TTMA What the Baby Will be Sleeping In While In Your Room

[cornpop]

With my first we put her in the bassinet part of the pack and play.  She was only in our room for <6 weeks because she kind of transitioned to her own room on her own. 

Now, apparently they're saying you're not supposed to let them sleep in that bassinet part.  You can let them sleep in the main part but that means bending down to the floor to pick her up every time in the MOTN and that doesn't sound fun.  I'm thinking of getting either the Halo Bassinet or the Arm's Reach Bedside Bassinet.  But I hate the idea of spending $$ when the other one worked fine last time. But I can't put her in it knowing it may be dangerous.

What is everyone else thinking?

[tinyjoys]

We used the rock n play for the now middle and will use it again.

[calendula]

We will see what kind of baby we get.

DS only slept in the Rock n Play for the first few months and then transitioned to his crib in his room. And "slept" is a generous word to describe what went on for the first year.

I have the arms reach cosleeper we could use if this one likes it.

[clementine]

We’ve been struggling with this too. Our solution was to split the cost of the Halo with my SIL who is due any day now. Her baby will be around 5 months by the time I’m due so I’m hoping that will be good timing. After that if baby is still in our room, we’ll probably do the pack n play? Do you have to get a separate mattress to go in there if you’re using it for overnight sleep?

[mintyblueair]

For our first we used a bassinet someone gave us for the first three weeks, then it was crib in his own room. I'm aiming for the same this time.

[ovenrack]

Wait, you aren't supposed to use which part of the pack n play? Ours has both an elevated top bit, and the "newborn napper" which flips over to become a changing surface...

[ovenrack]

I think they recommend the "bassinet" for sleeping and the "napper" for shorter periods of sleep.

From a target q&a thing...

Q: Is the bassinet safe to use overnight for newborns? I read the napper was not recommended for unsupervised sleeping.

A: Thank you for your interest In the Graco Pack N play with Reversible Napper. The bassinet on this pack n play can be used for overnight sleeping for newborns less then 15 lbs.

[yianna]

We will use the rock n play again, but will also have the CoSleeper set up. My babies tend to be refluxy, and the RNP saved us with our last baby. I was so against it before that (I don't know why), but it seriously was amazing.

The bassinet portion is fine for a pack n play, bc it's deep enough for the baby to move without falling out. The elevated napper is more shallow, right? So I think there's a fall risk associated with that part. Totally my speculation... If it worked last time, then I would do it this time tbh. 

[rm2013]

My two PNPs have 3 sleeping options:

1. "newborn napper" which is a small incline thingy that sits on top of the PNP frame. I would guess this is what they are saying isn't safe for overnight sleep? Both my kids slept in this until they outgrew it, I haven't heard this recent thing that it's not supposed to be used overnight.

2. Bassinet - this clips on to the PNP frame, is the same size as the full base, and hangs down maybe 8-10" from the top. Also used this with both my kids until they hit the weight limit. I think this is still considered fine to use? I'd have a hard time seeing why not.

3. Regular bottom (no attachments)

[rm2013]

I'm not sure what we'll do, really depends on this kid's disposition. DD1 slept in the various stages of the PNP until 6 months old, then we put her in a crib in her own room.

DD2 slept in the PNP newborn napper, RNP, or a swing for the first 6 weeks. She was a super shitty sleeper. At 6 weeks we had to put her in her own room in a crib because if you literally moved or exhaled she would wake up crying.

[Leaf 🌱]

I hate pack n plays and DD slept in her RNP for a bit until I freaked that she wouldn’t be able to sleep on a flat surface and just put her in the bassinet from our uppababy stroller on a stand next to our bed.

I bought a used halo bassinet at a consignment sale last month and am pretty excited to have that this time around. It’s one down from the top “trim” (I think?) and vibrates and plays music. I keep a RnP on every floor of our house. DD hates the mamaroo/swings and the RnPs were so easy to move around/travel with.

[auri]

I used the rock n play for DD, and I'm planning on using it this time too.

[snowmoon]

We had the crib set up in our room and he would always start out the night there and always end up in our bed sometime in the night. I think we'll do the same thing with this baby but try a little harder to keep get them back in the crib. But also maybe not because #lazy.

