I have a question for moms of babies under a year old: where does the baby sleep? In a crib? In a bassinet? In bed with you? Did you start with one place and keep the baby there, or did he sleep in more than one place before he was one?
(I'm working on a book-- and I have a 4-month-old baby who hates his crib!)
Thanks to everyone for their input! I'm amazed at what a variety of sleeping arrangements people have. I expected everyone to be either pro-bed or pro-crib but it seems like in reality the choice of where the baby sleeps is much more "grey area!" .. and sometimes not so much of a parental choice, either!
Meanwhile, our son is still sleeping in the bed but has started kicking and thrashing at night, I think he's trying to crawl in his sleep. So we're going to work on getting him to sleep in the bassinet. It's been some long nights...
Please keep leaving your input, it's very helpful! The book will be out in fall of '09-- IF I get the manuscript in in time!
Our daughter slept in the crib as soon as we got home from the hospital. It has never been a problem for us. She's ten months now and still sleeping well in her crib.
Hi M.! We set up a bassinet next to our bed for my daughter and I think she slept there for about 10 seconds. She was just one of those babies who needed to be more secure, and so she slept in my arms in my bed for about 2 months (which made nursing a lot easier!!), at which point she began to sleep in longer stretches. I noticed she napped well in a bouncy seat, so she slept in the bouncy seat at the foot of our bed for about a month, and slowly we moved the chair from our room into her room at the foot of her crib. it was a great way to teach her to sleep alone because she was still secure in the seat, and gradually got used to her room. I think she was about 4 months when she finally slept alone in her crib, and has been very happy there ever since!
My child slept with me. When he was first born we lived in a one bedroom apt and my husband had to get up to go to work so instead of him fussing so much I put him in bed with us. Then we moved when he was 10 months old and he got his own room. It took a lot to a just to but it was well neede at that time!
My now 9 month old daughter slept in a co-sleeper next to me until she was 16 weeks and then we moved her into her crib. Prior to 16 weeks, she would never nap in her crib and I was very worried that we were going to have a fight on our hands. She made the transition like a champ, though.
We started with my son in the bassinet, but he was 9 lbs when he was born, so he only got to stay in the bassinet until he was about a month, I think. We then started putting him in his pack and play to sleep. I know that sounds strange, but my husband and I took sleeping shifts. Once Dave got home from work at about 5 we'd eat dinner and then, I'd nurse the baby. By about 7 I'd go to bed. My husband would feed the baby expressed milk at about 10 and wake me up at 12 or 1 for the next feeding and we'd switch. Needless to say he was very sleep deprived since he left for work at 6:30 a.m. and I wanted to give him as much peace during his sleep as possible. So I slept on our couch next to the pack and play until morning. It's a VERY comfortable couch. My son was also a marathon eater and would nurse for 20-30 minutes at a time, so being in front of the TV was nice for me so I didn't get bored. And I was able to hear him breathe all night which gave me peace of mind.
Oh, I forgot we had a two week period in there somewhere where he slept in his car seat, I think at about a month old. He had a really nasty cold and the doctor said it would help him breathe easier.
Shortly after 2 1/2 months, he started sleeping through the night (I know I'm really lucky) and we put him in the crib.
good luck with the book.
L.
Our son has slept in our bed from day one...and still does at 20 months! We LOVE waking up next to him, and he's always so happy to see us in the morning :) We never even bought a crib.
M.,
All three of my kids started out in a basinet or portacrib next to the bed. When they were nursing in the night I would bring them into the bed with us. Once they weren't night nursing any more they moved into their own cribs in their own rooms. It was a hard adjustment for my oldest son. My middle didn't seem to care. I am now divorced and my daughter and I share a room and the boys share a room. My kids are alot like me and now sleep in various places, on the floor in the basement, on whatever couch or chair is available. During the June and July it really is just where they fall asleep. Have fun with the book, let us know when it omes out!
E.
My first child slept in a crib & had no problems. My second child slept in a bassinet for a couple of months in my room & then went to a crib. I think it all depends on the child.
For my first child I was determined that she sleep in her crib from day 1. that started a year long sleep battle as she was not a big fan of the crib. She spent most of her day sleep in her swing. for my second I was much too tired to battle the issue. I tried a bassinet which he hated. So he alternated sleeping in my bed and sleeping in his carseat on the floor next to my bed. At about 4 mo old he became a very squirmy sleeper and none of us could sleep in bed at night. When I would wake up I would find him asleep under my bed as he had slid under there from his carseat. My ped suggested the crib at that point. It took a few nights but he has been comfortable there ever since.
