What to do when baby outgrows moses basket?

[nikki444]

After what felt like a lifetime my 5 week old baby girl has finally learnt to sleep in her moses basket! The problem is she's such a big baby I'm already starting to think it won't be long before she's outgrown it!
What are parents supposed to do if this happens and there is no room in your bedroom for a cot? She has a nursery all set up with a cot, but obviously has been in our room since birth. I know the guidelines state babies should be in parents rooms until 6 months, but this just is not possible for us. Any advice please?

[nikki444]

Also what are you supposed to do about naps during the day?? Surely its not expected that we sit by in our bedrooms next to the cot everytime baby wants to nap?!?

[Afreshstartplease]

Ds (18 weeks) went into cot in own bedroom at around 10 weeks as he outgrew Moses and was sleeping through. We have an angel care monitor and have had no issues

In the day he naps in his pram mostly but occasionally in the cot

[dementedpixie]

We had a crib rather than a Moses basket and they are a bit bigger. We did manage to fit the cot along the bottom of the bed so they slept in our room a bit longer. For downstairs sleeping, at first we used the carry cot bit if the pram and then the pushchair in a reclined position. You could have a crib/travel cot instead I suppose

[Notyetthere]

My SIL moved dnephew to the nursery after he outgrew his Moses basket at about the same time as your dd. However, you could buy a cosleeper that is slightly larger than Moses baskets. Chico next 2 me or snuzpod might be a good choice but they are pricey. I know there are some cheaper co sleepers out there. Lots on eBay.

[namechange7711]

The guidelines must have changed since I had DCs. I remember moving mine into their own room when they were 6 weeks old. They hadn't outgrown the Moses basket, in fact I put the Moses basket inside the cot initially just to get them used to the idea of being in a different room away from me.

How far away is the nursery from your room? If it's right next door, surely it'd be OK to put the baby there with both doors open. When she cries, you'll definitely wake up if both doors are open! Obviously check this out with your HV, but that's what I'd do.

[dementedpixie]

The guidelines have been 6 months for at least the last 13 years as that's how old my Dd is and it was at 6 months then. I won't want to be going from room to room for night feeds - much easier if they are in the same room

[FATEdestiny]

Your baby is 5 weeks old.

While I appreciate some bending of the rules happens at 5 months old or so, it is highly irresponsible with a tiny newborn.

nikki444 - your baby needs to sleep on the same room is you. Night times, daytime, evening, all the time. This is to protect against Sudden Infant Death.

If a Moses basket doesn't fit in your room, you could

• use a crib in your room
  
• use an Ikea space saving cot in your room
  
• remove your chest of drawers into the nursery to for the cot in your room
  
• set up a spare bed in the nursery and you sleep in there
  
• cosleep (safely)
  

Daytime naps for the first 6 months can be:

• In pushchair
  
• In bouncy chair
  
• in your arms
  
• on the floor
  
• In downstairs crib or travel cot
  
• with you napping upstairs

[Mistressiggi]

Agree with Fate. There's lots of things in life you can "wing it" with, newborn babies aren't one of them.
I'd be very surprised if there isn't physically room for a cot in your bedroom. I had one next to the bed for months - had to get out of the end of the bed as it took up all the space, but it was doable! There's a difference between normal "not enough room" and squeezing things in for 6 months. If really no room you should look at a crib, or sleeping in the nursery where the cot is.
Daytime naps - Moses basket, carrycot, pram, travel cot. The guidelines are being "precious" they will minimise risk.

[Mistressiggi]

Guidelines arent being precious that should say.

[3luckystars]

Move in to the room with the cot in it.

[lorelairoryemily]

We had a crib for ds after he grew out of the Moses basket, it lasted until he was 9 months and he's a long baby, he's in his cotbed now and we just had to fit it in beside our bed, where we are its advised that baby shares your room until at least 12 months

[Writerwannabe83]

At 5 weeks I would never put a baby in its own room.

My baby went from a Moses basket into a crib which lasted him until he was about 4 months old. He then went into a cot but there was room for one in our bedroom.

If you really don't have room for a standard cot how about buying a standard travel cot? They are generally smaller and will last until your baby is old enough to go into the 'proper' cot in its own room?

[flumpybear]

My first only slept a few weeks in the Moses
Basket and the second not st all!!

My first mainly slept in the carrycot attachment to the pram (often in the pram as we had a bungalow so easy to get this wheeled around the house - my second baby slept in the travel cot next to the bed in our room - we had a baby attachment (basically another level which was higher up for the new born baby) and that worked well - have you thought of a next to bed crib
Thing?!

