How do you fit everything next to bed?

[UrsulaSings]

Apologies for all the questions recently. FTM and trying to plan things!

Im planning on getting a 'next to me' cot attached to the bed. But how do people generally set these up? Do you still have your bed side table? If its next to the table then surely you cant open your drawers anymore? Is the cot not too far down the bed if you have to leave space for your bedside unit? How do you comfortably get in and out of bed when there is a big cot there next to the bedside table?

If you dont have the table, where do you keep all your things like drink, glasses etc? On the floor??

I saw someone else say on here that they kept the stuff to change the baby next to the bed as well so they didnt have to get out of bed to change them either, but how the hell do you have enough space for all that as well, and not end up having to basically crawl over your DP to get out of bed because you've ended up being barricaded in!?

How did you practically manage these things?

Thank you.

I don't have the answer for you as am due in a few weeks! So am interested to see what others say, however my initial plan was
Yes put the bed up against th drawers (I have a small Ikea hemnes table so only 1 drawer I never open)z we have the snuz pod and that had like picked down the side of the head and feet where I plan to pop a foldable changing mat, a couple of nappies, bags and water wipes in the holders. Also breast cream and nipple shields/breast pads and a bunch of Muslins
Table will have phone, water, snacks etc on.

Be interested to see what others do

Hi,

I’ve still got my bedside table and just about open my drawer enough to get stuff out, the next 2 me is right in front of it so it starts in line with my pillow (my side table is quite small) and then I have a small space at the bottom where I get in and out of bed so definitely manageable I would say! I can still see my baby perfectly too

Sorry no help on the changing mat side though I used to take my baby into her room to change nappies in the night but now she sleeps through no need :)
I would say it might be handy though as my baby used to become more unsettled if I took her in there to change her and came back in trying to settle her to sleep

I gpt the tutti bambino cozee instead this time as it has a little shell underneath to keep your nappies etc on for nighttime changes, I have a super king bed and fitted wardrobes so don't have room for bedside table so I have a water bottle with lid that has built in straw thing and take this to bed with me and just put that on floor next to me xx

I have a narrow shelf, about the width of my hand if I spread it out. It has a big bottle of water, tissues, snacks, meds, my phone, a book and a light. Then the cot, so baby and I sleep pretty much nose to nose.

Husband has moved to the spare room to get some sleep (I exclusively breastfeed so do all night wakings). I have replaced him with a box that contains clean muslins, baby clothes and nappies etc. I also keep a breastfeding pillow on that side of the bed.

I use his bedside table for dirty nappies, which are wrapped in disposable nappy bags and then put in the bin in the morning (if you are exclusively breastfeeding, nappies don't really smell when they are tiny).

To get out of bed, I have to scoot to the foot of the bed, or roll over to husband's side. I stay in bed all night though, so only get up in the morning.

Hopefully I can help as I had those same questions and now I have a 6-month-old sleeping next to me in a cot attached to our king-size bed! This is what I do:

• my bedside table is rotated so it opens towards the bed, just enough to open the drawers halfway. It can't be seen behind the cot anyway as it's a large 120x60cm one.

• I need to sit up regularly to BF so I have a huge cushion and a pillow on the bed for behind my back. As I have nowhere to put the cushion while I sleep (DH puts his on floor but I have no access to floor), I leave it propped up against the headboard and my pillow goes below it. This means my pillow starts roughly where the cot does.

• I had a small basket of nappies, etc on my bedside table for night changes. We used soft, waterproof mats that are washable and I initially tried changing him in the cot. It didn't work too well when he was tiny as wee would end up everywhere so we changed him on a changing mat on top of a dresser (his 'changing station') and then changed in cot at night or living room floor during day from 3 months or so.

• to get out of bed, I scoot down to the end. It was only slightly uncomfortable for the first few weeks postpartum but DH tended to do night changes so I never needed to get up during the night. It may be more uncomfortable if you have a c-section.

