Hi all - DH and I decided that the crib was going to be too large for both the babies and our bedroom. So we moved it into the nursery with the other matching crib and decided to place our new graco elefanta pack n play in our master bedroom for the time being. Since I probably will be having a c section (bc of IUGR in one baby) the height of the pnp is actually better for me anyway. I figured they can co-sleep in there (on the main pad, not the bassinet) for the time being.
However does anyone know if BRU or another store sells a better mattress/pad for the pnp than the original? It just doesn't seem comfortable. Also does anyone have any experience co-sleeping in a pnp just for the first couple months? I really don't feel like purchasing a bassinet for that short of a time period when the pnp seems like a good option. I figure they're swaddled anyway....
last question - could I take the changing table off temporarily and put one twin in the bassinet and the other on the regular mattress area? I just don't know what is safe....
opinions or advice greatly appreciated. Thank you!
Re: Mattress for graco pack n play?
Just for terminology, so I know we're on the same page, the little sleep thing that attaches to the top is a "Newborn Napper." The regular mattress placed in the higher position is the bassinet.
We started out putting both babies in the bassinet of the pack and play. I think it would have been OK, but the boys had mild reflux and didn't sleep well lying flat. We ended up with them in bouncy chairs for a few months.
If sleeping flat works for them, I think they would do OK in the bassinet together. The mattress has never been a problem for us - remember, soft is bad for babies - and my boys still sleep in pack-n-plays for travel and do fine.
ETA: I said "suffocation risk" a lot, sorry. I would suggest reading your pnp's manual and determining what YOU are comfortable with.
No no no! Don't put them on two different levels. What if it collapsed? You actually couldn't anyways, because it only comes with one mattress, that you will either use on the bottom, or as the napper.
I found a quilted sheet that fits the pack and play and it made it a little more comfortable (not a huge difference though). I think it was on Amazon. You could probably cut out a piece of egg crate foam and stuff it under the sheet, but it will increase the SIDS risk.
As for who is going to sleep where, it's so hard to know ahead of time what will work. I wouldn't worry about it too much yet. You'll probably end up making adjustments as you go.
We found that all of our babies slept better in upright positions. Things like bouncy chairs, rock'n'plays and swings always worked the best. (Even though we had co-sleepers, pack'n'plays and cribs around too).
Good luck!