[kel1234]

We never had a Moses basket as I much prefer cribs. My lo slept in his crib from when he came home until he was 4.5 months (he kept basking his arms on the sides). He always slept upstairs, even during the day.
We were lucky we had plenty of space for the cot in our room (we'd just have moved furniture if we didn't).
But cribs are bigger for sure.

[llangennith]

They're guidelines, not the law!
Mine were all in own cots on own bedroom by 4 or 6 weeks, so I could sleep and not be kept awake by their every sound and movement.
They survived.

[girlelephant]

We had a Moses basket in the living room for naps. When DS grew out of this he had daytime naps on me or on his playmat.

At night he sleeps in s crib in our room as he's not yet 6 months. He's tall for his age but still had quite a bit of space.

This week I've started taking him into his cot in his nursery for some naps to get him used to his own room but as he's under 5 months only when I will be with him

SIDS guidelines are clear that under 6 months all naps & night sleeping should be in the same room

[Writerwannabe83]

They're guidelines, not the law!
Mine were all in own cots on own bedroom by 4 or 6 weeks, so I could sleep and not be kept awake by their every sound and movement.
They survived.

It's great your babies survived but there are a lot of babies who don't.

You're right it isn't law but in reducing the risk of SIDS I think this guidance should definitely be followed.

[FATEdestiny]

They survived.

You do understand the readon for these "They are not the law" guidelines, llangennith?

They are to stop babies dying.

You simply cannot get much more serious for parents than their baby dying. The point of these guidelines is to reduce the number of babies who die suddenly and unexpectedly.

Some people are so flippant about SIDS. Like it's a big fuss over nothing. I can only assume they haven't been touched by the death of a baby and haven't taken any time to educate yourself on the real risks and researched.

It's absolutely indisputable.

Your children survived llangennith. Urn... ok? I'm not even sure what to say to that. "Well done", maybe?

How would you word your conversation with a mother who's baby didn't survive because of not room sharing?

I appreciate that the decision is yours. One would hope you made that decision while informed and understanding the risks. That's your decision. To suggest to someone else that they'll be fine be ause your child was. That's plain irresponsible.

[NerrSnerr]

'They're guidelines, not the law!
Mine were all in own cots on own bedroom by 4 or 6 weeks, so I could sleep and not be kept awake by their every sound and movement.
They survived'

These kind of comments really annoy me. If you look at the stats, in 1989 over 1500 babies died of SIDS, now only about 300 do. That is because of the introduction of the safer sleep guidelines. 300 babies do still die though and all we can do is reduce the risk of that happening. I was born in the 80s and went into my room straight away, I also didn't use seat belts until I was about 10. I'm still alive but doesn't mean that I won't read up to date research to try and reduce harm for my children.

As for naps, once my daughter outgrew the Moses basket she either slept in the travel cot or in my arms. We moved the cot into our room until 6 months.

This is a useful document from the lullaby trust www.lullabytrust.org.uk/document.doc?id=300

[Desmondo2016]

You haven't even reached the riskiest time for SIDS, statistically, yet! The reason they recommend you sleep in the same room isn't for convenience or comfort, or to be able to hear them and respond quickly, it's a physical necessity as even healthy babies can 'forget' to breathe and by being close to you and hearing your breathing they can better regulate their own. Statistically nearly every single case of SIDS occurs with at least one 'risk' factor present. Even though the risk is small, your baby is too precious to take even the smallest chance surely.

[Rattysparklebum]

I am really interested in this as I am soon to become a -non-interfering grandma and things have changed so much since I was responsible for looking after a tiny baby. I see many mums talking about co-sleeping but this does not fit in with SIDS guidelines does it? Also people saying baby napping on them or in their arms, I read his was high risk as a tired parent could doze off if sitting down in a chair with a sleeping baby on them.

[TheTartOfAsgard]

In my arms til they were about a year old, then on the settee

[NerrSnerr]

Ratty for me personally I chose not to co-sleep. I knew a baby who tragically died in bed when I was a teenager so I couldn't bring myself to do it. My daughter did sleep in my arms sometimes in the day but I never nodded off I put her down in the Moses basket or travel cot.

There is a lot of literature on safer co sleeping but I decided it felt safer for me to be in her own Moses basket/ cot.

[Writerwannabe83]

I co-slept with mine but not until he was 4 months old. I would be too petrified to do it with a new born.

[NerrSnerr]

Sorry I wasn't clear- if I wanted a nap I put her down in the Moses basket or travel cot.