Ok this is my first Instructable so please bear with me.

After the birth of my little angel we found she wanted a lot of attention even during sleep. The cot was too high and nothing was at bed height so I made a quick co-sleeper.

Step 1: Materials and Tools

Very simply I used 4 pieces of MDF, depending on where you buy these they can be cut to size. You could make entire frame from timber if you are concerned about dust particles around your precious little one... I got lazy and used a vacuum and then painted it.

Angle brackets

a few screws (size does matter a lot here)

a few pieces of wood

wood glue

and some Paint (use something made for babies)

oh and last but not least is a small mattress

as for tools a Drill makes this project easier (both screw and drill attachments)

a tape measure for heights

a pencil for marking

a saw if the wood (timber and MDF) is not cut

Step 2: Poor Art Work Here

ok this was the part that took some measuring

first of all measure how high you would like the sides. these prevent anyone from rolling on top of baby. it also prevents bub from rolling out as he/she gets older. Making it too high though means it is hard to get bub out and back in. I found 50cm was good for me (you also have to count in mattress height)

labelled 2 on my design is the length. you want to still get in and out of bed but you want to give bub room to grow.

lastly labelled 3 is height of the cross board. as this connects to the bed make it the same height as your bed frame for support and ease.

also note the lip on the bed part as this bring bub right in close to the bed and allows it to rest on the bed frame

Step 3: Sides

ok as you can see from my art the 3 sides (2 sides actually and 1 back piece) are simple in construction.

Take your pre-measured sides and back, take the timber and place in a support for the bed. remember the top of these have to be the same height as the top of your bed frame.

also this is where the size of the screws matter. my advice is use a screw that will go all the way through the timber and about half the way through the MDF. apply wood glue before screwing them in.

separate the screws to the ends they will still support and will give us room for the next round of screws to go in.

Step 4: Connect the First Side

this part is tricky as it has to be pretty close to exact.

place one side and the back panel together then use angle brackets to secure in place. the side board is to be flush with the back of the back board.

at the base use a piece of timber and screw that in place to both the back board and side. this adds a lot of stability

Step 5: The Bed

ok now for the moment of truth.... I did this in the bedroom to make sure my work was accurate. place the bed piece on and make sure it rests on the bed with no gaps on the support timber. you can find playing cards or something to fill in the gaps but this has to be pretty close. it adds a lot of support to the frame. glue it and screw it into the support timber. remember the srews you placed before so you don't hit them