Baby question new mum to be and a we bit clueless

[SweetPea86]

Hi I'm not due till April with my first child.

I'm pretty clueless and one of the things I'm unsure of is sleeping arrangement with baby

Once I get home does the baby sleep in a Moses basket in our room and if so how long for?

And then how old is baby when they go in to nursery,

I know a few friends who let baby sleep in bed for 3 years which to me is a no no I want a good routine going.

My best friend had her little girl in her own room by 5 weeks and she slept right through for 12hr (a little angel lol )

Sorry for the daft question.

[Clargo55]

Imo it's best to get baby's used to sleeping with noise going on around them. So I would keep the TV on. Still if your all exhausted you will try anything that works at the time. Whether that means complete silence or driving around with them in the car until they fall asleep. My mum says having the hoover on used to send me to sleep every time.

[havingastress]

Newborns will totally sleep whilst you're watching the telly!

You'll find they probably will be awake on and off all evening - then last feed at about 11pm..then you need to somehow get to bed before the 3am feed kicks in!

[cupoftchai]

Yip watch tv etc, often she'd fallen asleep to some background noise so was used to it. We r in small flat so if poss we'd put her in bedroom and be in living room, doors ajar, no prob. Mostly though she didn't sleep but that's another thread!!

[Handbagsonnhold]

From memory I think first size is 0-6 months.... although.... I do recall hv advising not to use when really tiny as they can kind of slip into the middle of them. I think I used from about 3 months right up until about 2....would have used longer but she's v tall! IMO they are fabulous and with no bedclothes loose in cots/ cribs etc just one thing less to worry about! Good luck x

[vichill]

You just hold them whether theyre wide awake or asleep. Not many newborns will be content to lie awake on their own. If you are bf, many babies will cluster feed in the evening which can mean a 3-8 hr stretch of manic feeding. All normal but seems relentless at first.

Moses useless after 3m ime. Cheap £25 travel.cot in the bedroom will see you through to sleeping in own room 6m+.

[neversleepagain]

Do what suits you and your family.

We had our twins upstairs sharing a cot for both day and night time sleep from 4 weeks. They slept in our bedroom until they were 6.5 months old.

[evertonmint]

Hetty - didn't phrase that very . Meant something like "I know lots of people can only use them 4 months or so but some babies do last in them for nearer 6 so it might be an option." Mine just passed out and slept very still so no worry about moving!

Re carrying basket with baby in: I never carried her in it downstairs but I think danger of big fall less going up. One hand on handles and one hand underneath to steady it. It is doable safely but you have to be alert rather than autopilot.

Whoever asked about watching tv - yes! Mine always slept well in the evening once down, so we could watch tv and chat no problem. Obiously kept volume of both below shouting level, but it was fine. She also slept through 2yo DS shrieking during her daytime naps!

[MummyLuce]

Hiya - so To answer your question high love - for the first maybe 6 weeks, the majority of babies dont know or care whether its day or night so i guess they will be downstairs on you, feeding, snoozing or just sort of looking around, lying on their baby gym etc. but mainly sleeping probably as newborns are very sleepy! Whilst they do this you can watch tv (yes babies can sleep through tv generally), eat some dinner one handed, have a glass of wine, chat to OH, etc. many babies will also cluster feed between 5 and 11pm also. as they get a bit older they will do a little bit more sleeping at night than in the day so you can just put them
In the moses basket in your sitting room and continue as normal, but of course not shouting or playing loud music. IME, by about 3 months most babies will only be waking twice a night and sleeping from about 8pm so i put mine to bed in our room and checked on her every 20 minutes until we went to bed. She moved into her own room at 12 months.i know you want to know everything about what's going to happen but honestly, all babies are so different so I think you will just have to see what kind of sleeper/breast feeder your baby is before deciding exactly whew and when they are going to sleep. xxx

[MummyLuce]

Gro bags only to be used from about 6 weeks according to website I think x

[HomeIsWhereTheHeartIs]

Just to reassure you, this is not a daft question. I have asked it myself at a baby group, and heard other mothers asking. Everyone has different opinions.
Do what you want, as long as it is safe.

[Hettyjones]

Does it say that on the grobag website? I've used then from birth for all if mine no problem. None of my HVs said anything either. The 0-6mths ones have underarm popper and some styles have different levels of shoulder poppers too so they are very snug around arms and neck so no way to wriggle out or under.
My understanding is that only actual grobags and not ones made by other companies are endorsed by Fsids. It is to do with the poppers and materials used. This was the case when my older ones were babies anyway. Also easier to transfer from Moses basket to cot if you chose Moses basket downstairs and cot upstairs option.
And yes, newborns are fine with tv as long as not too loud. However, try to have them facing away from lights. We found it better to sit in darkness or semidarkness to watch tv.

