NER:help me make a decision (long)
I have too many decisions to make right now (we are building a house, and I am trying to get a baby budget together) and my brain is shutting down. So please help me. I need to figure out what baby is going to sleep in when he/she is a newborn.
Here are my current thoughts:
1. I like the idea of the Arm's Reach co-sleeper: however, our bed is really tall and i've heard that it is hard to get it to adjust to the right height if it isn't perfect to begin with ...and some reviews say that the mattress is really hard and flimsy (feel free to change my mind)
2. Our bedroom is really small (with a king-sized bed in it) so I don't have room to do the pnp w/ bassinet thing that is so popular.
3. I could get a regular bassinet, but just not sure if I want to spend $140 for something the baby will be in for 3 months or less. (would you consider getting a bassinet off of craigslist? I haven't bought anything off of there yet, but I'm getting more and more tempted)
any other options I should consider?
(I am not comfortable with baby just sleeping in our bed next to us, I know someone personally who had a baby pass away from this type of situation.)
thank you tremendously.
Re: NER:help me make a decision (long)
Isn't there a co-sleeper that goes in the bed with you?
And yes, I would consider getting a bassinet off of CL. But I would look at it VERY hard - make sure it's extremely stable and easy to clean, from a smoke-free, pet-free home, etc.
Is your house very small? I know it isn't ideal, but if your house is small and your bedroom is very close to the nursery, it won't be that big of a deal not to have the baby in your room. I mean, we walked 6 feet from our bed to teh PNP/bassinet. It woulnd't be that big of a deal to walk 10 feet into another room. We moved DS into his own room (on the other end of the house, probably 55 feet away) when he was about 2 months old. Most nights, that's not a problem. (Other nights, I sleep in the guest room that is next to the nursery...)
We're using a bassinet that my dad made for me when I was a baby- we'll see how it goes.
We have friends who had a baby last June and they HATED having the baby in the room with them- they freaked at every move she made and got NO sleep (even less than what you would get when you have a NB).
They ended up putting her in the bassinet of their PNP in the hallway at night and in her cribs for naps.
Personally, if we didn't have a free bassinet, we'd just use a PNP with the bassinet insert. I have a thing about having too much useless baby gear - they grow out of things SO FAST and don't REALLY want the bassinet but my dad has been saving it for me all of these years and is really excited that we'll have it.
A Pocket Full Of Dinosaurs
1. It's waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay too much money for me to justify spending, but I would SO love to get this, so I vote that you do so that I can live vicariously thorough you;):
https://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=14026879
2. There are definitely much cheaper bassinets out there. If you don't have the space for the pnp, I'd definitely vote to just get an inexpensive bassinet for next to your bed. I know it's nothing short of hideous, but even something like this for $45 would be a cheaper option:
https://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=5039007
1. the original arms reach cosleeper is the same size as a pnp, so unless you are talking about the mini it probably won't fit your room
2. we bought our arm's reach cosleeper off craig's list - i'd definitely consider a bassinet from there.
3. would you consider a snuggle nest in bed w/ you? w/ a kingsize bed I'd think you would have plenty of room for all three of you.
4. other options: moses basket on the floor by bed (some have stands, too) if you don't have pets.
Joseph Henry was born at home on March 9, 2009
Nora Mae was born at home on October 30, 2011
11 months
OK - that walmart thing is so hideous I actually spit water onto the desk. That is hilarious! Maybe some of the ruffles come off?
You could always co-sleep. That's free!
We were able to find an Arm's Reach on freecycle but we actually never used it so I am giving it to another Nestie who needs it. Keep your eye out...one might just fall into your lap.
I think Graco makes a mini PNP that you can use for the first couple of months. ?Or you could you try to find the mini cosleeper. ?
Do you know anyone who has a bassinet you could borrow - friends, family, coworkers, neighbors? ?Most people only use theirs for 2-4 months and are very willing to lend theirs out. ?We used our SIL's and will for future babies, but I know most of our friends borrowed theirs from others. ? If you can't think of anyone who could have one and casually mention that you're looking for one, I would definitely try Craigslist or a kid's consignment shop like Once Upon A Child. ?Good luck!