Co-Sleeper?

maryoosa

Hi folks,

I lurk here and participate mainly on my BCB and the adoption board. My 5 mo has been sleeping in a rock and play next to my bed since birth- he's outgrowing it rapidly. I moved the pack and play into the bedroom today and then noticed that if I want him to sleep in it, he needs to basically sleep in it at floor level- because he's too large for the "bassinet" (clearly, we've never used the Pack and Play) not ideal- What do you recommend as a co-sleeper?

Thanks.

Kaymee

I have no advice, but I fear the day my son outgrows the RNP. Good luck!!

Emerald27

If you have a crib, you could remove one of the sides and raise/lower the mattress level to be very near the level of your bed. Then push the crib against your bed, so that the crib is safely sidecarred next to it.

Like this:

MamaMuslima01

Let him sleep in.your bed. It is great from his development and also his trust towards you

maryoosa

Thanks folks. We have some space constraints (ie. NYC apartment) that make moving the crib into the bedroom unrealistic and since my son is adopted we had to sign paperwork with our agency saying that we wouldn't co-sleep. (don't even get me started on this one).

MamaMuslima01

maryoosa said:

Thanks folks. We have some space constraints (ie. NYC apartment) that make moving the crib into the bedroom unrealistic and since my son is adopted we had to sign paperwork with our agency saying that we wouldn't co-sleep. (don't even get me started on this one).

NO WAY! Wow.. I have never heard of this! Great for you though,, good luck mama!

maryoosa

@MamaMuslima01 we were surprised too. We also had to sign paperwork agreeing to vaccinate on a regular schedule- which didn't pose an issue for us, but I imagine it does for some people.

ReeceFamily

MamaMuslima01 said:

Thanks folks. We have some space constraints (ie. NYC apartment) that make moving the crib into the bedroom unrealistic and since my son is adopted we had to sign paperwork with our agency saying that we wouldn't co-sleep. (don't even get me started on this one).

NO WAY! Wow.. I have never heard of this! Great for you though,, good luck mama!

Does the agreement actually say co-sleep, or bedshare?  Just curious.

maryoosa

@ReeceFamily, I'd have to dig through the paperwork--- it was full of a whole packet about the dangers of rolling over on your child. So it may have been bedsharing rather than co-sleeping.

musicalmama5

maryoosa said:

Thanks folks. We have some space constraints (ie. NYC apartment) that make moving the crib into the bedroom unrealistic and since my son is adopted we had to sign paperwork with our agency saying that we wouldn't co-sleep. (don't even get me started on this one).

That's interesting. Although I've heard that not breastfeeding makes it less safe to bedshare (don't flame me, people, this is not me speaking, this is just what I've heard), so maybe that's part of their reasoning? 

And as to your OP- if you can fit a Pack n Play in your room, you can probably fit a crib. They're usually the same size-ish. I'd recommend the side car idea. Usually co-sleepers are the same size as bassinets and if he's already outgrown that then he probably won't fit a co-sleeper.

maryoosa

@musicalmama5 thanks--- we have a crib that is much larger than a pack and play (don't ask---walked into a baby furniture store and well....) and it won't fit on the side of the bed (we are in a attic apartment with walls that are short and eaves that angled ceilings) I could move the crib into the room if I move furniture out but I don't want it just in the room- I want it near the bed... so I was looking for other options.

No idea what the rationale is for the not bedsharing- all the literature just speaks about it being unsafe and contributing to SIDs.

musicalmama5

maryoosa said:

@musicalmama5 thanks--- we have a crib that is much larger than a pack and play (don't ask---walked into a baby furniture store and well....) and it won't fit on the side of the bed (we are in a attic apartment with walls that are short and eaves that angled ceilings) I could move the crib into the room if I move furniture out but I don't want it just in the room- I want it near the bed... so I was looking for other options.

No idea what the rationale is for the not bedsharing- all the literature just speaks about it being unsafe and contributing to SIDs.

Boo. That's annoying and completely inaccurate. But I'm preaching to the choir here.

PhoenixBritt

Transitioning out of the RnP was not easy for my daughter and it led to us bed sharing. I think the PnP was just too hard to get comfortable so i would agree with the PP who suggested a mattress to make it more comfy. Also i have been an adoption social worker for three years and i have never heard of signing an agreement like that...very strange!!

maryoosa

@PhoenixBritt it took us by surprise, for sure.

