share your co sleeping setup ideas?

WeLiveInMaine

I'm planning on co-sleeping again this time, it worked really well this last time. Long story short I'm remarried and planning on doing it slightly differently this time, on the side instead of the middle of the bed. (Putting the mattress the floor has already been vetoed.)
To this end I have been looking at safety products. As neat as most of them are it seems like unless your building a cosleeper yourself a full sized convertable crib attached to the side of the bed seems the most practical. You only buy one bed until they are past toddler bed and you buy a mattress and rails.
It seems silly to buy a crib your and never use it as one.
Any thoughts?

Emerald27

We have a different bedframe this time around and DH and I have discussed ways of making sleep safe for our bed when baby #2 arrives in October. One option for you might be a bedrail. We had one with DS, but our new bed setup has no box spring, so we can't do that this time.

We are either going to do nothing about it until baby can roll over and sit up on his own, or we are going to buy and sidecar a crib. Ikea has cribs as cheap as $69 and crib mattresses for just $35, so that's probably what we would go with.

PumpkinAndThePeanut

We have a bed rail and no box spring. That's probably what I would do in the beginning if you plan to bedshare with a newborn.

redrockmama

We did the side car crib, but our LO has yet to actually sleep in the crib part. He is 10 weeks and either sleeps on my chest or next to me in our bed. I imagine as he gets bigger he'll use it for naps and overnight. We'll see I guess.

pixieprincss

We've never used our crib as a crib, but it has been used by two kids for 3.5 years as a sidecar! The sidecar configuration lasts much longer in terms of size and weight than a cosleeper product. Also, the cosleeper products tend to be made out of synthetics whereas our sidecar is unfinished wood and a natural mattress. (Here are some various related blog posts I've done on our setup, if you find such things helpful: https://moregreenforlessgreen.com/?s=crib.)

youenjoymyself

Our master is too small to sidecar, so we went with a bed rail on my side of the bed only. Honestly, I don't think it would've for us anyways; my daughter tends to snuggle me close. We have a king, so my daughter and I flip flop throughout the night, but usually she's on the inside, between my husband and me. We don't have a bed frame, but our mattress isn't directly inthe floor. It sits on the platforms that came with the bed.

TiffanyBerry

We did the "build your own cosleeper" thing.  That thing was awesome (used a pack'n'play sized mattress) and we used it until she was almost 1.

LilyGR

We have our mattress on the floor and a crib mattress on the floor next to ours.

WeLiveInMaine

I'm in exactly the same boat as you! New husband, floor mattress had been vetoed. I am planning on buying a convertable crib and sidecaring it to the bed. I never got any kind of crib or cosleeper with my daughter, she slept next to me in the middle till she was 2 and moved to get own room and a regular futon bed. I have picked out the Oeuf Sparrow but it's going to be a little tricky because it isn't a 4 in 1 convertable. I'm thinking of using the toddler rail side but putting the mattress up so it's even or practiclly even with the top of the rails.

phoenixrising702

We have also used the side car method and loved it!

macbook

what is the side car method exactly?

Emerald27

macbook said:

what is the side car method exactly?

A sidecar setup provides baby wity his/her own sleep space right next to the parents' bed, keeping them within arms reach.

Some parents will sidecar with a crib with one side off, like this:


Some parents purchase a cosleeper, like an "arms reach." There are other brands too. You can also sidecar with a bassinet or PnP right next to the bed. The idea is to keep baby very close for ease of breastfeeding and so that baby stays within sensory distance of mom (where they can hear each other breathe and move), which is a safe sleep arrangement for babies and is good for brain development and growth (babies who sleep close to their moms wake more easily when hungry and tend to gain weight better than babies who sleep in their own room).

lokimau

We have a bed rail on my side of the bed, which is also against the wall. Still having hot flashes so the no blanket thing is okay for me. We have a king size bed so plenty of room for DH. Thinking about getting another rail for the foot of the bed. DD only naps in her crib, which is 3 feet from our bed.