Family bedders, what are your plans once the new bub arrives?

[mamathomas]

DD has been in bed with us since day one.  She never had a crib, doesn't have a bed.  We did have a cosleeper set up in the beginning but that quickly became a glorified blanket holder. 

DH and I have been talking about what we want to do when this new baby comes.  We have a queen size bed so something needs to happen for us all to fit comfortably and safely.  We made the decision that DD can sleep with us for as long as she wants, until she asks for a bed of her own, so we are not kicking her out just because of a new addition.  She does have her own room, which is just a play room now, so if she did want her own bed we could do it no problem.  But for now we're trying to decide if we want to get a king size bed, or put a separate mattress next to ours so she has her own sleeping space and we don't have to worry about her karate chopping the baby in the night. 

What is everyone else planning?

[biffer]

I would say that if she is a more active sleeper you could put her between the two of you and get the cosleeper out again or get her a mattress. I don't think you will need a king for another year if she hasn't decided that she wants her own bed by then.

[MrsSurplus]

We have a California King bed - currently containing DH, 3yo DD, 1yo DD and myself.  When I was pregnant with the now 1yo we had the same situation but with our older (then 3yo) DS.  He moved to the toddler bed at the foot of our bed a couple of months before the now 1yo was born.  Now that he's in a room with his 18yo brother, I hope to move 3yo DD into the toddler bed in a few months...so, we'll be bed sharing with the then-2yo and the bun when he/she arrives.

[MotherBhaer]

We're in a similar situation--ds has never had a crib, and we don't want to kick him out yet. We have a king, so I think the plan is for the new addition to sleep between me and the edge of the bed, and ds (will turn 2 right before the babe is born) will sleep in between DH and me.

[Bonawich]

We have what I call the "biggest bed in the world" - a queen and king pushed together ;)  This holds me, my DH (over 6'3") and our two kids: 7 and 3 most nights.  My seven year old occasionally sleeps in his room, but he really likes someone to snuggle with, so prefers to sleep with us.  Not sure what we will do when the babe gets here, but I imagine something like this:

wall - king bed (babe, me, 3 year old) - queen bed (DH, 7 year old).  

Then again, perhaps we will transfer the 3 and 7 year olds to their own room...problem is my 3 year old does NOT like to snuggle, so she is not particularly compatible with each other.

Nicole