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January 2012 Moms
SassyPants150
member
Where to sleep?
SassyPants150
member
The other day DH and I were talking about all the different changes in the house once the baby comes and I realized we hadn't really thought too much about where the baby was going to sleep when it comes.
Most of my friends keep the bassinet in their room for a few months and then transition to the crib.
However, DH expressed that he doesn't get enough sleep as it is and can't imagine getting even less sleep with a crying newborn in the room (since I'll be doing the late night shift). So I was actually perplexed about the whole scenario. At first I thought DH was being a little dramatic because obviously we are going to have to adjust to changes as it is and then I thought I might be a little too insensitive to his needs.
What do you plan on doing or what have you experienced mommies done/would do differently this time around?
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Re: Where to sleep?
I think this is what we'll do too. We are also considering keeping a bed in the nursery
BFP 1 on 10.30.10 spontaneous m/c on 12.28.10 at 12 weeks
BFP 2 It's a girl! Born 1.18.12 at 39w
We will have a crib in the nursery and also there is room for a queen sized bed in there, so if it does become a long nite or if I am THAT nervous, I will just sleep in there. My husband already sleeps with earplugs in, he still hears things that I don't! There is no way that he would sleep at all if the baby was in our room.
We are planning on breastfeeding and so what we are going to do so that DH and i can both get enough sleep is have baby sleep in the bed with us for the first few months. I've been talking to friends of mine who have done the same thing and they all told me it was a life (and sleep) saver. Not having to GET UP to feed baby every few hours sounds great. Just literally roll over and feed baby. While baby is nursing, go back to sleep! After baby is a little older we'll convert to a side-sleeper. Which puts baby right next to your bad but not IN your bed. Sounds a whole lot better than getting up and walking across the room or down the hall to soothe/feed a screaming baby.
Good luck!
You'll find this topic to be really heated once the babies actually get here--it can be really divisive. I honestly thought we would have DS in his room the week we got back from the hospital but then he actually GOT here and everything changes once that happens.
He slept in a pack n play in our room, and then we started co-sleeping (using all the safety criteria, and were encouraged by our pediatrician). I'm still breastfeeding so its just easier. You're SO TIRED, especially the first few months, that going back and forth to the nursery is...well, exhausting. Most of my friends cosleep or bed share and they love it! I'm definitely not saying its for everyone but it works for us.
We're transitioning him out of our room--he sleeps in his own bed during naps and the 1st half of the night. He wakes up to nurse typically at 3am-ish, and since I nurse laying down (at night), he stays with us the rest of the night (til 8 am). Again, its the perfect arrangement for us and we all get a better night's sleep.
Also, don't be discouraged if your baby isn't "sleeping through the night" for a while. Some babies sleep 12 hours every night right away (which is rare) but babies have immature stimulus barriers which cause them to wake up when hungry, lonely, cold, etc. Some babies mature in this area quicker than others.
*RAMBLE MUCH?!*
Anyway you can research and ask while you're pregnant but don't be surprised if all your theories change once LO gets here! Parenting a baby/small child is all about flexibility
GL!!
Breast-feeding, co-sleeping, Christian SAHM and wife.
*HOPING FOR A VBAC!*
We planned on putting DD in her crib right away. We did that the first night and it did not work. So she came into our bed. That lasted for 3 nights. We eventually figured out that she slept the best in her bouncy chair. So we put that into the crib. She slept in her bouncy, in the crib for the majority of the first 4 months. (She definitely slept in our bed on occasion, too.)
Like everything else, you will likely have one plan for what to do when baby comes, but that plan very well may change. As far as sleep goes, from my perspective, for the first weeks/months/year in our case, it's all about survival. Do whatever you need to do to maximize sleep for the whole family.
I tried to let DD sleep in our room in a little bassinet type thing, but i stared at her all night and got zero sleep. So everynight after that she slept in her room in her swing for the first 2 months. We transitioned her to her crib by 3 months. Her room is RIGHT across from ours so I could still see her from where I was sleeping but at least her little coos and sighs weren't keeping me up
However DH and I are moving our bedroom upstairs to make room for the next baby so I'm not sure what we'll do for sure.
I kep the bassinet in our bedroom for the first 4-5 months. Then I transitioned DS to his own crib/ nursery next door to ours. We did not arrange the nursery until we needed it so we still had the guest room to use (converted later on). DH was welcomed to sleep in the guest room on nights that we (the baby and I) were just too much for him.
He did need to go to work in the morning where as I could possible rest/ take a nap when DS slept during the day. Many nights he slept in the living room or the guest room - it was no problem for me. On the other hand DH is a heavy sleeper so I don't think we really bothered him during regular wakings -- only when we had crying fits.
We are planning on breastfeeding and so what we are going to do so that DH and i can both get enough sleep is have baby sleep in the bed with us for the first few months. I've been talking to friends of mine who have done the same thing and they all told me it was a life (and sleep) saver. Not having to GET UP to feed baby every few hours sounds great. Just literally roll over and feed baby. While baby is nursing, go back to sleep! After baby is a little older we'll convert to a side-sleeper. Which puts baby right next to your bad but not IN your bed. Sounds a whole lot better than getting up and walking across the room or down the hall to soothe/feed a screaming baby. Good luck!
The above really scares me!! I worked in a Children's Hospital ER for my internship and unfortunately heard about some infant deaths related to mothers accidently rolling over in the middle of the night on top of their babies. I know that is horrible to think about but I would reconsider having your baby sleep with you. I know moms do it all the time, but after working in the ER, it definately changed my mind. Just something for you to think about. Good Luck!
This is my fourth and this is what I have done every single time. I don't have a co-sleeper but I am considering getting one this time. All the other times we just kept the baby in bed with us until they went to a toddler bed. Then the toddler bed goes next to us until they want to go to their own room. I have never used a crib. We don't even own one but I do think the co-sleeper sounds so nice. There are a lot of safety tips for co-sleeping on askdrsears.com and in the Dr. Sears baby book, if you haven't looked at information yet. We sleep with 1 pillow each and our own blanket so there is never anything going across the baby. I can think of that one off the top of my head but there are others.
I know my husband works and his sleep is important, but so is mine. I have to be alert and take care of a newborn all day, plus a preschooler and two jr high girls. I am breastfeeding so he can't do that, but he does all the night time diaper changes for the first few weeks, and the clothes changes after a blow out and brings me water refills ect. He still helps.