Where does your baby sleep?
Posted by Laurie
Before mid-pregnancy, I would not have thought this was a question worth asking. In the crib, of course. Right?
Nope, not so. During pregnancy I quickly discovered the variety of options:
- Crib
- Bassinet
- Co-sleeper
- Family bed
- Car seat
- Swing
Am I missing any?
My husband and I asked our parent friends where their babies slept. One couple told us their baby only fell asleep in the car seat so they ended up moving the car seat into the crib! Another couple us they had their baby in the family bed with them until he was four years old. By then, the couple had a second child sleeping with them too and they wanted their own space, finally.
Another chose a bassinet for the first few months of her baby’s life and then moved the child to the crib when the mom was ready to separate from her child during the night.
Babycenter writes about choosing between a bassinet and a crib. Who would think this could be so hard?
During my pregnancy, my husband and I talked about this necessary decision and we both agreed to one thing for sure: The child was NOT sleeping in our bed. We were firm. That would be our space. We didn’t even want to use a bassinet in our bedroom. We stuck to the plan. Our son has only slept in his crib since birth (or in the car seat when driving somewhere).
But we cannot take full credit for the success of our plan. I must admit that there were some awfully exhausting nights leaving me so desperate for sleep that when our son wouldn’t nap in his crib, I tried to bring him into bed with me. I’d lie there praying that he would fall asleep in bed with me. God, just give me 20 minutes of rest, I would beg. Didn’t happen. My son does not like the family bed. But if he did, we probably would have developed some weird nap in the family bed routine. So, with all of the sleeping options out there, the best one may be the one that lets you sleep the most.
Where does or will your baby sleep? How has the choice affected the intimacy in your relationship? How did you make your decision or did it just happen?
This entry was posted on Monday, May 24th, 2010 at 10:30 am and is filed under Baby Prep. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response.
You forgot the bouncy seat. As a previous daycare worker and a current nanny, to an infant, sometime the bouncy seat is the only way she will take a nap. I am in agreeance with you as far as no co-sleeping. I think its a nasty habit to get into; however I do want to breastfeed so I want to find one of the bed side bassinets that fold down on one side so I can just reach in and grab the baby and attach…we’ll see how it all actually turns out.
Good for you though sticking with your goal!