New baby sleeping arrangements with family beds « Back to Group Discussions

[Blonhrt88]

We are having our second right now, and have loved sleeping with our 22 month old, and plan to for a while. Our plan now is to side car(we have an amazing bassinet that has a drop down side and comes right up to the bed so our newborn is practically in bed with us, but not...just how I need it to be ;)  ) However, we will be bringing baby #2 into bed with the 3 of is when he/she is old enough. 

I'm just wondering what are other family bed solutions that you all have done with two or more babies?

[tracyamber]

i think this is a question you should post in "family bed and night time parenting"

http://www.mothering.com/community/f/37/the-family-bed-and-nighttime-parenting

i sure there will be lots of answers!!!

good luck

[revolting]

My first two kids are almost three years apart. We originally wanted to do one big family bed, but no one could sleep that way. Instead, my partner and the three year old slept in one bed, while the baby and I slept in the other bed. My partner no longer sleeps with my six year old (most nights), so we are working on transitioning my second child to a different bed that he will share with his father when the new baby comes so that the baby and I can sleep alone.
 

[ciga]

we're doing pretty much the same thing as revolting.  DS has had his own toddler bed for quite a while but he only slept in it about half the time.  He was falling asleep in our bed and generally waking up in our bed.  So, last week we pulled out full size futon we'd just been storing so that one of us can actually fit in bed with him and have been taking turns sleeping there.  When the baby comes, DH will sleep with him there when he needs it and the baby will obviously be with me.   I think if we had a bigger bed I might have considered finding a way to keep everyone together but at the same time DS is a flailer so I can't imagine how it would have worked.   Eventually I think the two kids will share the full size bed.

[Blonhrt88]

Lol, A flailer....my son used to be that, not anymore though. Thanks for the input girls!

[crunchymonkey]

Ugh, I hope to find an answer too!

My daughter will be 19 months when this baby is born. She's a BIG time night time comfort nurser and would probably wake up every other hour or more if she slept alone. Daddy doesn't want to stop sleeping with her, but I just don't see it as practical. I think what we'll try is putting a toddler mattress next to our bed and have daddy start soothing her at night when it gets closer. I don't know.

[ciga]

Originally Posted by Blonhrt88 

Lol, A flailer....my son used to be that, not anymore though. Thanks for the input girls!

Holy cow, I'm totally not even kidding.  I got to the point where I started sleeping with my head at the opposite end of the bed because I just couldn't deal with getting slapped in the face all the time.  ridiculous.  He just needs more space to himself so when there is only one of us in bed with him he is actually pretty chill.  I think that was the real problem with the toddler bed too.  I'd hear him flailing all around and hitting the sides of the bed to the point where he'd wake himself up and then...come back to our bed.

Originally Posted by crunchymonkey 
 Daddy doesn't want to stop sleeping with her, but I just don't see it as practical.

I was in the same boat. Even though he would complain about DS's flailing, DH is really attached to cosleeping.  I basically told him that either we were setting up another bed for him or I was going to set up a different bed for myself.  I'd actually been saying that for like a year but getting pregnant and needing to "make the transition before the baby comes" was what really won it for me.   The futon is working great for us because we can still cosleep with DS when he needs it but no one is getting slapped in the face anymore.