's Reach Clear-Vue Co-Sleeper is a bedside bassinet that can stand alone or be attached to your bed. This product is the most accessible in the group, allowing parents to stay in bed while comforting or feeding baby in the sleeper next to them. The Clear-Vue has a four-wheel design that is easy to move, and the mattress is the best in the review, with a tight fit to the frame and firm support. We like the breathable sidewalls and the machine-washable lining and sheets. This bassinet is an excellent choice for parents looking to safely explore co-sleeping or who want to keep an eye on their baby without getting out of bed. This option is price-friendly, and we think most families will like what it offers and the top performance that helped it earn an Editors' Choice award. Our review of the best bassinets shows how it stacks up versus competing products, and our review of the best baby cribs can help you find the best sleep space when your little one outgrows their bassinet.
Compare to Similar Products
 This Product
Arm's Reach Clear-Vue Co-Sleeper | |||||
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| Awards |  | |  | |  |
| Price | $220 List | $290 List | $220 List $149.99 at Amazon | $220 List $219.99 at Amazon | $300 List |
Overall Score  |
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| Star Rating | |||||
| Bottom Line | Good choice for co-sleeping that is easy to move from room to room | Functional wood bassinet you can use from your bed | Good for co-sleeping and a free-standing bassinet for most families | Safer alternative to co-sleeping and perfect for moms with c-sections | Mesh surround bassinet you can also use for travel |
| Rating Categories | Arm's Reach Clear-V... | babybay Bedside Sle... | Baby Delight Beside... | HALO BassiNest Esse... | Lotus Bassinet |
| Ease of Use (35%) | |||||
| Breathability (25%) | |||||
| Sleep Surface (20%) | |||||
| Quality (15%) | |||||
| Eco-Health (5%) | |||||
| Specs | Arm's Reach Clear-V... | babybay Bedside Sle... | Baby Delight Beside... | HALO BassiNest Esse... | Lotus Bassinet |
| Assembled Weight | 22.1 lbs | 28.6 lbs | 17.5 lbs | 33 lbs | 13.8 lbs |
| Open Dimensions | 34.8"H x 34.5"L x 20.3"W | 37.1"H x 36"L x 20.7"W | 26"-30.5"H x 39"L x 27"W | 36.9"H x 45.3"L (base) 33.8" (bassinet) x 21.8"W (bassinet) | 25.5"H x 47.9"L x 32.1"W |
| Age/Height/Weight Limit | 5 Months or 18 lbs Discontinue Use When Infant: Pushes Up On Hands And Knees |
5 Months Discontinue Use When Infant: Pushes Up On Hands And Knees Discontinue As An Attachable Baby Bed When Infant: Rolls Over Or Pulls Up To A Kneeling, Sitting Or Standing Position |
5 Months or 20 lbs Discontinue Use When Infant: Pushes Up On Hands And Knees |
5 Months or 20 lbs Discontinue Use When Infant: Pushes Up On Hands And Knees, Pulls Up, Rolls Over, Sit Unassisted, Can Move Out Of The Security Of The Walled Sleep Area |
18 lbs Discontinue Use When Infant: Pushes Up On Hands And Knees |
| Product Care | Mattress: Wipe Clean Mattress Sheet: Machine Wash Metal Frame: Wipe Clean Lining: Machine Wash |
Wipe Down | Machine Wash | Sheet: Machine Wash Base and Mattress: Spot Clean |
Machine Wash |
| Bassinet Mattress Height Above Floor | 19.5"-25.5" Adult Mattress Height 24"-30" |
3"-27" Adult Mattress Height 10"-31" |
14" - 19" Adult Mattress Height 18.5"-24" |
26.5"-33" | 17.9" |
| Special Features | Adjustable Legs | Made From Solid Wood | Foldable | Rotates 360 Degrees, Sidewall Lowers | Rocking-to-Stationary Base |
| Modes | Bassinet Bedside Sleeper |
Bedside Sleeper | Bedside Sleeper Bassinet |
Bassinet Bedside Sleeper |
Portable |
| Chemical Flame Retardant Free | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Portable Design | No | No | Yes | No | Yes |
| Wheels | Yes | No | Yes | No | No |
| Mesh Sides | Partial - Fabric in Corners | Wood Slats | Yes - Full | Yes - Full | Yes - Full |
| Included Accessories | Fitted Sheet | None | Sheet | Fitted Sheet | Fitted Sheet |
| Available Accessories | Arm's Reach® Clear-Vue™ Au Naturel Mattress Pad, Puppy Luv Music Box, Replacement Strap and Plate | Classic Mattress, Cooling Comfort Mattress, Eco-Organic Mattress, Cloud Comfort Mattress, Cooling Comfort Jersey Sheet, Snuggle Comfort Terry Sheet, Dry Comfort Mattress Protector, Classic Comfort Mattress Pad with Cotton Cover, Cooling Comfort Mattress Pad with Dry Comfort Mattress Protector, Organic Comfort Mattress Pad with Dry Comfort Mattress Protector, Cloud Comfort Mattress Pad with Dry Comfort Mattress Protector, babybay Organic Babynest, babybay Patterned Babynest, babybay Solid Colored Babynest, Bassinet Conversion Kit, Rolling Casters, Canopy Holder, Organic Canopy, Patterned Canopy, Solid Colored Canopy, Bed Frame Anchor, babycare Organizer | Waterproof Fitted Sheet | Fitted Sheet, Mattress Pad, Mobile Sleepy Owl, Mobile Whimsical Birds, Storage Caddy, Newborn Insert | Organic Cotton Fitted Sheet, Fitted Sheet, Bassinet Replacement Mattress |
