# Cosleeping parents... did you still build a nursery for your LO?



## Jelinifer (Mar 20, 2009)

DH and I are trying to figure out where to go with this. We plan on having our LO in our room with us for at least his/her first year (in a crib at the foot of our bed... our room is long and narrow with only room for a full sized bed and no option for side-car unfortunately.) We have a second bedroom in our apartment that right now is being used to store DH's weight bench and is used as our cats "bedroom"- it has their litterbox, most of their really big toys/play structures in it and their window perch. Moving kitty items is doable with some planning and DH could always take the exercise stuff back to his parents house (they live across town and he kept/used it in their basement while we lived in an even smaller apartment last year.) My questions is.... is it even worth it to build a nursery if our peanut is just going to sleep with us, or should we just hold off until s/he is a toddler and ready for his/her own space?


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## fruitfulmomma (Jun 8, 2002)

We've never had a nursery. We don't really have much for our little one, so we just keep her things in some baskets near our bed - one for clothes, one for diapers, and a smaller one for toys. Her board books are in a small basket on the children's bookshelf.


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## Chamomile Girl (Nov 4, 2008)

We have a very small house but I thought it was totally worth it to make the second bedroom into the nursery. Even though the crib is not getting much use, we play in there everyday, and I have a place to put all his crap.


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## StrawberryFields (Apr 6, 2005)

We still did a nursery and it was worth it for us. I liked having a place to store the diapers, clothes, blankets, and eventually toys. And with my first son born in November the toys came rolling in a mere 4 weeks later for Christmas







Gotta love doting grandparents, aunties and uncles! Every sleeping 4 week old baby needs a nearly life-sized Drop and Roar Dinosaur, right?!


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## bettyjones (Mar 5, 2009)

The process of painting, decorating a nursery really helped us prepare for the birth. I think it is worth it. Sometimes we play in there but mostly it is a place to store baby clothes etc. DD sleeps in our bed.


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## isabchi (Sep 14, 2006)

No...


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## tanyam926 (May 25, 2005)

We have never had a nursery, or even a crib for that matter, for any of our children.

It wasn't really important to me though, and I have never regretted it. I think it depends on the person and if putting together a nursery is something important to you.

We had a dresser in our bdrm w/all baby stuff, dipes were kept in basket that we took from rm to rm, so no matter what you decide, it's workable.

Congrats on your lo!


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## Mary Contrary (Feb 18, 2009)

We never did. We were short on room and money, and it just didn't make sense for us. Congratulations on your LO!


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## Therese's Mommy (Jan 15, 2005)

No. We are awaiting the arrival of our third child and there is still just 1 bedroom (aside from a guest room) in our house. We never even had a crib. All the savings we have realized from not making a nursery, not having a crib, cloth diapering, extended bfing, etc. have allowed us to have more than 1 child.


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## SeekingJoy (Apr 30, 2007)

We did, but in your situation it doesn't sound like it would be helpful. We have a 3BR house, with each LO having their own room. I liked having floor space for them to play that wasn't always the living room. I liked having storage space for them. I liked being able to read, clean up, chill in my room while they napped in theirs.


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## Barefoot~Baker (Dec 25, 2008)

For our 1st we did, but I didn't know that I would be cosleeping until she was born and then it was naturally better for us. With my 2nd, we didn't bother, nor with my 3rd. If you need more space for clothes, towels, blankets, etc, then you might want to do something to another room as a sort of nursery.


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## Friday13th (Jun 13, 2006)

We had a one bedroom apartment when DS was born so no nursery and now we that we have a house, he has a room set although he's never slept in it. It's nice to have the space to store all his clothes and diapers as well as to have a baby-proofed place for him to play while I shower (bathroom and bedrooms on the second floor).

DS is almost 2 and I figure at some point (be it years down the road) he'll want a room of his own and I'd rather not have to worry about running around finding a place for all the other stuff in the second bedroom and creating a kid friendly space when he does choose to sleep alone.