[ArielMermaid]

I used the rock n play for the first few months then she went straight to the crib.
And by that I mean I didn't sleep again until she was 18 months old and would sleep in that god forsaken crib.

I might get a co sleeper thing this time. My DD is still in our crib.

[nuggetrn]

My plan was originally a pack and play for a while and then figure it out from there. It is good to know that I need to make sure I have something that overnight sleep is allowed in.

I got overwhelmed with all of the options, so do I need a pack and play with all the extra attachments, a swing, a rnp? Should I maybe just get a stand alone bassinet for now? SO MANY THINGS. I decided to stop thinking about it for a little while. Lol

[mrsmonogrammed]

We used the HALO bassinet and plan to again for this baby. It was a dream to use! Swivels out of the way when I want to get out of bed, and the side has a spring on it so you can literally just reach right in from laying down and pick up the baby. The con was that the base is kind of big, but we only used it for 8ish weeks before we switched DD to her crib in her room.

[smilesp]

We used the bassinet part of the PNP for the first 6 months in our room and that worked great. By bassinet, I mean the elevated mattress not the napper part. I think we’re going to get another PNP because DS still uses his from time to time for naps and bedtime away from home. He cannot sleep in bed with us. We have tried and it does not work.

[smilesp]

Oct 2, 2017 8:52:57 GMT -6 nuggetrn said:

My plan was originally a pack and play for a while and then figure it out from there. It is good to know that I need to make sure I have something that overnight sleep is allowed in.

I got overwhelmed with all of the options, so do I need a pack and play with all the extra attachments, a swing, a rnp? Should I maybe just get a stand alone bassinet for now? SO MANY THINGS. I decided to stop thinking about it for a little while. Lol

We got a PNP with the napper, diaper change attachment and side pocket. We used the diaper changer a few times when we went to the beach when DS was a month old but literally never used the other stuff. I’m going to get another one for this baby and I’m getting the basic one with just the elevated bassinet. I would recommend getting a swing though. We never had a RNP but I’ve heard they can be a lifesaver if baby has reflux.

[calendula]

Oct 2, 2017 8:52:57 GMT -6 nuggetrn said:

My plan was originally a pack and play for a while and then figure it out from there. It is good to know that I need to make sure I have something that overnight sleep is allowed in.

I got overwhelmed with all of the options, so do I need a pack and play with all the extra attachments, a swing, a rnp? Should I maybe just get a stand alone bassinet for now? SO MANY THINGS. I decided to stop thinking about it for a little while. Lol

Well I think a Rock n Play is essential because those things are amazing, even if your kid doesn't end up sleeping in it. A RnP can replace a swing, a bouncer, a seat, and a bassinet if you so choose and the best part is how lightweight it is, so its easy to carry around the house. And the basic models aren't terribly expensive.

As for the rest of it, I think it can be a good idea to maybe hold off on purchasing a ton of stuff, or see if there is anything from friends that you can borrow when baby arrives to see if she likes it. My experience was with a very fussy, picky baby who was particular about where we put him down. Most of the stuff we bought or registered for never got used (pack n play, arms reach cosleeper, swing). 

[mattsgirl2004]

We've used both the arms reach cosleeper and the rock and play. We'll try both again this time and see which baby likes best.

[mrsmonogrammed]

Oct 2, 2017 7:48:04 GMT -6 clementine said:

We’ve been struggling with this too. Our solution was to split the cost of the Halo with my SIL who is due any day now. Her baby will be around 5 months by the time I’m due so I’m hoping that will be good timing. After that if baby is still in our room, we’ll probably do the pack n play? Do you have to get a separate mattress to go in there if you’re using it for overnight sleep?

I'm pretty sure the recommendation for safe sleep is no added extra mattress, but I would probably put a mattress protector and a sheet on top of it which might make it a bit more "comfy".

[cornpop]

ovenrack, rm2013, you're right. I misspoke. I think the bassinet part is fine. We used the newborn napper part with our first which you're not supposed to use overnight. Oops.

