As you know, Joe and I also co-sleep with Cheech. We are currently in the market for a bigger place where she can have HER OWN ROOM, and as much as we love sleeping with her, I think the time to get her sleeping on her own is quickly approaching. Like Jamie, I've come across some challenges with co-sleeping*, but on a completely different level. While H, I'm sure, was sweetly sleeping cradled in one of his parents' arms the other night, I woke up to a fierce baby kick in the eye that I'm surprised didn't result into a massive bruise. So yeah, my little Cheech has proven that she feels the need to be active during ALL hours of the day. When she was smaller (I can't believe I'm even referring to her as "smaller", seeing as she's not even a year old), the constant rolling around was much easier to handle. However, sleeping with her has become increasingly difficult and I think Joe said it best when he proclaimed, "Cheech gets half the bed and you and I get the other half." Unfortunately, this could not be more true.
Considering we've attempted [and failed MISERABLY] to get her to sleep in her crib on two different occasions, I'm considering going straight for a "big girl" bed. The last time we tried to get her to make the big move to the crib, we spent two weeks of her waking up every hour until she was brought into our bed. I'll get more into it later*, but we had never had an issue with her waking so frequently, so I'm assuming that more than a desire to sleep with us, she just wants to sleep in a bed. And you know what? I get it. Crib mattresses are downright uncomfortable, and I would imagine most tremendously active sleepers would not be fond of sleeping in such a confined space.
Currently, we have our bed against a wall and during her sleeping hours that we're still awake, I barricade her in from the opposite side of the bed and up from the foot. This system works well for us and she sleeps on her own like that for approximately 5 hours a night, which gives me reason to believe that she could probably go the whole night. She also naps in our bed, and when she wakes up, she just makes sure to give a loud holler for someone to come get her. Getting her in a real bed would mean not having to deal with a toddler bed, and also having an extra place for guests to sleep when we have them (she would sleep with us for such an occasion). It's a big win, if you ask me. Lots of companies make lower beds these days, and with an added guardrail, I'd feel very safe having her sleep by herself.
So, what are your thoughts? I've told a few people this plan, and they've all seemed to look at me like I'm cray cray. Truthfully though, most people give me that look when I tell them we co-sleep anyway. I mentioned a while back that I also co-slept with my mom and was transferred to my own proper bed right around my second birthday. Realistically, we won't be moving until after Cheech's first birthday, so I don't feel I'll be upgrading her that early. Do you have older children who co-slept with you? When did you get them into their own bed?
*My personal experience with co-sleeping coming next week.
Photo, Milk Magazine via The Boo and The Boy
Well, hello there Celia- this is Amanda, from Anthro, not sure if you remember me.... Anyway, I stumbled across your blog and this shared blog because I have been obsessed with mama blogs. (We are expecting our first little sprout in the beginning of May). Since I do not have a child yet, and don't actually have experience with co-sleeping I can't weigh in too much on this topic. However, we are planning on co-sleeping and have planned so far on skipping the crib step and moving right to the big kid bed with modifications, when that time comes. I think it makes sense. I say do it, or at least do it and I can read how it goes.... ;)
ReplyDeleteyou know we sleep like that because Hs thrashing wakes HIMSELF up? sigh.
ReplyDeletehave we talked about this before? you know that hardcore Montessori followers skip the crib all together? look into it. i am sure you can find some ppls personal experiences with it.
i would suggest doing what we did for a bit. try putting her crib mattress on the floor between your bed and the wall. that way the wall and your bed act like natural barriers, but it isnt a "crib". and you can lay there next to her to fall asleep.
oh crap you have a bed frame dont you? maybe that wont work. maybe it can still work somehow i am not sure. but dude, i bet you could even move her damn crib out of the room, put the mattress on the floor, and let her sleep there. put pillows around the mattress on the floor in case she falls off.
TRY IT!
I HATE YOU ALLZ.
and love you too.
<3
aw shit that was me.
ReplyDeleteYep, a mattress on the floor seems like the ideal thing to me. Check this post out:
ReplyDeletehttp://sewliberated.typepad.com/sew_liberated/2009/10/its-the-little-things.html
You know, after writing about the family bed, 5 nights ago, I decided to move my dude on the floor (next to our on-the-floor mattress, lol). He's on a roll-up futon mattress surrounded with large floor pillows, because dude likes to splay and roll and lift himself up like a zombie and ram the wall. I still get to cuddle him at night, but then retreat to an island of footless necks. The family bed was nice while it lasted! No advice on the bed thing though - we're kind of Japanese around here.
ReplyDeleteLove all of these suggestions for a floor bed! We have been implementing Montessori principles at home and one of them that I love is the floor bed. E has slept on his floor bed since about 2 months old and we'll never use a crib again for any of our kids. His whole room is his crib essentially. He wakes up in the morning and crawls off his floor bed and plays with his toys until we go in and get him.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.montessorionthedouble.com/blog/tag/floor-bed
hi, I love stalking both your blogs and now I can chip in (yay!).
ReplyDeleteI read about the monessirie princepals via 'project subrosa' (who sadly no longer blogs) But this interested me and I think it maybe what your looking for...
http://www.michaelolaf.net/1JC1stself.html
I saved it well before I was expecting (due in August) but see the bennifit of this even though we wont co-sleep.
As someone who works in a furniture store you could buy a bed with a trundle, start Cheech on the trundle untill your both ready for the big bed?
Good Luck!!!
Another vote for a floor bed! Photos of rooms with floor beds here - http://www.bedstart.com
ReplyDeleteWe are going floor bed style when the time comes for Wildcat to move out of our bed. I never really got his room sorted. So, once I get that fixed up, I might start trying to do naps with him in there.
ReplyDeleteI don't think you're crazy. I think it makes all kinds of sense.