Emerald27

I thought only foster parents had to agree to not cosleep. What are you supposed to do when LO is 3 and there's a thunderstorm or has a nightmare? I feel like that rule is completely silly.

maryoosa

@Emerald27 it will only govern us through finalization- and technically, in our state, even when you are doing private agency assisted adoption you are a "foster parent"  until finalization.

musicalmama5

maryoosa said:

@Emerald27 it will only govern us through finalization- and technically, in our state, even when you are doing private agency assisted adoption you are a "foster parent"  until finalization.

Well, that's slightly less ridiculous, I suppose. When is finalization for you? I bet you can't wait! (and not just so you can bedshare haha)

maryoosa

@musicalmama5 we still don't have a date. Our agency has one piece of paper that their lawyer needs to send them to sign and send to our lawyer. We've been waiting for this piece of paper since Oct. 22nd. I'm super cranky about it.

musicalmama5

maryoosa said:

@musicalmama5 we still don't have a date. Our agency has one piece of paper that their lawyer needs to send them to sign and send to our lawyer. We've been waiting for this piece of paper since Oct. 22nd. I'm super cranky about it.

Understandably so! Sorry you have to wait. It'll be worth it in the end, I'm sure!

JJ_13

I'm not following. Why is the PNP not ideal? Just b/c of the mattress firmness? I don't think babies care that much and like a PP, we have a nicer PNP mattress that I got at Buy Buy Baby or something that is really comfy for LO. Granted, we only use the PNP for travel, but I'm not sure why you don't like the lower level for LO? Is it because you want to be able to reach out to soothe LO while they are in their sleep space?

maryoosa

@JJ_13 the space we have is tight and I the PNP would be pressed up between a wall and platform bed. I'm worried about air circulation.

JJ_13

maryoosa said:

@JJ_13 the space we have is tight and I the PNP would be pressed up between a wall and platform bed. I'm worried about air circulation.

Gotcha. Hmmm. I don't know. In your situation, honestly, I would consider getting a smaller crib to try to side-car. There are some cribs that are not so expensive. Maybe a daycare-center sized crib would work? THose tend to be smaller.

LittleLunarMouse

So totally being a lurky lurk from BOTB, and have no children, however your post reminded me of something I saw and loved on Pinterest, so I thought I would share.

It's a "co-sleeper" that slips underneath your mattress and butts right up against the bed. If you or SO is fairly handy, you can follow the woman's plan in the link I'll provide and build it yourself, like she did. Otherwise, she mentions she found similar products and provides links, but says she didn't like any because they were out of her price range.

It seems like a happy medium for your space issues and co-sleeping! Hope it helps!

https://living0simply.wordpress.com/category/diy-projects/
(Second post from the top)

LittleNugget93

Emerald27 said:

If you have a crib, you could remove one of the sides and raise/lower the mattress level to be very near the level of your bed. Then push the crib against your bed, so that the crib is safely sidecarred next to it. Like this:

LOVE THIS! Now if only we had a crib...

jmcgra06

Have you seen the mini-cribs? We have one as a side-car in our little room and it's great because it takes up a lot less room. We got a mattress for it from Buy Buy Baby for $45ish and it has worked really well.

This is the one we have:
https://www.amazon.com/DaVinci-Kalani-Mini-Crib-White/dp/B002ZG7JQK

Aubs0009

We use the arms reach co sleeper and I really love it.

PipSqueak0313

Emerald27 said:

If you have a crib, you could remove one of the sides and raise/lower the mattress level to be very near the level of your bed. Then push the crib against your bed, so that the crib is safely sidecarred next to it. Like this:

I did something similar, except we have an old drop-side crib and I left the mechanism that holds the side up off the crib when I moved it into our room.  I chose to leave that side on the crib because our bed is on wheels and I wanted the railing to prevent ds from being able to roll into a space between the two when he's in the crib.  I can't remove the wheels from our bed since I need to be able to move the bed at different times since I am unable to access that side of the bed any other way, and Dh needs to be able to move the bed to access the crib since he doesn't have the balance to crawl on the bed while holding ds. The crib is the same width as my night stand which is still at the head of the bed, so his crib is shifted a bit closer to the foot of the bed compared to the one in the picture.