Agh! Help work out this dilemma for me! DD stopped cosleeping but I still need to lie next to her to feed to sleep...

[Mummyteachmummy]

She's currently on her cotbed mattress on the floor (long story as to why - this was never the plan), there are pillows lining either side of the cot so if she 'falls' out she just ends up on them and they're the same height as the mattress. When I feed her down and for her one wake-up a night I simply lie on the pillows, lean onto the mattress, feed, then back into my own bed. But this can't be sustainable - seems very wrong having her sleeping on the floor and I want her back up on a frame, but how to do it...

1. Put up the cotbed frame without the sides and attach one of those toddler siderail things [any particular recommendations?] The downside of this is that I worry I just won't be able to squeeze in next to her - an adult and a two year old on a cotbed mattress is surely not practical?

1. Sideless cotbed again, but with old sidecarriage/ cosleeping cot thing attached. That way, a bit more space might be created for me maybe? I imagine me lying on my side to feed with knees bent into cot/ shoulders and chest in cot, but essentially bum hanging over into sidecarriage? Is that insane? DH thinks so!

1. Buy her a new, bigger bed. A single or maybe even a double? A double must be a bit overkill even by my PFB standards, and actually even the thought of a double irks me a bit as god, did we shell out for her cotbed mattress; on the basis she's use it for several years etc.

1. Something else? DH mentioned a futon of some sort? My concern here is that they're really not made for long-term sleep; surely not proper supportive mattresses?

Sorry, sorry, sorry for the essay. This has been annoying me for weeks now. DH keeps suggesting attaching her bedframe to ours, but that seems such a backward step now she's found she doesn't need to be right next to us anymore.

Any thoughts much appreciated! TIA

How old is dd?

I assume you are breastfeeding, what time is the feed?

Is there any reason it has to be done lying down? I used to bf mine in a rocking chair in their room. Then put sleepy but not yet asleep child in cotbed.

She's 2. The reason it has to be lying down is that the little madam insists upon it - will not be transferred in and out, no way, no how. I'm sure she will soon enough, but it's taken a long time to get even this far and the initial feed down can still be quite long and arduous - I'm not keen to make it any harder on either of us than it already is.

I feed her down at about 8.30, than another feed anytime between about 12 and dawn. I don't want to bring her in with us though as we have a new memory foam mattress and I'm paranoid about the chemicals.

Oh, and yes - bf.

Is it too terrible to keep her on the floor? My sis is a Montessori fanatic and does floor mattresses for littluns as a matter of principle, you just need to make sure you prop them up somewhere dry a couple of times a week to make sure that the floor and mattress air a bit. We're getting tempted to do the same with cot resistant ds2!

As for the lying down bit, I'd think that at 2 years old maybe a few nights of the grumps and feeding in a chair (or even sitting up in bed, as a transitions) might be worth it in order to knock it on the head. Though I'm a big softie, so totally know how hard that stuff is to follow through in practise!

At two could you not wean her off the night feeds all together and just feed as part of her night time routine then you could both lie on top of the duvet on your bed.

A good quality futon is great for a 2 year old. Very supportive.

Google Montessori floor bed for some ideas, there are some really beautiful ways to arrange it so that it's comfortable and safe and cosy!

Am lying down right now feeding dc2 in his floor bed... He's 1

I fit alongside DS in his cotbed with one side up - I'm 5ft 3 and size 10 ish - he thinks it's hilarious.

Thanks everyone - especially LOVING the idea that our current format is a lovely Montessori approved thing of worthiness rather than shameful slummymummying on my part! drspouse, I'm the same size as you, so if we do go back to the frame I'll at least give squeezing in a go!

Thanks again guys!