Friday, June 6, 2008

where he sleeps

There is a lot of debate among some folks on where you're supposed to put your baby to sleep. I've felt a little conflicted about that, but am learning to get over what people thing you should do. Gus has slept with us in our bed or next to the bed for these first 2 and a half months of his life. I usually put him down next to us to start, and then between us after the first feeding. He falls asleep faster when he's in our bed, and at 2 am, that's what I'm most interested in. I don't sleep well with him in our bed, though, especially once he begins to half-wake. He snuggles up to me, and that usually involves flailing arms and repeated kicking. I've taken more than one kick to the boob, and I'm getting tired of waking up to someone pulling my hair. After our adventure to the fabric store this week, I made this:Baby bed extraordinaire. Now I'm the first to admit that I'm not much of a seamstress, but I think this turned out okay. I bought 3/4 yard of 2" foam, and used some leftover padding for the bumpers. The bumpers aren't actually meant to prevent him from going anywhere, in fact he rolled right over them this morning. They're more for decoration and to slow him down, so he can't get too far too fast.I think it turned out great, and he seems to like it just fine. It's softer than what he was sleeping on before, and I'm convinced that the reason he likes our bed better in the middle of the night is because our mattress is soft. I put him in it for naps too, so he's getting used to the idea.
It's nap time now, though, so I have to quit posting and start showering - soon he'll be awake!

2 comments:

Catherine said...

Awesome baby bed! There IS a ton of debate on this issue, isn't there? Silly, really. Whatever works for each family is what each family should do. Like us for example...I WANTED to co-sleep with Jackson and did for 3 months, but then I realized that I COULDN'T SLEEP! I kicked him out to his crib and wow! we all learned to sleep soundly (and through the night) on our own. It didn't detract from our attachment parenting in the slightest...in fact, it made me more able to attach to him by day! Good luck with your sleep adventures, and sweet dreams!

Unknown said...

That's incredible that you made that baby bed by yourself! I love it. For the first few months Jax slept in a bassinet by our bed, but in the mornings after feedings and often in the afternoons for naps, we slept together in our bed. Once he was about 3 months we started putting him to bed in his own room and I have to admit he slept a lot longer and more comfortably. Soon we will be thinking about converting his bed into a toddler bed.