[Hettyjones]

Just checked on the gro.co.uk site which doesn't mention anything about waiting until 3mths. Not that I can see. It's a good site for safe sleep advice and sleep advice in general. They sell the grobags from the gro-store.co.uk site.

[highlove]

Brilliant - honestly learn more here than from most of the (many) books I've got. Thanks.

[yellowsnownoteatwillyou]

My ds is 3 months and during the day sleeps on a bean bag, and at night I had him in his pram top in the cot for about 1month then in his cot.
He has only started having a bed time in the last few weeks. And used to stay in the same room as us then go to bed when we did.
I think I will keep ds in our room till he's about 1, or when he can walk.
Don't stress about routines in the beginning, they find their own.
However I say this with a baby that sleeps 8pm till 6/7 am. But I know I'm very lucky.

[vichill]

Grobags ok when over 8lb according to midwife. Smaller or premature babies will be ok with a couple of blankets providing they are no higher than their arm pits.

[yellowsnownoteatwillyou]

Ds went in a gro bag from about 6 weeks. Asda £12, are really good.
I've just bought the next size up as he is very tall.

[girliefriend]

I think I had a moses basket next to my bed that newborn dd went into at night, during the day she slept on me or in the pram. She moved into a cot when she looked too big in the moses basket!!

Around 8 weeks I started thinking about having a bedtime routine and gradually a daytime routine started to formulate around the 3 month mark. Its a gradual process and very much depends on what you need and what kind of baby you have!

My dd needed structure and routine and was a much happier baby when I put one in place (loosely based on Gina Fords contented baby book) I also felt more control and happier knowing what to expect roughly day to day.

Its horses for courses though

Oh and I swaddled dd for first couple of months and then she went into a gro bag.

[waceystills]

Highlove - tv shouldn't wake a baby unless really loud. We carry on as normal when DS is with us in the evening - he's 6 weeks.

Even the dog barking doesn't make him flinch, but then he would have heard that noise whilst in my tummy

I'm sure all mums will agree, every baby is different and you do what ever works for you to ensure you all get some sleep. You'll find yourself trying things you thought you wouldn't (co-sleeping included) to get some precious sleep

Mumsnet really helps to get some idea of what to expect but as the thread indicates, what to expect can vary immensely.

[SolomanDaisy]

We used a special small grobag from birth, but it wasn't grobag brand. I think they recommend from 8 pounds for their smallest size. DS used to doze and feed on my lap while we watched TV. We had an amby hammock for him in our room, which was great. Another option is to get an Ikea cot and use it as a bedside sleeper. Then when you want to move them you can do it gradually by adding the side on etc.. I'm still cosleeping at two though! After he got too big for the hammock he couldn't get used to a cot.

I think it's very difficult to plan in advance though, as you don't know what you or your baby will like!

[SolomanDaisy]

katatonic, yes it does mean that, but most people make the judgement that the risk is minimal and it's worth going to have a shower. You might have a baby who likes to sleep in a sling, in which case you can do lots of stuff while they're there with you.

[moobaloo]

Heya! Another first timer who knows nowt here!

I love the idea of slings, but have no idea which ones are good?

Anyone tried this one?

www.mothercare.com/theBabaSling%C2%AE-Classic-5-Position-Baby-Sling---Lavender/495819,default,pd.html#q=newborn%20sling

[badfurday]

Yet another first time mum here, again due in April.
So just to clarify, I cant leave the baby asleep upstairs in cot/crib type thing and be downstairs, even with a baby monitor?
Oh god im going to be crap at this :-/

[Ditsydebs]

My advice us go with your instinct, all babies are different. My first DS was in her own room at 5weeks because we were both light sleepers and kept each other awake. From that point on she slept from 11pm-7am. Midwifes differ on their opinion on whether to leave a baby to sleep or not and in my opinion if my baby was gaining weight I would leave them to sleep, they will wake when hungry! Whereas my 2nd DS was in my room until 3-4months as was still waking every four hours for a feed. Baby monitors are so good nowadays I don't think you need to have the baby in with you unless that's what you want. Baby number 3 is now on the way and I will just follow my instincts! Good luck x

[Ditsydebs]

badfurday of course you can you do not need to be with your baby 24hours a day, you will go mad if you are!