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## masja (Jul 24, 2009)

my daughter has a beautiful nursery down the hall....she hasn't slept in it yet, lol. She co-sleeps, but I'm sure one day she'll use it. It was the same with our son, but we did use it a bit more, but he co slept too, so it was a while.
I would wait until you think you'll need one.


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## EarthsSpiral (Nov 13, 2007)

I think you would be fine to leave things as they are.


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## NullSet (Dec 19, 2004)

For our first we had the whole separate nursery with a crib and everything. She never once slept in there until she was about 2 and wanted to have her own napping bed. I wouldn't think you need one. BUT it is nice to have a separate room with the changing table, baby clothes, dipes and all that random stuff.


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## KristaDJ (May 30, 2009)

Why not wait until babe is a toddler and can pick out colors and a theme for their room? Seems like a waste to decorate and set up a room for someone who won't use it and is too young to care. None of mine have ever had a nursery, they have a playroom now but they all still sleep in my room.


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## nelson (Aug 12, 2008)

We used to have ds's crib set up in his room and finally dismantled it and made it into a playroom. I would recommend just cleaning it up a bit and having another space where you feel comfortable spending time with your LO. Our house is really small, so now that ds is older, we try to use every inch that is available to us. You don't have to do it all right now either, we finally did more to his room around a year when he really started to move.


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## One_Girl (Feb 8, 2008)

I had all of the nursery stuff but had dd sleep in a crib in my room the first few weeks and then moved to actually co-sleeping and I never used the nursery after that. It was a waste of money and I would suggest saving the money to help you afford to spend a little more time at home with your baby if you aren't planning on being a SAHM. If you are going to be a SAHM then use the money to save for a rainy day or spend it on a mother's helper and have someone come in to do the dishes and clean up for you for a few weeks or longer after your baby is born.


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## Peony (Nov 27, 2003)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *KristaDJ* 
Why not wait until babe is a toddler and can pick out colors and a theme for their room? Seems like a waste to decorate and set up a room for someone who won't use it and is too young to care. None of mine have ever had a nursery, they have a playroom now but they all still sleep in my room.

This is what we do. I wait until the child wants their own space to play and then we create a room. Up until then I don't see a need and we have better use of our rooms this way.


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## 2cutiekitties (Dec 3, 2006)

In your situation, I would leave as is. Plus, you never know how things are going to go. It is very hard to predict what kind of post partum life you will have.


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## alegna (Jan 14, 2003)

nope.


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## prothyraia (Feb 12, 2007)

No nursery.

My oldest turns three next month and we're just now feeling like it would be nice for him to have a dedicated space of his own (not to sleep in yet, but as a playroom/place to stash his stuff).


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## ewe+lamb (Jul 20, 2004)

We didn't do up the second room until dd's little brother was about to come onto the scene - she painted her room, helped make the bed and chose the carpet etc - we had a great time and I'm delighted that we waited as long as we did to do this, mind you she still uses her room mostly for play and not for sleeping!!!


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## rubidoux (Aug 22, 2003)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Mary Contrary* 
We never did. We were short on room and money, and it just didn't make sense for us. Congratulations on your LO!









Same here. And we didn't miss having one. We are just now getting around to putting a room together for our six yr old.


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## farmkids42morrow (Apr 12, 2009)

We painted our spare room, got a crib, chair, table, lamps, on and on...and never used the room..._ever_. Gave the crib away, moved the chair, table and lamps into the living room. Lesson here?- Save yourself the time and money.







No little bundle needs a whole room to him/herself.


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## Theoretica (Feb 2, 2008)

DH insisted we have a crib, rocker, the whole nine set up in a bedroom for the baby. Fast forward 18 months and she hasn't used it ONCE. He even bought a pack and play and a swing! We didn't need it at ALL. None of it was used, but he felt like he HAD to do it, so since it meant so much to him I figured it wouldn't hurt. She's NEVER slept in her crib, been in the pack and play once (I was mowing the lawn, she was on the porch in it because I didn't want the mower noise affecting her ears), the swing was used for shower requirements on my part but no other time (she hated it).

