Cosleeping options - Page 2 « Back to Group Discussions

[eleuthia]

An acquaintance who lives in Germany and has an infant said that pretty much everyone there uses a 3-sided crib attached to the bed. I searched amazon.de for "Beistellbett" and... they have so many options! And it looks like they're meant to attach to frames with slats instead of box springs. Sadly, I don't think there's a way to have these shipped to the US, and they may not meet US safety standards.

I'm still not sure what we'll do (and really know for awhile, I guess!)... Leaning toward putting a queen mattress on the floor, with the possibility of getting a twin mattress (separated so there's no little gap for baby to fall into) for my partner to sleep on if it's too crowded (and for baby to sleep on later). 

[DesertSunsets]

We plan on getting a Baby Bunk for cosleeping.  We looked at the Arm's Reach cosleepers, but they did not seem very sturdy so we kept looking around and found the Bunk.  Plus, there are several options as to the finish of the wood.  One way you can get it is unfinished, which DW is really excited about because she loves to paint furniture.  http://www.babybunk.com/

Plus, after you're done using it, it can be used as a kids' bench.  

[FeralFox]

Eleuthia, how about an Ikea crib?  They're inexpensive, and designed to be converted to a daybed for an older child with one side removed.  You can get a couple od styles for under $100.  That's our plan this time.

[babywearer_anon]

I think you should set it up so that you can safely co-sleep.  A lot of people end up having baby close to them in bed regardless of whether or not they first intended to.  Its just so much easier for all those nighttime feedings!

We invested in an Arms reach co-sleeper for #1.  Our daughter barely slept in it.  It acted mostly as a guard rail when she was little.  Then we moved our queen sized mattress to the floor.

When I was 7 or 8 months+  pregnant last time, I don't think I could've gotten to the mattress on the floor very comfortably or easily. I guess that was one advantage of the AR co-sleeper -- it was all set up and ready to go for when baby came, but I didn't have to really change much about my regular bed set-up.

If I could go back in time, I would've gotten a king-sized mattress.  I wouldn't worry for the first while about baby falling off since they barely move in the beginning.  Then when they start moving you could move it to the floor or to low wooden slats. 

Currently we have still have our queen sized mattress on the floor, and next to it on the floor we have a much lower twin mattress for our 2 year old.

But.... what to do when new baby comes in August?  I haven't figured that out yet!!

[monkeyscience]

Lots of interesting info here! Does anyone know if there's any diagrams available about how the AR attachment works? We have a mattress and box springs, but they're low-profile box springs with a thick mattress, so I'm worried it wouldn't work. But if it would, it seems like the AR is the best option for us right now. We have a queen bed that often seems too small just for us, so I can't imagine putting a baby in there on top of it. I'm also marveling at the number of you who say baby slept on your chest - I basically can't sleep on my back at all, which has proved unfortunate as I try to combat heartburn and other tummy upsetness with this pregnancy.

[Knitting Mama]

I found my way of sleeping changed when I had Cecilia. I was a back sleeper before I had her, and even during pregnancy I still mostly slept on my back. But once I had her in my arms, I found myself curling up on my side to protect her, with her sleeping on my arm, my arms wrapped around her. It just happened on its own. 

[moveistarr]

When I had my son I had a bunch of plans.  I was scared to death by the Pediatricians and everyone else that co-sleeping was BAD!  So we had a free standing bassinet that I found at a second hand childrens store that I got for $30.00 that was nestled next to our King, but when I wound up having a C-section birth I found it actually hurt to pull him out of the bassinet. 

So then I found this in the bed Bassinet at Babies R us (can't remember the name of it) and we tried that but the baby kept rolling towards the corners and I got scared that he would suffocate.  Then we went to sleeping on the couch with baby sleeping on our chests.  My husband an I would alternate time (he would take from 10-2, and I would take from 2 - till whenever).  That way we both got to sleep baby free for four hours.  Finally we just gave up and moved into the bed.  The baby would sleep on my arm and I got very used to having my arm go dead after awhile, but at least I got sleep.  My sone is 14 months old now and still sleeps with us for half the night, the first half he's in his crib though. 

Now my question is with #2 on the way, how do I co-sleep with my son and the new baby?

[Knitting Mama]

That's what we're hoping to solve with the sidecar. Cecilia sleeps at least part of the night, and sometimes the whole night in the sidecar. Hopefully she'll get more used to it, and won't demand to be in the middle when the new baby comes.

[Ninetales]

Yeah, I haven't figured it out yet either.  I can't seem to bring myself to transition Elsa to a twin next to the bed just yet.  We'll probably just wait until the baby comes and figure it out then.

[Mama505]

We also had several options available before our son was born.  But as soon as I saw him I knew he would be sleeping in our bed, a queen sized futon.  I had to have contact, either he was on my chest (he slept really well that way) or I had my hand on his.  We did the changing pad between us for a week or two, then I moved him to my side and nixed the changing pad.  That really helped me feel secure about having him in the bed at first.  But then I realized how aware I was, and how sleep was a completely different thing than it had ever been before, so out went the pad!

When he was 6 or 7 months we moved into a yurt and we would have all froze if we didn't bed share, with pillows and blankets galore.  But I had the hyper-alert mama sleep (still do) and could feel him next to me with his little face tilted up and out of the blankets, also nursing through the night then.  Now, he's two and we are fashioning a side car bed from another futon cut in half.  Someday we hope to upgrade to a king sized futon!

As for naps... he napped on me for quite awhile, and still falls asleep on my lap after an adventurous morning.  I would sometimes put him on the bed back then, but mostly I would just carry him around and try to attend to whatever needed it.  Now, he tells me when he's tired and where he wants to sleep!  <Like in the cabinet with the pots and pans, or in the bathtub with his boat, ha!

[momof 4boys]

Another cosleeping option to consider is the Baby Bunk.  I found out about this after my second and used it with my last 2.  Wish I had it all along.  The company is run by a stay at home mom on the east coast and the customer service was fantastic.  The baby bunk is made of solid wood and you can even rent it if you don't want to buy it!!  It attaches to both regular beds and low futon or platforms.  Another great feature was the conversion kit to make it into a bench...still use it in our family room.  Check out the web site.... www.babybunk.com.  It is a little pricely but you get what you pay for...its not pvc piping and mesh and its not made in China!