snugglenest, changing mat, anything for a newborn?

[flitters]

Hi,

We are a (happily) cosleeping family (dh, me, ds who is 5.5) and I am trying to figure out if we should make additional accommodations for the new baby that is due next month.

I never used a cosleeper or snugglenest type thing with ds, but I'm wondering if I should consider something like that since there will be more in our bed now - perhaps to better define the baby's space (particularly for ds).

I like the idea of a snugglenest, but I have this suspicion it will piss me off because the plastic walls mean I won't be able to just roll on my side and nurse the baby at night.

Somewhere I saw someone recommend something like this:
http://www.amazon.com/Naturepedic-Or.../dp/B001AV40Z4
which seems like a good idea (though sort of pricey?) but then I was thinking it might be too soft and maybe the soft walls would be more of a hazard than just having the baby on the mattress next to me.

My default plan is just to sleep in this arrangement (king size bed):
dh, ds, me, baby, wall with foam tube protector thingy.

Any recommendations?

Thanks.

[karika]

When I had dd2 I decided dd1 moved and flopped her arms too much in her sleep (I have been awakened by forearm to the nose on many occasions). I am living in her father's home, but we are divorced, so we have separate rooms. dd1 went to his room to cosleep and I slept with the new baby alone. When dd1 wanted to sleep in my room, or fell asleep watching a vid, she would sleep across the end of the bed, perpendicular to us, or on a pallet just beside my mattress (which is a queen on the floor). Since you have a king size, perhaps you and the baby could sleep perpendicular at the end of bed and let ds and dh sleep regular?

[flitters]

Thanks for the ideas! I think we'll all fit widthwise across OK, and ds would not be crazy about the idea of me sleeping perpendicular to him - he still cuddles up along my back quite a bit. I think I'm just trying to figure out if we should get something for the baby to go on the bed, or not bother...

[To-Fu]

Our bed is a king with bumpers on both edges. The newborn is on one edge with me and the 2yo is on the other edge with his father. We use these bumpers:

http://www.gobedbug.com/GOPAGES/infantcosleep.htm

They are completely modular, so if you wanted to create some kind of border between your 5yo and the baby without obstructing your own access to the baby, you could easily do so.

We love ours, even better than the uber expensive Snug Tuck Pillow we had before! We can travel with these and move them around as need arises. Plus, they are totally affordable.

[sapphire_chan]

Originally Posted by To-Fu

Our bed is a king with bumpers on both edges. The newborn is on one edge with me and the 2yo is on the other edge with his father. We use these bumpers:

http://www.gobedbug.com/GOPAGES/infantcosleep.htm

They are completely modular, so if you wanted to create some kind of border between your 5yo and the baby without obstructing your own access to the baby, you could easily do so.

We love ours, even better than the uber expensive Snug Tuck Pillow we had before! We can travel with these and move them around as need arises. Plus, they are totally affordable.

Those are awesome. I hope they're still around for baby #2.

[flitters]

THanks for the ideas! If I didn't already have a snugtuck I'd definitely like those bed bug bumpers! They aren't quite what I'm looking for right now - leaning toward the changing pad I think... Anyone used a changing pad as an on the bed cosleeper?

[reezley]

We used thism, with each kid (now they're 3 and 5):
http://www.amazon.com/Ultra-Sleep-Po...279967&sr=1-13

Or, something that looked exactly like that anyway!
It was just a little something that kept the baby from rolling (when he was up to a few months old anyway) and also elevated him a little so he didn't melt into all the covers and pillows. It had the added bonus of letting me switch sides when nursing without having to move me or baby. My "opposite" boob could reach easily with the extra height.
When the baby got too big, I kept using the positioner, but without the side bolsters. (I had to cover it with something though, because the velcro edges were scratchy.)

[flitters]

Hmmm, that looks pretty cool and i like that you can nurse in it!

I'm realizing though that pretty much all of these products have fire-retardants and such in them, which I'd like to avoid.

My current idea is to try to make something sort of like a cross between that contoured changing pad with 4 sides, and the sleep positioner thingy. I'm thinking the wall can be made with rolled up canvas sewn into flannel covers and I haven't decided about the base yet... I guess that's my leading idea now, unless any other suggestions?

Thanks!