Baby in the bed alone -- Naps and otherwise...

[mel_mama]

We have been a bed-sharing family since the get-go with DS, 12 months. We don't own a crib and we've always just put him down on our bed for naps, surrounded by a "bunker" of comforters, pillows, etc. so he's sort of enclosed by a fortress! We also have a small bed rail on one side of the bed. We have our monitor going, so in the past, whenever he starts to wake up, he'll make noises and we run in and see what's going on...

Situation now is that DS doesn't always make noises when he gets up and yesterday during the 2 hour stretch that he sleeps solo in the bed before we join him for sleep, we went upstairs because we thought we heard a slight rustling, only to find DS almost off the edge of the bed, perched on a pillow ready to tumble off! Yikes!

What do other bed-sharers who don't use a crib do for naps, etc? Any times when their toddler is in the bed alone? We've thought about getting a crib "for naps only" but my concern is that I bounce him, nurse him down, and then kind of cuddle with him in bed for a while, nurse some more, and then he's out... If I have a crib, this isn't really a possibility! Of course, we could adapt, but I was wondering if there were any other solutions!

Thoughts?!

[hedgehogs4]

put those pillows and comforters on the floor surrounding the bed. That's what I do!

[starling&diesel]

We ended up getting a double foam mattress and put in on the floor in what will be DD's room eventually. We use if for naps and the couple of hours before we go to sleep together in the family bed. I couldn't get past all the what-ifs, myself. But sure, like the PP said, you could put the reinforcements on the floor.

[Blueone]

I surround him by pillows about 4 inches from him. However, our bed is against the wall and there are pillows right against it so I'm not too concerned since he sleeps closer to the wall at night. You could just lay a thick blanket on the floor away from walls and lay him on it. I did that at my parents when all I had to sleep on was a twin bed.

[beebalmmama]

We had our bed off of the bed frame and on the floor. Otherwise we also had a futon mattress on the floor once we needed to increase the family bed and I usually put him down for naps on this.

[sondacop]

For naps during the day when we are home I put DD in the playpen. In the evening she sleeps between me and the wall (thick sofa-like pillow in-between). She sometimes wakes up when I leave the room, so I have an unresolved problem. I have put up a toddler plastic rail, but since she is 11 mo, she might just crawl over it and fall. I don't mind staying with her while she is asleep, but sometimes I would like to do stuff it another room and I avoid it.

[Sheryl1678]

I put my mattress directly on the floor for both my girls. I put it back on the frame when Brielle was a year and a half and I will probably do the same with Bianca. It completely eliminates the stress of a potential roll off.

[SollysMom]

We too have our mattress right on the floor. DS is old enough now that he could get out safely, but with #2 coming soon we figured we'll just keep it this way.

[Desert Diva]

I had the same problem. No crib, and naps are on our bed. We did the pillow-barricade, too, but eventually just taught him how to get off the bed safely: so he scoots to the edge, giggles, does a 180 on his hands and knees, and slides down on his belly until his feet touch the floor.

We live in a small house so it's not so much of an issue... I know when he's down, because he crawls, laughing, into the next room.

If you listen through a monitor, I have heard of people laying down sheets of newspaper or something that will crinkle enough to be heard, if you have one of those stealthy babes...