• this doesn't affect you with your small crib but may be helpful for others with larger ones: I spent ages trying to figure out which way up to put DS in the cot! If he was feet to foot, lying in the same direction as me, his head would be down by my knees. If he was higher up, it was really awkward to pick him up comfortably. So I put him with his feet near my head (we're top to toe) and I can pick him up easily for feeding and still see his face while we sleep.

Hope that helps!

I have a small table by my bed and the cot goes after this table. The table can fit a lamp, noise machine, Wipes, change of outfit etc easily. Next to the table I keep a pack of nappies and under the table there is storage for spare nappies. The cot starts at my shoulder but I've never found this to be a problem. In your case I would either turn unit round to face you like pp said, replace it with a table, or only have the draws for storing things you need very irregularly therefore don't mind moving cot for.

I put the next to me so it started a bit lower down the bed - basically where my pillow ends, as a pp said. I had to scoot down the bed a bit too get out, but I didn't find it a problem after the first week, even with a c section.

I changed all nappies on the changing table in his room - the thought of having to change the bed in the middle of the night because he weed everywhere was unbearable. I preferred feeding in there anyway after the first few weeks because I found sitting up in bed incredibly uncomfy.

I had all the problems described in your OP. I didn’t sleep in the bedroom as a result for the first couple of weeks while I figured it out. I eventually unhooked the crib and now just use it as a crib, which is actually much easier....

First time I had my bedside table in usual place at head of the bed then Next2Me immediately up against it so I couldn't open the drawers and it was really annoying as I keep my 'getting ready' stuff in there like hair stuff, moisturiser etc. The Next2Me wasn't too badly placed in terms of where baby was (you don't want baby's head level with your head) but the actual crib was too far down the bed for my liking as I had to shuffle down to get out the bed.

This time I've moved my bedside table the other end or the crib, and turned it round so the drawers open towards my side or the bed. We moved the whole bed over to my husbands side a few extra inches, but our room is basically the width of the two bedside tables and the bed so there's not much room for manoeuvre.

It was a pain in the arse last time having my room all out of order and contributed to us moving baby into his own room earlier than planned. I do still rate the Next2Me though, we bought one at 2 weeks because I didn't like him being so separated in the Moses basket.

My bedside table is a table in an alcove so no issues. BUT I did have a small bag that I hung on my bedpost with essentials in - nipple cream, snacks, medicine, water etc.

I had the tutti Bambino cozee. I moved my bedside table out of the way and pulled it up level with me. Then I used a kid's bed organiser thing which held a water bottle, snacks, my glasses etc. The tutti has a shelf underneath which we used to store nappies and wipes etc. It worked well. The IKEA bed hanger I used was this one and it just slips over the edge of the cot and hangs on the outside.
www.ikea.com/gb/en/p/stickat-bed-pocket-black-80378338/

For night changes, we used to change him on the bed and found these great mat liners, sort of like towels but soft. So if he weed they soaked it up and no mess! A V shaped pillow really helped in bed to get comfy when I was feeding in the night too. I'm so lazy I used to do everything possible to not actually have to go very far for night feeds and changes!

For the first few weeks we moved the bed side table on one side and pushed the cot up close to the bed. Being short it was actually a PITA getting in bed especially with a c section so husband slept that side and passed him over for feeding.

After two weeks we did shifts as night so we moved it away from the bed enough for me to get my legs in.

We never put the table back and put a shelf up instead, turns out the draws just collected junk and a shelf for my water was all that was really needed.

I got rid of the bedside table and the snuzpod crib was attached from where my head was. DD slept the other way (her feet at my head) as found it easier to pick her up to bf like that after the c section.

She was in a sleepyhead in the snuzpod so I tucked some things in / under there I think - some cereal bars, my phone, nipple cream (she was swaddled aswell so no way of touching anything).

Nappies and changing bits were on the dressing table and would just change her on the bed if & when needed.

Due again in August and will do similar I think.