What do you use as a co-sleeper after 6 mos?

[Jenica]

I've been using a bassinet next to my bed as a co-sleeper since dd was born. She's only in there until the first nursing and then she's in bed with us (bed has bedrails). The problem is that she's now 6 mos getting bigger and more mobile. She's already squished in the bassinet and now that she's getting ready to crawl I'm afraid she might fall out while I'm sleeping. I love the Arm's Reach Co-sleepers but it's my understanding that they're not suppose to stay in those once they can sit up.

Is there anything besides a full-blown crib that I can have DD in next to the bed?

[Knitting Mama]

As far as I know, no. I mean, unless you want to put your mattress on the floor and put a crib mattress/twin sized mattress next to it. We just bedshare over here, saved us a lot of money.

[MamitaM]

Does it not have a way to turn it into more of a pack n play type height? That way she can sleep in that next to the bed. Though you wouldn't be able to side car it at all.

Right now my son sleeps with me and I think when he's old enough to crawl (and annoy me during the night lol) he'll sleep in his pack n play for most of the night.

[Jenica]

Yeah, I've thought of using the Pack n' play but it just seems like it would be really hard to put her down into it without waking her up. I was hoping there would be more of a sidecar type deal so I could just slide her over.

I would like to just totally bedshare but then I have to hear crap about how I'm spoiling her or I'm going to make her clingy, blah, blah, blah. At least with the bassinet I hear a little less crap even though we're practically bedsharing all night anyway. And besides that aspect, there are some nights were she's just wiggle worming and I need to stick her in the bassinet to get some z's.

[MamitaM]

who's giving you crap? i say co-sleep if you want to and ignore what others say. you don't even need to tell anyone how you all sleep.

[Knitting Mama]

Unless it's your own husband giving you the crap, then just don't talk about it. If people ask how sleep is going, you say "Fine!" quite brightly, and leave it at that. if they push, you say, "we're all getting enough sleep and very happy for it," and again, leave it at that. It's nobody else's business!

[P.J.]

We just got a crib (for naps only, baby sleeps with us at night) for the same reasons. DS is more and more mobile. and falling off the bed after a nap (when I'm not there) seems likely the longer we wait. It is in our room now, waiting to be put together.

I am scareed though, for the same reasons you mention. I usually nurse DS to sleep, and he often wakes as soon as I transfer him to the bed. Up til now I just lay down next to him and nurse him back down. Can't do that in a crib!! I really have no idea how we're going to make this transition, and I worry it's not going to work.

The only other option as far as I can tell is to remove the bed frame. We would rather not since it would mean having to babyproof the entire bedroom. We are already struggling to baby proof the house (it's very small and we have too much stuff and no place to put all the things that need to be cleared away). But if the crib transition proves impossible, then I guess we'll have to get rid of the bedframe.

[bluebunny]

I would side-carr the crib but you want an option other than that? Don't use anything? Bedrails on the bed have worked for us.

I would like to just totally bedshare but then I have to hear crap about how I'm spoiling her or I'm going to make her clingy, blah, blah, blah.

As far as the above, just don't tell people. I've learned that you have to make the parenting decisions based on your own child and individual situation. Anyone that disagrees can shove it.

[Jenica]

The people I hear the most crap from are my mom and dh. I finally told my mom that I didn't want to hear another word about dd sleeping in her crib. Dh goes back and forth, he gets bombarded with all this unsolicited advice at work of how you'll be sorry if you let your baby sleep with you. He's read Dr Sear's book and the other pro-co-sleeping stuff I could find but that was when dd was a newborn and agreed with it. But now the memory of that stuff has faded for him and is being overwritten with crap. So now he's starting to worry that we're "spoiling" her. .

A crib with a drop down side would probably work well as a sidecar but I thought they recalled all of those?

[Knitting Mama]

You just take off the one side if you're going to sidecar it.

DH needs to stop talking about the baby's sleep at work OR tell people that he appreciates their advice and that you and he are doing what is best for your family. It sucks, but you went through this, and he needs to do it as well.

[JudiAU]

Please do not use a drop side crib to sidecar. It is much, much more unsafe to than any of the options. Many, many strangulation deaths have occured.

Sidecar a regular crib such as a cheap ikea gulliver on the higher position, or use the arm's reach (many people use them after baby sits up), or co-sleep.

And stop listening to people. I am sorry DH is.