So I say if there's one of you that feels like this is a big deal then fine, but if you're planning on co-sleeping from the start, and won't be using any of it then why bother?

All the bb stuff is now in the storage loft and the bedroom is now being used by my cousin, who is staying with us for a few months. We figured there wasn't much sense in making her use the couch (or the pack and play...)


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## momoftworedheads (Mar 6, 2003)

No nursery here. We have bought each child a special blanket or lovie as they get older but no nursery. My 3rd son is sleeping in the family bed as I type this and my youngest is in the co-sleeper attached to it. No need for nurseries. I did get a rocker this time and it is in my living room.

Take care!!


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## cristeen (Jan 20, 2007)

Yes, we did. But in reality the nursery was a room that was being under-utilized, and we didn't have the space anywhere else to put the stuff...

We don't have a crib though... we put the rocking chair, a bookshelf full of all the books for a young one, the changing table, and a couple shelving units with baskets that are holding clothes, dipes, carriers, etc. We do have a bassinet, but that winds up getting moved to whatever room we're in at the moment.


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## sapphire_chan (May 2, 2005)

Nope. No place for one here without giving up room for all our hobbies.


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## stephienoodle (Jul 28, 2007)

No, we didn't. We felt like it was a waste of resources that we didn't have to spare when DS was born. 18 months later, I'm quite glad that we didn't - DS wouldn't have used a nursery one bit. Even just having his clothing in the spare bedroom was useless. We ended up making space in my husband's wardrobe in our bedroom for DS's clothing


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## Chloe'sMama (Oct 14, 2008)

We had a nursery for DD before she was born.... we didn't know how co-sleeping would be. We changed it into a play room at 12 months and now she has a reading nook, table for puzzles, all her toys... etc.

I am glad we have a separate room for her stuff, but she wont be moving in there for a while still (most likely a few years....). I want to put in a bed eventually so she can decide, but right now she is 16 months and doesn't seem to be needing her own space.


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## Comtessa (Sep 16, 2008)

We didn't plan on building a nursery, but before DD was born, my parents kept showing up at the door with hand-me-down furniture and clothes, and I soon realized I'd need to find a place to put them. We didn't actually decorate or anything, just moved some stuff around in our unused second bedroom, and put everything in there. It's actually nice to have the room set aside for her things, it helps keep the rest of the house from being overrun with baby stuff. We co-sleep, but I like using her crib for naps - especially now that she's rolling, we need to keep her a little bit more contained.

Also, slightly off-topic, but an important thing I've learned: it's nice to have baby things confined to one room, but even with a designated room, it's still easy to have the entire house overrun with ugly noisy bright-colored plastic things. If you don't have a nursery, that's even more true. I've learned to say "no" firmly and repeatedly to offers of loans or hand-me-downs of things that we don't really need and won't fit in the nursery - especially giant space-hogs like exersaucers, playpens, etc. If people show up with these things anyway, thank them graciously and then give the item away or sell it on Craigslist at first opportunity. This is a lifesaving policy for sharing a very small space with a little person!


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## Lillypop (Sep 3, 2009)

Didn't do a nursery for DS, and am not doing one for this baby. They will both be in bed with me (DS has been since birth). Our second bedroom is a giant playroom with most of the toys, kitchen set, etc. I use the closet in there for the kids' clothes/closet organizers since mine is full of my stuff, and I'm not big on dressers (just have one for my pants).

Never bothered with a changing table. I just seemed like I'd never use it and I'm glad we didn't get one. I'm not going to even think of getting the LOs out of the family bed until after they've weaned, and we do CLW so it may be at age 4 or 5. Around then (or 6 or 7ish) I'll have rooms ready with a bed and etc. that they can help pick out and plan for, but I won't be pushy about it.


