Co-Sleepers

[ladymoreta]

I've been telling DH we should see if she can sleep on her own right now since we have about 4.5 months before the baby comes

I would... We really stepped it up with DS after I got pregnant, including hiring a sleep consultant (through The Baby Sleep Site). He sleeps through the night in his own bed most nights now. If this is your goal, you have time. You *can* do it without doing cry-it-out if that's your goal. We had to. I am a lot less stressed about DD now that I know I won't be dealing with wakeups from both of them most nights. (Although I do expect some regression from DS at first.)

Lamorna - what do you guys do when your husband is on call? We're trying to figure out how that will work. DH is on call (at home) every other week. We were thinking on non-call weeks he could sleep in DD's room and I'd be in the MBR with the baby. But not sure what to do when he's on call. He'll have to sleep on the couch those weeks. But if DD is still not sleeping through the night by then, I'm sure she'll get up looking for us. I've been telling DH we should see if she can sleep on her own right now since we have about 4.5 months before the baby comes but he has to install a baby gate at the top of the stairs, so she doesn't try to walk down the stairs half asleep - they are really steep! He hasn't done that yet of course but that's one idea we're thinking of. Haven't thought of anything else. She's a light sleeper like your DD so having her sleep with me and the baby probably won't work.

It's hard. The first few months I just had both kids with me (baby in crib next to bed) but that was before the baby got so excited when she heard her brother in the night. Now, I put the baby in the crib upstairs and sleep with DS downstairs and just go up and down all night!! She wakes up so much, so I don't get much sleep. Luckily DH doesn't have to work many nights this year.
For the amount of call your DH will have to do, you probably should do as LadyM suggests and figure it out before. It's hard on the little ones to have different sleeping arrangements at different times. Have you read the No Cry Sleep Solution? It has some good suggestions.
Maybe your new baby will sleep through at 6 weeks and you'll be set! Ha!

[madeintaiwan]

We always figured it out before the next one came. I nursed DS1 until he was 2.5 and he slept with us until he was 3.5. We transitioned him into his own bed before DD came when he was 3 and 10 months old. Charts, stickers, and prizes. DD slept with us until she was about 2 at which point she started sleeping in the bottom bunk with DS1. DS2 still climbs into our bed at some point in the middle of the night or early morning. He is almost 3.5.

We always just put the bassinet right next to our bed. It wasn't difficult at all to reach over and pick up the baby during the night for nursing.

[Ravenclaw]

We got the original size Arms Reach...supposed to be able to use it longer. I'll let you know how we like it! I wasn't able to find any other brands, though, either.

So what do you think of it?

[SoonerTexan]

We like it! Honestly, half the time she ends up in bed with us lately, but only because I've learned to nurse her lying down, so I fall asleep and by the time I wake up she is hungry again She's pretty much sleeping through the night now, too, so if she starts out in the swing, she spends most of her time there. It's quite nice to have her right there, though. Before I started nursing laying down and when she was up every 2-3 hours it was really nice to put her in and take her out so easily to eat.

It is sort of a PITA when we try and make the bed, but for now we've just been scooting it over and scooting it back when the bed is made. We're bad parents and haven't attached it to the bed yet because honestly there is no way in hell that thing is scooting over by itself right now. I've loaded the bottom with spare toys, etc. and she is way too little to move it on her own. When she gets bigger we'll have to attach it.

I definitely recommend getting the "original" size...she would be on her way out of the mini one soon. Also, if you get the original, you can use it as a pack n play when he is older, but only if you plan in keeping it in one spot. It really isn't easy to change the configurations or put the whole thing away. If you get the original, get a different sheet. The sheet that comes with it is absolutely awful (have to wash in cold/DRIP DRY!!! and just feels off) and is a non-standard size. The one below fits perfectly and is really soft and nice:

http://www.amazon.com/Eddie-Bauer-Qu.../dp/B000COUO8W

If you do get the mini, I've heard a king sized pillowcase works well.

