I previously posted some of you gave me the advice to put our mattress on the floor I asked how I can nurse DS to sleep and leave the room. However, I am still concerned and confused about safety. My almost nine month old moves a ton in his sleep. If he falls off the mattress even if it's on the floor I still think he would get hurt. I have a toddler bed rail but when he is half asleep he pulls up on it and I'm scared if I'm not right there he will topple over. I don't want to be trapped in bed at his early bedtime and during naps. Any advice? Thanks!
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You got rid of the boxspring, right? This should mean baby is 6-8ish inches off the ground on the mattress. IMO that probably is not real hazardous, but I know that when DS1 was that age I had the same concern so at first I lined the side of the bed (on the floor) with pillows or a comforter in case he rolled off. Of course, pillows are a suffocation hazard, so if he did fall off I'd want to get him back on the mattress ASAP which would mean I would want to hear the thud of any fall. I ended up deciding that the small distance was no big deal if he actually fell. Would it feel awesome to fall off the mattress? No. But, it was unlikely to cause an actal injury. We also started to teach him how to back off if it when he wanted to get down.
If he's just on a mattress he won't get hurt if he does roll off - kids are pretty sturdy ;-) And since you are using this for times when you are awake - either staying in a room nearby or using a monitor will let you hear when he starts to rustle.
You could put a folded blanket half under the mattress for more padding for falls. But if it's only the mattress and not the box spring, too, it's really hard for them to get hurt by falling off. Can you get a video monitor to watch him? We use a regular monitor, but peek in if we hear *any* noise. hth
We have a boxspring and mattress and our DS started learning to slide off backwards around nine months. If you just have the mattress, your DS should be fine.
Re: bedsharing safety help needed
You got rid of the boxspring, right? This should mean baby is 6-8ish inches off the ground on the mattress. IMO that probably is not real hazardous, but I know that when DS1 was that age I had the same concern so at first I lined the side of the bed (on the floor) with pillows or a comforter in case he rolled off. Of course, pillows are a suffocation hazard, so if he did fall off I'd want to get him back on the mattress ASAP which would mean I would want to hear the thud of any fall. I ended up deciding that the small distance was no big deal if he actually fell. Would it feel awesome to fall off the mattress? No. But, it was unlikely to cause an actal injury. We also started to teach him how to back off if it when he wanted to get down.
More Green For Less Green
Breastfeeding Counselor with Breastfeeding USA
Babywearing Guide ** Newborn Carriers
Cloth Diaper Guide
Safe Bed Sharing Info
www.becomingmamas.com
DS2 - Oct 2010 (my VBAC baby!)
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