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## Dahlea (May 15, 2008)

No, because what was the point? Nurseries are for parents anyway, babies don't care.


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## baglady (Jul 13, 2009)

You could also consider using only part of your second bedroom. Setting aside a little space for a changing table and dresser might be helpful. Those are the only parts of the nursery I've used so far. Baby stuff has a tendency to take over and it's nice to have a designated space for it.


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## Ruthie's momma (May 2, 2008)

When DD was conceived, we were renting a 2 bedroom house...we made room for her in our bedroom (and kept the 2nd bedroom as it was, an office).

When DD was born, we were renting a 1 bedroom apartment (we had to move at the end of my pregnancy)...again, we made room for her in our bedroom.

We are TTC LO #2...







...and we now own a 4 bedroom house...and again, we will make room for this LO in our bedroom.

So, to make a long answer short, no!


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## crunchy_mommy (Mar 29, 2009)

We didn't plan on co-sleeping originally so we did start a nursery. DS has only slept in the crib once (for 5 minutes lol) but it is a nice, calm place that I sometimes nurse or read to him. Also his changing table is in there... It's a small room so, not much room for toys, but there are a couple in there plus all his clothes. I like that he has his own room & it was fun to put together, and will be easy to convert to a toddler room when he's ready to sleep on his own.

I don't think the nursery is "necessary" though (actually, DS's wasn't even finished & usable 'til he was over 4 months old). If you would enjoy putting it together, go for it, if it's too much of a hassle, just skip it!


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## Beppie (Oct 24, 2005)

no nursery, and we never regretted it.


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## sunshynbaby (Dec 10, 2008)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Mary Contrary* 
We never did. We were short on room and money, and it just didn't make sense for us. Congratulations on your LO!


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## esteg0 (Oct 21, 2007)

We knew we were going to be co-sleeping from the start and didn't know if we were having a boy or a girl. So, we didn't set up a nursery. I have to admit it was refreshing not to! All of my mainstream friends kept wanting to see the nursery. Oh well. We have a comfy rocker in my room and change his diaper wherever he is at the time.

We did set up a room for him when he turned 6 months. I kinda went for a Montessori feel for the room. It has a double mattress on the floor for naps and toy boxes and shelves full of his toys that he can easily get in to. We also put mirrors at his height and a pull up shelf I found on etsy. It's mostly his play room but it will be his "big boy" room eventually. We decorated it, but not babyish, and it is too cute. It fulfilled my need (and my sister's) to decorate something fun for him but I didn't spend the money on useless furniture, etc. I love his room!


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## Down2Earth (Jan 23, 2008)

I would say it depends on how long you are going to live at your current place. If you plan on moving within the year, then just keep everything the way it is. But if you are going to live there until your LO is old enough to need a room that I would start making that room over. Maybe moving around some stuff when you need room for your LO's things. Plus, it is really really nice having a place to put all of the baby gifts!

We cosleep and DD's room was the catch-all/junk room until she was about 5 mo. We then bought her a dresser, low shelf, and twin mattress for the floor. I never changed her diaper in there, I only stored her clothes. But now that we have fully made it her room she loves to play in there. And we have a safe place for daytime naps. And a great bonus, when I had the flu I stayed on her bed and she was able to play and come to me when she needed to nurse.

She will sleep with us until she doesn't want to anymore, but it is nice having a place that is just hers.


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## Mal85 (Sep 3, 2008)

Our place is a two bedroom and what is now the nursery was our guest room/office/extra storage room before. We did some major rearranging and did turn it into a nursery. And for us, it was well worth it. Her dresser and clothes are in there, all of her diapering supplies are kept in there, her changing table is in there. And she naps in her crib, so it was definitely needed.

As she gets older, I imagine we'll use it as a play room as well since there is no other place for that in our house.


