What to get for downstairs?

[Ednos]

Hey you guys, I hope you are all safe and well

I am avout 29 weeks and starting to itch about buying stuff. However we don't have a huge budget so I have to be mindful

I was wondering what sort of thing did you have downstairs for baby to sleep in? I am obviously getting a cot for upstairs but are those swings suitable for baby to nap in throughout the day? My sister and partner are suggesting a travel cot for downstairs but I don't necessarily want a big travel cot in the middle of the living room.
I am just not 100%sure on the swings as I keep hearing that babies hate them.
The other option is maybe a sleepyhead? (I know about their safety issues, so baby will be supervised at all times)

What has worked for you? Xx

Does your pram have a carrycot attachment? That's what I'm planning to use for daytime naps.

try a portable sleep pod, like this one. You can place it on the floor (be sure to remove the pillow before you use it and supervise them whilst they are sleeping)
www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07QJCG2W1/ref=sspa_dk_detail_4?pf_rd_p=1055d8b2-c10c-4d7d-b50d-96300553e15d&th=1&pd_rd_wg=ww67l&pf_rd_r=SJ15JRC0E8WFFY54Q4VV&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUExVU1OWVNFSkZJMVRUJmVuY3J5cHRlZElkPUEwMjI4ODI0MlowMUdTS0JYVUNCMCZlbmNyeXB0ZWRBZElkPUEwODE2MzM4OFM5M0VQRFpZOTRTJndpZGdldE5hbWU9c3BfZGV0YWlsJmFjdGlvbj1jbGlja1JlZGlyZWN0JmRvTm90TG9nQ2xpY2s9dHJ1ZQ&pd_rd_i=B07QJCG2W1&pd_rd_w=ondIU&tag=mumsnetforu03-21&pd_rd_r=376fbbda-30dd-4a4a-b82e-eed6610fe82a

DS1 occasionally slept in the sleepyhead but mainly on me for daytime naps until closer to 6 months. Eventually got him napping next to me on our bed in the daytime, ready for independent sleeping at 6 months

DS2 has slept in the sleepyhead, swing (which he loves), on me and travel cot. Eventually he’ll also sleep in his cot upstairs when he’s 6 months

Unfortunately all babies are different and both of mine have outgrown the sleepyhead by 12 weeks.

We liked the swing especially for DS2 when he was slightly bigger as he’s had reflux so it’s helped. I wouldn’t feel comfortable him sleeping in it until over the initial newborn stage though due to the same reasons they shouldn’t sleep in a car seat

Potentially look at second hand for a lot of this as it’s all a bit trial and error and you won’t have spent so much money

A swing isn’t really appropriate for them to sleep in especially at the beginning for the same reason the car seat isn’t. Babies have fragile spines and big heads so they can easily drop their head forward and occlude their airway. I’m 34 weeks now and we’ve gone for a swing for later (got a second hand one in case baby doesn’t like it, it was £50 instead of £150!) and also a cheap Moses basket. We have a tiny living room so I’ve done a declutter and shuffled furniture around to make just enough space for the Moses basket to live in a corner and I guess the swing will just be in the middle of the room

I couldn't rave about the sleepyhead enough! It was brilliant right from day dot through to dd being around 1! I've kept it & hoping this baby likes it as much 😊

@sel2223 - we don't have a pram yet but I have not thought of that. Thank you, great idea actually

@sleepismysuperpower1 - yes these are the cheaper version of a sleepyhead aren't they? I do like them, the only thing that worries me is whether or not the materials and the thickness is of bad quality and not comfy for baby's back?

@Willow4987 - thank you. I do like the idea of some sort of a swing as we also have a big dog that likes to sleep on people so if its a sleepyhead I am sure she will want to lie on it too 😂. Glad to hear that a swing has worked for you

We've bought a chicco baby hug for downstairs. I'm hoping our little one will like it. My ds1 wouldn't sleep anywhere but me for... ages really but this time we have a 4yo to think of as well so the baby hug is perfect to wheel around downstairs and its high up. Also converts and changes position so I'm hoping it will work.

We got the chicco 4 in 1 crib! It is £200 but it’s amazing
It’s a crib, it had a foot pedal to bring the height up and down, it sits up or lays flat and it also turns into a high chair with attachments.its also on wheels. It has a music bar and toys.

I would say really worth the money and easy to move around with you x

We're planning to use the pram attachment from the travel system we got. If that ends up not working out for her, we'll look at other options later. We're trying to be fairly minimal with what we buy before she arrives, anticipating some gifts from friends & family and also just being careful with our budget.

I’m 36 weeks and am planning on using the bassinet that come with our travel system for downstairs sleeping. I’ve also got a sling in case we have a clingy baby and if neither of those do the job, we’ll have another look when the baby’s here!

