[tankgirl136]

Is a pack and play a reasonable bed for LO for our room or should I get a co-sleeper?

I am a total newbie to motherhood and I am so unsure what to do about a bed for LO. I don't think co-sleeping in our bed will be practical without buying a bigger bed and all new bedding, so I need a good idea of what to use at night. We will have a crib but our room is not designed for side carring it, so that is out too. So basically I need ideas from more experienced Moms that want their LO's close but not in the bed.

 

[mamatoady]

Do pack and play's have a raised bed? or do you have to lower baby in? IMO, anything you have to lower baby into is a bad idea--especially for a baby who is exclusively nursed. In which case, a side car sleeper would be a better option.

Maybe you could also try a moses basket? They also are easily totable, so if baby is used to sleeping in it, you always have the perfect bed ready if you want to be outside or go to Grandmas.

They also have (or you could make) a harder padding with sides and a bottom type pad that you could lay on your bed--they aren't much bigger than baby, so they don't take up a lot of room--and your bedding wouldn't make a difference because it would never touch the baby....that's if the bedding/bed quality is a bigger issue than space.

Good luck! I bought a crib and a moses basket and although we used moses basket sometimes (Not once the crib), I simply could not separate myself from my baby! She slept right on my chest for the first month at least and then I got more comfortable with her sleeping on the bed. We had lots of pillows, a saggy bed, didn't change the bedding to suit etc. My instincts were higher than I thought they'd be and I woke to every squeak, movement and quick breath...I soon became familiar and knew if I could sleep through it or had to fix something. Just food for thought, mama!

Sarah

 

[Quickbeam]

We had a moses basket. We used it during the day, but at night I needed to be able to look over and see my son with a glance. At night he slept in our king size bed with us (he still does).

I have considered a crib, but they are expensive and I don't know if it will work out. So my compromise is to find a pack n play that has an adjustable height bottom. I think it's a good item to have anyway for when you travel.

 

[Michigan Mama]

Last time we tried co-sleeping and I just couldn't sleep! So we ended up with a bassient version of the pack n' play - just a little smaller because our room is small, and then we left it set up with the matress raised up (I don't know how to explain, but it has a "bassinet" set up where the baby is up high vs. down at the bottom). It worked well for us and we will do the same this time. Then we put him in his room in his crib for naps only (his room is closer to our main living areas.) We started sleeping him in his crib in his room at about 5 months. That worked for us.

 

[adoremybabe]

If a pack n play is your best option financially, then go for it. Just a word of personal warning though. Our pack n play has the higher level in it but I do not feel that it is sturdy enough when baby is laying in it. It buckles in a bit making a curved surface. I just didin't feel comfortable with that. That being said, there are many many people who use a pack n play with the lower level as the bed.

For our second child we found a mini cosleeper second hand and I loved it. DD was right next to me and she was easily attended to for night time nursies.

 

[chi_mama]

it should be fine as long as it has a bassinet level.
We also used a solution similar to a moses basket. It was nice b/c sometimes I slept in the living room on the couch and I could take it in there easily.

 

[thepoet]

can you trade in your current crib for one that can be side carred?

that would be your best solution I think.

 

[wombatclay]

We had an arm's reach with DD1 (co-sleeper) and then the arm's reach and a pack/play with dd2. I found them to be more or less identical in terms of height. Even the arm's reach co-sleeper forces you to "lower" the babe into it (the babe sleep surface needs to be below the height of the adult sleep surface, and there is the side sticking up too... it's not a smooth transition the way you think it's going to be!). The arm's reach does have a strap that holds it to the bed (safety feature) but if you put the pack/play between the bed and the wall you'd have the same basic thing.

With this babe we're just using a pack/play... we usually ony have the little babe on a seperate surface for a few weeks (until they're big enough for the "big bed"). Because of this the co-sleeper was kind of useless after the first month while the pack/play stayed useful as a diaper changing table/downstairs nap spot. Our co-sleeper got damaged in a flood and it's just not worth the cost to replace for just a short use.

Maybe wait to see what sort of sleep scenario works best for you? DD1 was happy to snuggle or not, but dd2 would only sleep if she was in full body contact. So the co-sleeper solution was fine for dd1 but not as helpful for dd2. Is there a co-sleeper or pack/play you could borrow, or could you rent one of those little hammocks (one company offers monthly rentals)? Borrowing a snuggle next or moses basket might be good too. Then you could try them all!

-- it sounds like the crib you have can side car, but the room shape doesn't have as much room as you'd need? Double check that a co-sleeper or pack/play would fit better if that's the concern... there is a small version of the co-sleeper on the market, but honestly it's not that much smaller. If space is a real issue, go with a hammock, moses basket, snuggle nest, or even a traditional bassinet next to the bed maybe?---

 

[Jilian]

The pack and plays I've seen have more of a padded insert than a mattress. It doesn't seem comfy at all. The baby outgrows the newborn insert pretty quickly too so then you'd have to bend way over to pick up or put down the sleeping baby. We just bought a bassinett (but they outgrow these within a few months too), we got the first years 5 in 1 at a local consignment shop for $60 and it is also a vibrating seat and changing table, plus the top comes off so it can be a portable bed. I'd go with something like that or a cosleeper.

 

[NaturalMindedMomma]

Abrielle slept side carred in a pack and play on the top level. it was sturdy enough, but hard. She liked her crib mattress better. She actually slept better in her crib.

 

[mamadelbosque]

We had the crib side-carred while we had a fullsize bed for a while, and that worked out wonderfully... not that DS slept in it THAT much, but it gave us just that extra bit of space that really, really, really helped. When we moved we ended up with just two twin mattresses shoved together on the floor, and thats worked out pretty well too.