Actually, I decided today to try and get her sleeping in it more this weekend. We've really spoiled her so far...she almost always sleeps in a swing or in our arms. Obviously it's time to teach her how to sleep on a flat, non-moving surface

[GrayMatterWife]

You all are such good, kind people with deeply maternal souls!

By contrast, the hell if I would ever let the kid sleep in my room, much less connected to (or in) my bed. No way. They are noisy and they move a not. And they breathe heavily. And I couldn't have sex or even a decent conversation without worrying I'd wake the sleeping bomb. I don't even like sharing a hotel room with my kids!

I never even had those one-way radio baby monitors. My babies slept at the WAY opposite end of the house for a reason. If they really need something, they'll cry loudly enough to wake me. But I didn't want to be woken up over momentary whimpering.

Bad, selfish mommy!! (whose kids, while excellent sleepers who slept through the night by four months, willl probably need years of expensive therapy with mommy issues in their teen years.

[ladymoreta]

I also found I couldn't sleep with a newborn in my room. I just sleep way too lightly. Now that she's a little quieter, I will sometimes bring her to bed with me after a feeding if she doesn't go immediately back to sleep, and she slept with me while she was sick recently. I really tried to make the pack & play work - I know cosleeping (same room) is the recommendation now, but i was waking and picking her up at every whimper, so she wasn't sleeping well either.


Laurie

[HouseofWool]

After the first few weeks, I had to move my kids to a separate sleeping area. My babies just made way too many noises while sleeping and they would wake me all night long. I couldn't imagine sleeping in the same room with them.

Now, DS9 is too big to do that and DD3 has no interest in co-sleeping.

[TulipsAndSunscreen]

We're cosleeping right now. Since I can't walk, it's really the only reasonable solution. We had planned to use the PnP as the cosleeper but even that would be too difficult because I can't lean out of bed yet without fear of falling.

We bought this:
http://www.amazon.com/First-Years-Se...8018382&sr=8-3

Much cheaper that an Arms Reach Cosleeper and it works great! Honestly she probably spends at least 50% of the night on the "booby pillow" but when she's sleeping on her own, it works great. We liked that this was less expensive because it felt like the PnP/Cosleeper would have been redundant. We put her in between us which allows DH to help me if I can't move - I get really stiff since I'm bracing with only my back in bed instead of back and legs. We'll move her to the PnP when she outgrows the thing she's in now (which will be around 2ish months since it's only 24 inches long).

[GreyhoundsRUs]

DD still sleeps in our room in her carseat. It's really a convenience thing for me and a comfort thing for her We also have the air filter on high - not to help her sleep, but to drown out all of her little noises!

Her PnP is also in our room, and we'll be transitioning her to that this weekend. Maybe eventually she'll sleep in her nursery!

[SoonerTexan]

We thought about one of those but thought it would take up too much room in a queen size bed and I didn't really want her in between us...I like to cuddle

Funny you mention the booby pillow...TMI alert...I woke up with N curled around my breast like a teddy bear one time. It was hilarious and totally accurate.

[GrayMatterWife]

DD still sleeps in our room in her carseat. It's really a convenience thing for me and a comfort thing for her!

DS did this for the first couple of months. LOVED it.

[Ravenclaw]

Thanks! My family just ordered the original co-sleeper as their gift for the baby! And I just ordered the Eddie Bauer sheets - Target has them on sale right now for $14. Thanks for the tip!

We had the Secure Sleeper for DD but had the same problem with room. Neither of us could get comfortable with it in our queen-sized bed.

I created a little milk monster by doing the side-lying nursing with DD so I'm hoping with this baby I'll be able to feed him and put him back in his sleep area, but still close enough to me. (I also got the My Brest Friend pillow to help with that. Borrowed the Boppy last time which didn't help much. ) We'll see!

[SoonerTexan]

Yay! Enjoy it...I will say putting it together is no fun as the directions really suck. Also, you might need to get the leg risers to get it to bed height.

And I hear you on the milk monster