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## Latte Mama (Aug 25, 2009)

When DS was born we lived in a 1 bedroom apt so no, no nursery. Then when he was 7 months old we took the 2 bedroom apt. downstairs in my bldg. and even though he was still cosleeping, we did make a bedroom for him. It was just something I always wanted to do. I really got into the decorating and Winnie the Pooh stuff, yeah corny I know.

Now at 13 months, he does sleep in his room and we also keep the changing table in there. It's useful for us.


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## NaturalMindedMomma (Feb 5, 2007)

I live in a 2 bedroom apartment. It is small and has one HUGE walkin closet..

With my first we were in a house and we didn't cosleep, so she slept in her crib in her room from about 2 months old and on. Before that she slept in our room in her pack and play. But I wanted the nursery (I needed to nest, completely for me, lol)

With my second, I set up the pack and play as a changing station in my room (and for any surprise CPS visits, they are sticklers for this in MA) and she has a bureau in the living room that I use as a TV stand. We all share the closet. When she gets older I will get bunk beds for the girls and she will join her sister in the second bedroom.


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## Karrie42 (Apr 19, 2008)

At this age, I think it's much more helpful to the baby if *the parents* have a room to escape into (i.e. weights, reading, etc.)


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## Headmeister (Nov 23, 2009)

Well, we had no intentions of cosleeping at all and here we are, 15 months later, with no intentions of stopping cosleeping until my daughter is ready. Because we fully intended on using a nursery, we set one up for her - soup to nuts, really spared no expense. We have a 3 bdrm house, and the rooms are *tiny*. We kept the bigger of the two spare rooms as a guest room and made the itty bitty room her room. We made a lot of changes to make that happen, as it was our cat room, our server/computer/printer room, etc. Now? She's never spent more than 15 mins in the crib in that room, and we never, ever use it. Had I known, I would have left it as it, because now the cat boxes are in the guest room and get everything dusty - forcing us to not only put them in our room when we have company but we have to literally mop the whole room down because of the litter dust that gets on everything, and, all of the computer gear went into our bedroom. We literally user her room as a dumping ground for things we need to get out of the way but don't know where to put them. We also use the closet and dresser for her things, but that's it. Now that I've read this thread, I'm seriously thinking about dismantling that room and making it what it was before, and then when this baby (I'm pg) gets old enough, just moving them both from our room into the larger guest room together.

I say keep that room what it is and change it only if you decide you need to after the fact - no sense making all the changes and then deciding it wasn't necessary, know what I mean?


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## MorgnsGrl (Dec 14, 2001)

We didn't bother with a nursery. We knew DS was going to sleep with us, so it seemed unnecessary. We put his bureau in the office (because that's where there was room for it) and bought some waterproof changing pads so we could change his diapers on our bed. We never had a crib or a changing table.


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## tykys (Nov 25, 2009)

I would hold off til you needed it, otherwise it's just going to be a big headache - and what's the use if it's never really used? Right now we are sharing our room with DS (8 weeks) - his changing table, dresser, etc. is all in our room- whenever he is ready to sleep on his own we are going to move our room to the bedroom in the back of the house and give him our room, right across the hall from his big sister. But we're not going to worry about any of that until the time comes.


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## tykys (Nov 25, 2009)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *NaturalMindedMomma* 
I live in a 2 bedroom apartment. It is small and has one HUGE walkin closet..

With my first we were in a house and we didn't cosleep, so she slept in her crib in her room from about 2 months old and on. Before that she slept in our room in her pack and play. But I wanted the nursery (I needed to nest, completely for me, lol)

With my second, I set up the pack and play as a changing station in my room (and for any surprise CPS visits, they are sticklers for this in MA) and she has a bureau in the living room that I use as a TV stand. We all share the closet. When she gets older I will get bunk beds for the girls and she will join her sister in the second bedroom.

What are CPS sticklers about?? Having a changing station? Weird.


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