What are your sleeping arrangements?

[mamasthree]

I know lots of people sleep with their babes in bed with them...I tried this, but just can't get a wink of sleep (and neither can DH). We have a queen size bed--do you have a king bed? Where does your baby lay? It's cold in our room at night and we've got heavy covers pulled up to our eyeballs and then there are the pillows--where do you guys put your baby in all that?

Right now, Lizzie is almost 1 month old, and she is sleeping in the crib in her room . She outgrew the moses basket we had next to our bed in 2 weeks--she kept hitting the sides at night waking us and herself up. This works for us, but I'd rather her at least be in our room--and I know that's the "recommendation". Does anyone use a cosleeper or pack & play in their room? How does that work for you?

I feel like a bad mom for not being able to have my baby right next to me--am I the only one who can't do this? I'd like to hear some other mamas experiences and maybe glean some way that might work for us--get some sleep AND have baby nearby.

TIA!

[Peony]

Both our dd's sleep with us. We have a HUGE bedroom so we have DH and DD1 on a queen and then DD2 and I sleep on the king mattress. Back when DD1 was a baby we just had a queen, we managed but definately slept better once we got a king. Back then I didn't use pillows, kept the covers pulled down, and just turned up the heat. We are in a different house now, it's drafty (110 years old), and even with the heat running all night, it's still chilly. I keep the covers pulled up to dd2's chest, I sleep with a pillow, I just put her below it, she sleeps in my arms if I'm on my side and on top of my chest if I'm on my back. There are sometimes where I feel like she's getting lost among everything so I'll just throw my pillow to the side for a while, I'm so tired that going to sleep without it is no issue.

You can sidecar the crib with the bed, so she's in her own space but still with you. We don't have a crib so I've never tried it, but I think you just get it flush with the mattress and drop that rail. Maybe some other mamas do this and can be of help. Good luck.

[starlein26]

We have two kings pushed up to each other. Ds sleeps on one and dh, dd and I on the ohter. Dd sleeps on me or right next to me all night...it's the only way she'll sleep.

[MommyMichele]

Since my oldest daughter was about 6 months old we've had the crib beside our king size bed. When she was a year old we went as far as "side-carring" the crib, removing the side railing and attaching the crib to the bed frame with cable ties. I push the crib mattress flush against the king bed mattress and use the bumper pad to fill the space between the far rail and the crib mattress. One of the most frequent positions my side-carred crib-sleeping babies have ended up in is perpendicular to me, with feet in the crib and head on/by my breast. We've slept in various positions, from all snuggled in the middle of the king bed, to all completely separate. I had my second daughter right in the bed between dh and me more than my first daughter (since I didn't figure out co-sleeping until she was 6 months old! Btw, before that she slept first in a bassinet and then a pack n play before outgrowing both). When dd#2 slept in between us, I dressed her in one of those sleeping bag things and put her up high between us, pillows plenty out of the way, and didn't try covering her with our bedding. I'm probably going to do the same with baby #3 when he gets here. I love co-sleeping.

[gen_here]

Jumping over from Nov because I was interested in what others do.

Our room is the biggest in the house, but it's still really tiny. We have a queen - and there is NO WAY that a king would fit in there. We used the mini co-sleeper with my son and have it ready to be set up as soon as we get home with the baby this time (I'm not going to be stupid and crawl around it at 40+ weeks this time!). But, honestly, he hated sleeping in it. He never let me put him down in the little plastinette at the hospital next to my bed either - he was always on my chest.

So I did a lot like AMB said - we used quilt and pillows and he slept in a onesie. I'd put the covers up to about the middle of his chest and he slept below the pillow with his head kind on the top of my armpit (if that makes sense) when I was on my side. If I was on my back, he was on my chest. That worked until he started getting bigger and stronger and none of us were getting any sleep. We tried sidecarring the crib, but that left us with about 12 inches on my husband's side of the room between the bed and the dresser and he wouldn't sleep in there anyway. So at around 9 months we moved him to the crib in his room and I slept on the twin in there while he was transitioning - often pulling him into the twin with me part-way through the night when he woke to nurse. Now he's in his room by himself - we just wait for him to wake and call out and go get him.

[loomweaver]

Originally Posted by MommyMichele

Since my oldest daughter was about 6 months old we've had the crib beside our king size bed. When she was a year old we went as far as "side-carring" the crib, removing the side railing and attaching the crib to the bed frame with cable ties. I push the crib mattress flush against the king bed mattress and use the bumper pad to fill the space between the far rail and the crib mattress. One of the most frequent positions my side-carred crib-sleeping babies have ended up in is perpendicular to me, with feet in the crib and head on/by my breast. We've slept in various positions, from all snuggled in the middle of the king bed, to all completely separate. I love co-sleeping.

Are you living in my house?!
We used to use pack n play with bassinet before we had the crib to side car with dd1, probably at about 9month to a year. We're still feeling things out with the newbie right now. DD1 may be moving into her own room if we can get one set up with futon or something here soon..
Ah it's such a trial and error thing with the sleeping, but really the only thing you have to lose is a little sleep here and there until it works out.

[Avani]

CA king bed with me,new babe,1 year old and dh and then we have a twin next to us with our 4 year old.The plan is to get another king size so we can all fit better.I sleep with the newbie on one side and my one year old on the other.It works for us but i've been sleeping like this for 9 years now.I have 5 kids under the age of 9 so i haven't slept with space for a long time

[OMama]

With DD we all slept in a queen size bed together until she was about 7 or 8 months old. Then she was in a co-sleeper attached to the bed until she was about a year. Honestly it wasn't always easy. IMO this is because DH is 6'1" and needs a lot of room! But co-sleeping was (and still is) really important to us, and DH very much wanted to sleep with his child. There are many wonderful advantages too so it was totally worth it to us.

Now DS (3 weeks old) is in the bed with us and we have a king. It is really nice to have a bit more room. We move our pillows and blankets down lower on the bed and DS sleeps higher up on bed towards the headboard. This way the pillows and big blankets are not too near him. I lay him on a receiving blanket that is folded in half so then I can move him around easily. I move him up and down and side to side for breastfeeding in the night. He wears a sleep sack at night and is swaddled and then I often put another light blanket on him. That way we are all warm and comfy.

Anyway, I think you get used to the little noises they make in the night. Whether those be their sleep sounds or bumping around. You can also get a bassinet, a co-sleeper or one of the snuggle nest things that go right in the bed with you. Our family loves co-sleeping for at least the first year, but it is not right for everyone. I do however think it is really important for all babies to at least be in the same room as the parents, even if it doesn't work to have them directly in the bed with you.

[mamama]

We also have a small room and only a full sized bed. We have a great co-sleeper attached to the bed, and I hope to use that more and more, but DS won't always sleep in it. So, he either sleeps on me for now or in the co-sleeper when he's able.

[soon2b3]

Against my own wishes I have ended up with our little man in our bed pretty much every night from 3 am. The reason it's against my wishes is that although I love it, I was scared that I would be overtired from an unsettled baby and two VERY active children and accidently roll on him.
He starts each night in his bassinet, then when he becomes colicky I move him to his pram so he's up on an angle. Then by 3am I ask DH to go and sleep with DS so Isaac can sleep with me. We both have seperate sheets so I can't accidently smother him with the doona and I toss the pillows off the bed.