Help - pre newborn prep

[LadyMC1]

Ok, ladies. I'm overwhelmed with choice. I'm doing some last minute prep (nearly 36 weeks) for babba and I'm doing well with the exception of what on earth to do when baby sleeps. So we have a cot and a lovely nursery frm 6 months onwards, but what in the meantime? A lovely moses basket, but won't they be too big for that before 6 months? Then what?
What about those "next to me" cribs - they look great but what do you do during the day? They don't look like they are easily carried downstairs. Or does baby sleep on something else during the day. Then don't get me started on sleeping bags vs. blankets. Please help me! Thank you.

I am no help but watching with interest! I have same questions

Ooh I wondered endlessly about this! Caveat: I'm very happy with how this has worked out for us; if I didn't enjoy this, we would have done it differently (basically, if what I describe sounds lovely and reassuring to you, do this; if not, do something else!)

We have a cosleeping cot that baby slept in at night to begin with, but when I bought a new firm mattress for our bed, we started bedsharing and I've never looked back. For most of the first three months, daytime naps were in our arms or in a sling. We've recently started having actual real lying-down naps, for which I generally bf the baby off to sleep, then often chill out next to him on the big bed reading, catching up on emails, or doing a bit of freelancing.

So basically, nighttime sleep: cosleeping cot or snuggled up to me. Daytime sleep: sling or (again) snuggled up to me. Sometimes he's napped on his own, so he's perfectly capable of it... just evidently prefers not to, which at 4m I think is still perfectly reasonable.

Sleeping bags arent always suitable from newborn as their heads are small and they can slip down into the bag. I planned on using the carry cot from travel system downstairs and moses next to the bed. He didnt sleep in either and only slept in us for months, in hindsight he probably would have done better swaddled. When he did start sleeping we took the drop side off our cot, cable tied it out bed and filled the gap with a rolled up throw so a form of bedsharing/co-sleeping. You will find your way with trial and error when the baby is here.

I used sheets and cellular blankets until 6 months, then baby sleeping bags. Had a Moses basket on a stand that I used to move between living room/bedroom until about 4 months. Then had cot next to our bed slept in it for naps too as wouldn't sleep unless in it!

We had one of these: Babybay crib

And we still have one of these: Sleepyhead

So when baby was smaller she slept in the Sleepyhead in the crib at night, and then we brought it downstairs for daytime naps. They're deceptively big, she's 10mo now and still starts the night in the Sleepyhead (though admittedly a bit snug), and she's not a tiny baby by any means! Now that she's too big for the crib we have a cot by our bed (like this) so she starts off in there, and then when I come up to bed she comes in with me for the rest of the night.

(She's going into her own room soon though I hope think!)

I used swaddling blanket until big enough for sleeping bag. During the night baby slept in Crib and during the day in his Moses basket which we would carry into whatever room we were in. Must admit often slept on me and came into bed with us when we were desperate for sleep.

Generally people use a Moses Basket, and then when baby outgrows it, I think most people just tend to break the 'under 6 month' rule and let baby sleep in the cot. That's what I did and everyone I know. I did have the cot next to my bed for the first 6 months though.

So we used a Moses basket from the start for nighttime sleeping but kept it in the cot so DD would have to same feel and view for when we transitioned to the cot at about 16 weeks when she grew out of the Moses basket. (perhaps a bit PFB but hey!it worked!)

For day time sleeping to begin with it was just on one of us but we also used the bassinet from her pushchair just in the living room. Kept the curtains open and made sure to make noise so DD got used to sleeping with it because I had read these nightmare stories online of parents eating off paper plates and watching TV with subtitles because their DC woke up at the slightest noise. Once she was in a routine with set naps all her sleep was upstairs in the Moses basket.
Also got out for a lot of walks in the day for naps so DD could get some sunlight.

DD just kicked off her blankets then woke up because she was cold so switched to sleeping bags as soon as she was big enough!

With DS we had a crib upstairs and then used the carry cot part of the pram downstairs, each with sheets/blankets.