There’s not much space in the house, so trying to minimise unnecessary clutter 🤞🏻

We had been considering a sleepyhead as we have friends who rave about them, but in light of the new guidance from the Lullaby Trust there is absolutely no chance we’ll take the risk.

For us I suspect it’ll be a mix of bassinet part of pram that is approved for sleep, a Moses basket we’ve been lent, or on us - depending on what works for the baby.

We had a next to me crib in the bedroom and a moses basket on a stand in the lounge.

I put DS on a sheepskin rug on the floor when he was little. Cheap as chips, takes up no space and when they’re tiny they can’t escape anyway. Only good advice I got at NCT is that a baby can’t fall off the floor!
We were given a sleepyhead which we used a few times but then the research came out and I wouldn’t risk it any longer.
I’d buy as little as possible until the baby arrives and you know what suits. I found I swapped a lot of stuff with mum friends as I wanted to try but not buy and it wasn’t working for them. X

In the beginning we used the pram carrycot.
I didn't see the point in buying something especially for downstairs naps.
We did end up buying a sleepyhead after a few weeks, because DS would wake up every time we tried to put him down, and it helped. The safety concerns hadn't been published at that point so we used the sleepyhead overnight and for naps. Not sure if I would have bought it just for naps! But it was very handy as we could put it on any flat surface, we often used our sofa footstool as it was firm and the perfect size.

A travel cot isn't a bad idea tbh because they are handy to have, you are likely to use it for overnight stays elsewhere, and you can get models which are quick and easy to fold up and down (if you don't want it taking up space when baby isn't napping).

You want something that lies flat, so a Moses basket, a sleepyhead or a bassinet/pram.

It’s really important that babies aren’t left to sleep for long at all in a position that isn’t flat as their chin can flop forward restricting their airway. This rules out car seats and most bouncer chairs/swings.

Downstairs space is a bit limited here so I didn’t want anything extra downstairs so DD just slept in the pram for naps. The bassinet on the pram is well ventilated as it’s one that’s safe for overnight sleeping.

Whatever you do decide on I would recommend looking at secondhand options on facebook or ebay. Obviously it depends on the individual baby but our first was tall and grew out of the first crib, moses basket, pram bassinet etc. by 3 months, I'd have been annoyed if I'd brought them new!

With our first I brought a secondhand moses basket for downstairs and a new mattress for it, I'm planning on using that again for the next baby due in August. We have a sleepyhead but first didn't take to it, she also hated the swing but she loved the vibrating bouncer. I would say try getting something basic like a moses basket and then if you're finding baby hard to settle you can always pick up a bouncer or swing and see if they help.

I know a lot of people really rate the sleepyhead but it is really expensive, and as our first really didn't take to it I do regret buying it. I've kept it to try with our second but in hindsight I wish I'd just held off to see if I thought I really needed it.

I’ve just brought the Chico 4 in one hug as others have mentioned. It’s not cheap but turns into a seat you can use until 3 years old. It seems a good option when you have a dog like I have too.

We used the carry cot part of the pram and a little vibrating chair x

We got a Moses basket but if I'm honest, the carry cot bit of the pram would have done but I was giddy and bought everything I could see

@babbaganoush

We had a next to me crib in the bedroom and a moses basket on a stand in the lounge.

I had exactly this and it worked a treat.

We will be getting a travel cot with a bassinet insert for downstairs and visiting parents. Our pram came with a bassinet so we will use that as well. We didn't want to buy anything extra but looked at we could buy that would work for several purposes.

A combo of carrycot from the pram (bugaboo cam seems to be around the same size as a Moses basket), us and a purflo breathable nest (half the price of the sleepyhead available in boots amazon etc and reviews just as good)

Thank you all so much for the amazing ideas. Its so difficult to decide now what I am going to need but you have given me loads of great ideas.
Are moses baskets nice and sturdy? They don't look so in pictures and with a crazy lab that runs around all the time I would be scared she will knock it over.

We are using the pram carrycot for our current 8 week old.

Its working well and I think far better than a moses basket, as we keep it on the wheels so he is portable. If we come home and he is asleep he stays there, sometimes he falls asleep and we need to go out and he doesn't have to be moved, and at home we can wheel around to settle him and move him into kitchen when cooking and eating etc..

He also sleeps in bouncer chair sometimes when I cant get him to settle and thats a lifesaves tbh. He only sleeps in it with us watching, and the bouncer is fully reclined, but he sleeps in here quicker if unsettled and overtired, and a handy place to use when your trying to eat, or nip to toilet.

It needs to be something that means baby can lay flat.
I just fetched the moses basket downstairs in the day.