Where to put newborn to lounge (with 4y toddler)

[potatohare]

Hi everyone! I’m due Oct 24 (but baby can come literally any moment now due to some complications) and I’m wondering where should I put him down to lounge/maybe nap in the living room bearing in mind I also have a 4y old full of energy and a cat? 😅 I had a look at pack n plays with bassinet insert but they’re too big, also If this baby is like my daughter the naps will most likely be in my arms.. I’m mainly looking for something safe for when I need to cook, do a little clean/give attention to my toddler…

We have a cot in our bedroom upstairs but in this newborn stage I don’t feel comfortable leaving baby alone there even with the baby monitor on.

We also have a babybjorn chair that can be used from birth but just for short periods. Should I invest in a moses basket for downstairs? If so, do you have recommendations? Any other tips/products I might not be thinking of? Babywear is not an option, I feel very claustrophobic wearing them and sweat like a pig about to become sausage 😂

Thank you!!

I had a swing

I have a just-turned-2 year old, a 15 week old and a dog. I've just been putting the baby on a playmat in the room we're all in. I take the baby with me when I go to the toilet. The dog slopes off as she doesn't want to be alone with the toddler (which is fair enough!)

Sometimes I've wheeled the pram into the lounge so baby can have a nap in a cosier space but more often than not he's just fallen asleep on his mat.

A pen for the baby not the toddler

I detached the pram top and put it inside the playpen. Or in pram on wheels in lounge. Also had a baby rocker for short durations with DC3. Mainly used it I was cooking and I could occasionally walk over and wiggle it with a foot to allow me to keep on task for longer as the cooking smells seemed to trigger his appetite. I used a mat only if I was present to supervise otherwise older children would pick up the baby. The cat did try to get in the pram and cot when DC2 was a baby, so I put a net over.

Mum to a 5 month old & 4 year old here.

bouncer chair and bedside crib upstairs

Moses basket, then travel cot downstairs in living room

high chair that can be used from birth in kitchen.

sling!

Moses basket was on a rocking stand and i’d sometimes drag into kitchen and rock while cooking etc

Depending on how sensible the 4yo is, I wouldn’t put a Moses basket on a stand - they’re very easy to pull over sideways. I’d put it (or the pram bassinet) on the floor or inside a travel cot or playpen.
I used a travel cot (with a poddle pod/sleepyhead inside when they were tiny), a bouncy chair or just had baby on me in a sling.

Thank you everyone, really appreciate the input and ideas!! I think for now I’ll go with a moses basket that can be detached from the stand in case I notice my 4y old is getting too curious/might pull it over sideways as someone mentioned. Then once baby is around 6 months I’ll prob build their own little area.

Many thanks!!