Currently 40+3 with DS2 and we've invested in a SnuzPod co-sleeping crib (sitting up and reaching over was agony on my stitches and back last time) where the top crib bit lifts off to be brought downstairs etc. It looks like it might be a bit awkward/heavy, but... it seemed like a good idea!

We've also bought Woombie swaddle pods this time in the hope that this one sleeps a bit better!

Hopefully I'll be able to report back on these in the next few weeks. But at the moment it looks like I'm going to stay pregnant forever!

Oh, and we used blankets until she was big enough for Grobags (which I believe are OK from about 10lb). She was 7lb at birth, I think about 8 weeks when we started using Grobags maybe? She was definitely in them when we took her on holiday at 3 months.

And yes, bed sharing is bloody great and saved my life with both DC.

Ah thank you all so much! Super helpful. Think we'll go for a moses basket (how gorgeous are they anyway) and then see what happens. Much love to you all x

Ah thank you all so much! Super helpful. Think we'll go for a moses basket (how gorgeous are they anyway) and then see what happens. Much love to you all x

luckiestgirl there's no guideline on sleeping in cots, babies can be in them from birth. The guidance is just for room sharing.

It really depends who you know though, most people I know co-sleep

I never used a moses basket. For nighttime we had a crib at the bottom of the bed and daytime they slept in the carry cot bit of the pram. Sleeping bags are great once they reach the minimum weight

I'm due my second (last week, but I want go into it that!); I used a Moses basket for downstairs and a bedside crib for upstairs. When DS outgrew the Moses basket, I put him in the bouncer downstairs (although he usually slept on me and I fell asleep too). I used cellular blankets until his weight matched gro-bag minimum weight. From about 12 weeks he was a rubbish napper so he was pushed around in his pram and slept in there.

Agree with smallbee background noise is great, you can't tip-toe around all the time. We bought an Ewan dreamsheep which was absolute life-saver.

Good luck!

And I agree that cots can be used from birth if that's what you want as the important bit is being in the same room

And I never co-slept either. Couldn't settle probably with them in the bed

Properly*

Dd slept in her Moses basket till about 6 months; she was tiny.

Ds would never sleep anywhere except on me, so we coslept at night and he only napped in a sling. Just recently I have been able to feed him to sleep lying next to me and sneak off (4 months). I am happy to leave him while I pottered about washing up etc, but after that dp and I sit in our bedroom and watch TV quietly. If we have guests we let ds sleep on us in the living room.

In terms of bedding, dd loved being swaddled and we had some special swaddle blankets. Ds didn't like it and slept in blankets for the first month and now we use sleeping bags.

All babies are different so I would avoid spending too much money until they are here and you know what they will like. If your pram has a separate carrycot you could start them off in that and see how you go.

We used the carrycot part of the buggy instead of a Moses basket, I had it upstairs at night and downstairs in the day. I didn't see the point in having two very similar things for such a short period of time. DD moved into her cot at the end of our bed at about 9 weeks as she grew so fast.

As for what to sleep in, we got a gro snug which was brilliant. DD kicked her way out of blankets and swaddles and I found this helped me to put her down after night feeds as she was all cosy and I didn't need to faff with bedding.

We had a Moses basket in the cot, in our room to start. A about 8 weeks we got rid of the Moses as DD liked to have her arms spread right out on each side and was waking herself up by touching the sides. At 13 weeks we moved the cot to her room (it was meant to be just until dh's cough went, as he kept waking her up, but she slept much better in there so we kept it that way).

For the first few weeks we took the Moses basket downstairs each day but to be honest it was a bit pointless as DD really just wanted to be held by us all the time. She's nearly 8 months now and still naps on me during the day.

Bedding, we used a blanket for the first week or so but DD kept kicking it off. Tried swaddling but DD hated it. Ended up using sleeping bags and she loved them and still use those now. You can get tiny ones for newborns, just check arm and neck openings and also tog weight so they don't overheat.