[nuggetrn]

Oct 2, 2017 9:06:59 GMT -6 calendula said:

Oct 2, 2017 8:52:57 GMT -6 nuggetrn said:

My plan was originally a pack and play for a while and then figure it out from there. It is good to know that I need to make sure I have something that overnight sleep is allowed in.

I got overwhelmed with all of the options, so do I need a pack and play with all the extra attachments, a swing, a rnp? Should I maybe just get a stand alone bassinet for now? SO MANY THINGS. I decided to stop thinking about it for a little while. Lol

Well I think a Rock n Play is essential because those things are amazing, even if your kid doesn't end up sleeping in it. A RnP can replace a swing, a bouncer, a seat, and a bassinet if you so choose and the best part is how lightweight it is, so its easy to carry around the house. And the basic models aren't terribly expensive.

As for the rest of it, I think it can be a good idea to maybe hold off on purchasing a ton of stuff, or see if there is anything from friends that you can borrow when baby arrives to see if she likes it. My experience was with a very fussy, picky baby who was particular about where we put him down. Most of the stuff we bought or registered for never got used (pack n play, arms reach cosleeper, swing). 

I am definitely hoping my bff still has her fancy baby swing that she will want to let us have/borrow. I am 99% sure they are done having babies.

[Rama]

I think our plan at the moment is to either use some kind of bassinet/cosleeper or sidecar the crib. From there, it will depend on how well the kid sleeps with us in the room.

[sailsandstitches]

Really going to try harder with this one to stick with AAP guidelines since we honestly just got lucky that #1 ended up being ok. He slept in whatever he would sleep in. I'm thinking about snagging the RNP bassinet because I think we have a little less room in this house.

[calendula]

Isn't the AAP now recommending that babies sleep in your room for a year or something asinine like that?

I just pulled up this article, which is interesting: www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2017/06/05/531582634/babies-sleep-better-in-their-own-rooms-after-4-months-study-finds

[alwayscheese]

I think maybe the concern with the bassinet is the same as them sleeping overnight in a swing or carseat or anything that isn't flat. They should be sleeping flat most of the time. Naps are fine in "seats" but for 100% of their sleep it's discouraged.

That said, IMO sleep is important and you do what you have to do.

AFM, I'm pretty sure baby will start out in the crib in the nursery. There's almost no way to fit even a bassinet or co-sleeper in our room and the nursery is thisclose to being the same room, right across the hall. It will be ten steps or less from my bed to the crib. We'll see how that works I guess.

[katietopaz]

We did the bassinet in the PNP (the suspended flat part) for six months with DS, in our room. We're planning to do the same with this one, or potentially spring for something like the arms-reach cosleeper. I survived on side-lying nursing at night once DS was a couple months old but I would rather do it more safely where I can put baby in their own "space."

I hope having this one in our room for awhile will work out, because we live in a 2BR and I already have no idea how the transition to these two sharing a room is going to go. We had to do CIO with DS and he was an awful sleeper, so I'm prepared for the worst this time, too.

[ovenrack]

Just to point out, it is also not recommended for baby to sleep overnight in the RnP rock n play, I'm pretty sure. Which is probably a similar problem to the napper - the curved shape, and not flat. And SO MANY people recommend that, esp for reflux babies.

Recommended by the CDC I mean. They only like flat surfaces.

So, like, problems are everywhere.

Meh!

[cornpop]

Oct 2, 2017 9:44:27 GMT -6 calendula said:

Isn't the AAP now recommending that babies sleep in your room for a year or something asinine like that?

I just pulled up this article, which is interesting: www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2017/06/05/531582634/babies-sleep-better-in-their-own-rooms-after-4-months-study-finds

Yup.  Our plan was to go 6 months with our first in our room.  But we didn't put her to sleep in our room when she went to bed because we didn't have a monitor in that room and wouldn't hear her cry.  So we'd put her in her room until she woke up the first time in the MOTN to eat and then we'd switch her to our room (because I was asleep by then and would hear her cry).  But she stopped waking up in the MOTN at 6 weeks soo she just stayed in her room.  We'll probably do the same thing with this baby.