Wednesday, January 21, 2009

Co-Sleeping

So we've had to do some adjusting lately in the bed so that I don't lay on my back, which come to find out, is the position I tend to lay in most (although never really realized it). So now I have a pillow helping to prop me up a bit that I can lay on......but to adjust this pillow can be quite the chore, pulling covers, shifting covers, dragging covers...... all the mean time trying not to wake K.

Last night was unsuccessful and she told me that I got 3/4's of the bed and she got the other piece. I realize this pillow isn't very sufficient in our queen bed.... with 2 cats...... but for now it will have to do and I have to have the pillow otherwise I will sleep on my back.

Now to co-sleeping...... you co-sleeping families...... do you have king beds? queen beds? multiple twin beds? boxsprings? mattresses on the floor? I'm thinking a king bed with our queen bed...... that'd take up probably our whole room...... (if that would even fit) but we want box springs... (our bed is on the floor right now with a box spring) we'd just have to find the right height for them to be even........

Just wanting an idea.....if the pillow isn't working....... the co-sleeping part of it shall be interesting. (but totally different too I'm sure!)

11 comments:

Beachbum said...

Great questions!

We started out with a king with box springs, no frame on the floor. Added a twin with box springs, no frame. It was slightly lower, but not that much. Then we moved to having a king and queen. We now have 2 queens, both were on frames...till we had to re-arrange for our newest full-time girl came.

We used to call it the wall of bed. One place we lived in, it was the only thing that fit in the room...and it blocked the closet.

It's one of the things Jeff has never regretted doing, though.

Pat and Allison Punteney said...

Hey, Don't blame all the cats! Rosa slept with me Tuesday night, (thats a first). I thing she likes me finally.

Anonymous said...

We booted the cat out...there was only so much room. We have a queen bed (a tempurpedic which OMIGOSH! I LOVE!)
We have slept with Jacob in between us, but we also got a co-sleeper that fastens right up to the bed, you can adjust the height, and then everyone has some sleep room. LOVE LOVE it!! You can look them up - just Google Arms Reach Co-sleeper. :)

Ronnie said...

We had two doubles together on the floor. Seems like it would be enough room, right? But Chloe used to put her head on one of us and her feet on the other and streeeeeeetch. :-)

But it was still the best sleeping arrangement we tried! I wish we'd started off with that!

The Schmitt Family said...

We had a queen bed and a day bed crib attached to the side (much like the arms reach) for Ian. Now that there are 4 in one bed be we have a king and that seems to work for now. Ian slept between us for the most part (at 3 people)and now it mainly goes dad, ian, mom, owen but as owen starts to roll he will need to go between mom and dad to prevent tumbling. We also always had our bed on a frame so we had to be cautious about possible falling.

Just to needed o mention...we didn't really figure out this arrangement until we were in the moment. I am sure you will figure it all out too. :D

Katie said...

Hi Randi!
We co-slept with our oldest daughter and never really had a problem, she just slept in between us in our full size bed, and then we got a queen and it was much better. We did it mostly to get sleep because I would fall asleep nursing her and we would all sleep better.
When our second daughter came along, we got a co-sleeper that we put in between us until she outgrew it at a few months old. After that we kept the same pattern as our older daughter and it worked out fine until she was 9 months old. I had again, fallen asleep nursing her and I awoke suddenly to a voice telling me to put a hand on her back...she was not breathing, most likely due to the position of her head when we fell asleep. I quickly removed my arm from under her neck and shook her a few times and she started breathing again. I shudder to think what would have happened if I hadn't woken up.
For our third dauther, due in June, we will not be co-sleeping again. She will be in a bassinet next to our bed so that I can still reach her whenever she wakes.
You obviously will do what is most comfortable for you and your family, but just make sure that you look at all sides of it and do the safest thing for you and your baby.
Good luck and Congratulations!

MistyInthezoo said...

We have a king sized bed and the baby usually sleeps either on or attached to me. I have an arms reach co-sleeper and it basically holds laundry. I feel safest holding onto my infants at night. I can't sleep without touching them. The cats are also booted from the bed, they sleep in the toddler beds though, with or without kids in them.

I used a folded up fleece blanket to prop myself from laying on my back. It seems I liked to sleep on my back more than I thought too. Eventually you might need one to prop your belly too. I found I slept better kinda wedged in.

Cori's Stories said...

I was just wondering why you can not sleep on your back?

Anonymous said...

Actually, being a back sleeper is great for co-sleeping! I end up on my back a lot with a child on each side snuggling up to me. :)

Regarding safety, there are of course no guarantees no matter what you do, but to my mind being close enough to sense a problem is huge. I can't tell you how many stories I've heard of mothers sensing, in their sleep, that their baby is not breathing, which they were able to sense because of their close proximity. And I don't know if you know, but in deep sleep you can't roll over on your baby because your body releases a chemical that keeps your body from moving. And in lighter stages of sleep you have awareness of your surroundings. Which is why you don't fall off the bed. ;) There's no way I wouldn't sleep with my baby, unless I was intoxicated or sleep-deprived.

To answer your question, we have a king next to two twins. My husband sleeps by himself in his own room because I can't handle his snoring. Poor guy! My oldest son also has his own room (he's 11.) The littlest sleeps with me in the king, and the two middle kids alternate sleeping next to me on the other side. :)

Anonymous said...

One queen size with the younger two with sidecar crib...third child no crib and a king size bed, it felt vast when we got but with a two year old in it...that doesn't leave much room we are up off the floor and have only had two incidents of falling out of bed in almost 2 1/2 years:) One was not even a cry the first was a good cry as we hit the nightstand on the way down!

Anonymous said...

We started out in a full-sized bed with the "mama and baby" side pushed up against the wall. As he got bigger, we got a cheapie used crib and side-carred it (took off one side and pushed it up against the bed with something across both pieces to bridge the gap). Later we were blessed with a king-sized bed and that worked very well but my partner and I both stay pretty much in the same place once we are asleep.