# If you don't have a crib (or something similar) where does you baby nap & sleep if the baby goes to bed before you and/or you get up earlier?



## IdentityCrisisMama (May 12, 2003)

This is a sad question considering I've already done the whole cosleeping thing with DC #1. The thing is our house and lifestyle is a little different now and I'm having a hard time picturing things.

DH and I have a king sized bed (the mattress can't be put on the floor like we had with DC#1) and the baby will sleep there. But, I want to set the baby down a little more than I did with DC. She slept in the sling the entire time we weren't in bed...I don't think I can do that again. I also want to try to put the baby down at night before we go to bed so I can spend some time with DC and DH. AND, DC is in school so I imagine there will be mornings where we are up getting ready while the baby is sleeping.

Another big difference we have going this time around is that our house is bigger and has several floors. With DC we had a 2BR one level house. This house has the bedrooms on the second floor and the kitchen/living room on the first floor and when we eventually set up the baby's room we'll be putting a den/TV room on the 3rd floor. I imagine there will be times throughout the day where I'll be on a different floor from the sleeping baby.

So, I'm imagining where I'll put the baby to sleep once she/he can roll.

I suppose I can wrangle up a crib but that seems like a waste considering DC never got in it and we used it like a really bulky laundry basket. Maybe I can set up a nursery once the baby is mobile and just put a futon/twin mattress on the floor. I could also do just a small crib type pad/mattress that I move around the house.

What do you all do?

Of course, I may end up just slinging this baby for naps/early sleep too but I like to fantasize about all of these times I'm going to set this new baby down to sleep peacefully while I do all sorts of interesting things ;-)


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## mel707070 (Jan 7, 2011)

I would suggest a packNplay. The new ones are really nice and have a system were you can have the baby sleep higher up so that you don't have to reach all the way to the bottom when putting them down. This also works great as a traveling crib and can be snugged up next to the bed to give baby his/her own space for part/all of the night. You can get fitted sheets for them or make your own. You will find that with the second child that you sometimes need a "safe' place to put them down. I prefer the floor, but I do have to be vigilant about small toys, like Lego's, that my older children leave behind. All my kids were mobile by 3 months! I would put them on the floor and they would roll or scoot on their backs to move around the room. A mattress on the floor was just not an option for me. I also like to carry my DD, but I just can't do it all the time when I have 2 other kids running around.

I hope you find a solution.


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## IdentityCrisisMama (May 12, 2003)

Ok, thanks mama. I'll consider something like that. The Graco pack-n-play looks nice and reasonably priced....but thinking of buying that makes me consider the mini-arm reach cosleeper. Does anyone reading know if these two products are comparable?


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## liberal_chick (May 22, 2005)

We still put our boys down for their naps in our bed, even after they could roll. I found that surrounding them with pillows was pretty effective (not in their face, more toward the sides of the bed, like a blockade). Honestly, I can't remember a time when they rolled in the bed before they started crawling! When they were crawling, the first thing we taught them was how to get off a higher surface feet first, so we have fortunately never had a kid take a header off the bed.


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## IdentityCrisisMama (May 12, 2003)

LC, I think that must be what I did with DC because I can't remember ever worrying about what to do with her. She was also a cautious kid, ever fell off anything and all of that. It's weird to be in a position of not being able to imagine life without some sort of "baby pen" when I did it myself not so, so many years ago. Though I must say that I also can't really imagine getting up 8x/night either and changing diapers either.

THIS is one reason to have your kids a bit closer together. ;-)


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## sosurreal09 (Nov 20, 2009)

My DD hates anything with walls lol the pack n play was horror for her.

Do you have a low bed, like a platform?

we have a king so I never worried when she could roll. the bed is upstairs. I just put pillows around the edges and put her more towards the wall side.

I think getting a mat or something may work for you, you could take it anywhere in the house.


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## IdentityCrisisMama (May 12, 2003)

I should say that I'm not so much worried about the early roll phase but more that in between phase of being mobile enough to crawl off the bed and too young to teach about getting off the bed, down the stairs and etc.

Our bed is a pretty standard height but, yes, a platform style where you can't just put the mattress on the floor (the legs are attached to the mattress). Besides, DH really prefers to have a bed off the floor and I don't want to ask him to go back to sleeping with a mattress on the floor.

Ironically DC (who never slept in any kind of crip/playpen) LOVED getting in things with high sides. Even now, at 9, she asks to get into babies cribs and stuff.


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## astar326 (Jul 5, 2007)

ds took naps in the happy hammock a lot. he's napping now on the couch next to me (he fell asleep in the ergo on my back and i transitioned him to the couch). can you transition your lo where ever you are going to be?


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## Lilymomma (Oct 9, 2007)

i have both a p&p and an arms reach full size. i love both. i keep the p&p in the basement playroom to have a safe place to set her when we are down there and the arm reach attached to our bed. she naps in the arms reach one time and on me the other and for cat naps. the basement p&P never gets used fore baps, but more as a place to keep the older kids rom attacking her (1.5y/o twins & 4 y/o). I just like having the options. She is usually on me, which is my preference, but my back gets tired and my other kids need more attention at times,too. if you are between a p*p and an AR, i'd vote AR- it can be used either way. the only disadvantage is that it is heavier and a little harder to put up and take down, but still doable, NAK


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