| Set Up Time | 29:20 (58:34 total with redo) | 39:14 | 6:50 | 27:10 | 10:47 |
| Materials | Strong Nylon Cloth, Cotton Polyester Blend, Nylon Woven Strapping, Polyurethane Foam | Beechwood, Water-Based Finishes, CFC Polyurethane Foam | Polyester, Polyester Fiber Batting | Polyester Fiber, Polyester Fiber Batting, Polyurethane Foam | high-grade, low-voc polyurethane foam, and is covered with polyurethane coated polyester fabric on the top and polyester fabric on the bottom. The integrated mattress base is made of rigid polyethylene plastic. We do not add chemical flame retardants. |
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Our Analysis and Test Results
Credit: Abriah Wofford
Arm's Reach Co-Sleeper® brand bassinet began with new parent's need for 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
The wall side attachment points on the Arm's Reach are hidden under the fabric and click in place on the frame.
Credit: Abriah Wofford
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 height, 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.
The Arm's Reach has locking wheels to prevent the accidental movement of the bassinet when you don't intend it to.
Credit: Abriah Wofford
Portability/Mobility
This product has four locking wheels and weighs 22.1 lbs. Despite the heavier weight, the wheels make it super easy to move from room to room without picking it up. It measures 34.8"H x 34.5"L x 20.3"W which means you'll have no trouble making it through interior doorways.
Never move a bassinet with your baby inside. No matter how tempting it may be, it is not safe to roll the bassinet with your baby on board.
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 us almost an hour to set up because we had to start over. This set up 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.
The Arm's Reach mesh sides provide great breathability.
Credit: Abriah Wofford
Breathability
The Clear-Vue is above average for breathability, but not among the top scorers.
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 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.
The Arm's Reach has the best sleeping surface in the group.
Credit: Abriah Wofford
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 well in our compression tests with results better than the majority of products providing baby with a more supportive surface for cozy sleeping.
The mattress is one inch thick (the maximum allowed) and fits inside the frame snugly with no reasons we saw for concern. The pad secures to the bassinet floor bottom with Velcro attachment.
Arm's Reach provides the following warning in their user manual.
IMPORTANT NOTE: Arm's Reach® Co-Sleeper® brand bassinet does not meet the Federal sidewall height requirements to be called and or used as a crib. Never leave a baby unattended in an Arm's Reach® Co-Sleeper® brand bassinet.
The fabric on the side walls secures to the end fabric with Velcro. The consistent stitching, the softness of the materials, and the way it all comes together give a high-quality appearance.
Credit: Abriah Wofford
Quality
The Clear-Vue bassinet is one of the top products in terms of 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, this product 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.
Credit: Abriah Wofford
Eco-Health
The Clear-Vue came in slightly above the average score for eco-health. None of the gear in this category scored very well in this metric.
Arm's Reach offers more information on their materials than much of the competition, which we appreciate. Their products include organic cotton, natural wool, and natural latex as potential accessories you can purchase to replace the standard mattress that comes with the bassinet. Wool has inherent fire retardant properties that make the use of chemicals unnecessary. The Clear-Vue lost points for eco-health because the mattress pad that comes with the unit is CFC-free polyurethane foam, which can off-gas, and therefore, is not our favorite but preferred over foam that is not CFC-free. Even the standard sheet is polyester, and we wish it were organic cotton.
Manufacturer Video
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Juliet Spurrier, MD and Wendy Schmitz
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