Sleeping Arrangements When The New Baby Comes?

KatWrangler · #1 (**permalink**) 12-30-2007, 06:18 PM

Has anyone had success with a toddler sleeping in the same room with a newborn/baby? When Delaney is born she will sleep in the pack n play bassinet/our bed for a little while. Then what? Gabrielle is in the crib (we don't want to buy another crib) still. We are short on room in this townhouse. Its 3 bedrooms and Conner's room isn't large enough for him and Gabrielle because of his twin bed, chair, nightstand, train table and bookshelf.

Right now we are thinking of putting a setee we have in Gabrielle's room in storage and getting her a toddler bed (which I hate to do and think they are a waste of money) but would save on space. Her room as a chest of drawers, setee, crib, changing table, glider and ottoman.

Thoughts? Are we crazy to try this? I don't know what we plan on doing when our lease comes due (move to a larger place or what). Which it will be due 9/30/08. I can't see keeping the baby in our room that long, but maybe we will have to.

nikki&baby · #2 (**permalink**) 12-30-2007, 06:53 PM

Since this is our second, I've never had any experience with a toddler and a newborn in the same room. I know lots of people do it, but personally I would avoid it if at all possible. Kaylee was an awful sleeper for about 6 months and really has only been a so-so sleeper since then. I would just be really afraid that every night-time wakening would be made twice as hard b/c the baby and the toddler would be up.
If it were me, I'd be more likely to keep the new baby in my room a little longer or maybe even find a way to rearrange so that your older two could share a room. Good luck with your decision!

KFG · #3 (**permalink**) 12-30-2007, 08:54 PM

I am only having our second but have a really good friend who's baby shared a room with a one year old. She uses a sound machine in each kid's bedroom so when the one year old woke up or made noise (or vice versa) the other really didn't hear it. She could hear it on the monitor, however.

shauna26 · #4 (**permalink**) 12-31-2007, 04:39 AM

Tianna and this baby will be sharing a room. Not until the baby is a bit older though. I will keep the baby with us until she is about 6 months old.

I have a noise machine and will be using it. Tianna sleeps like a log and has to be fed at 2:00am anyways.

The only thing that worries me is that Tianna will try to "share" with the baby. I will be removing all of Tianna's small toys that the baby could choke on, or anything I'm worried about Tianna giving to the baby

mylilbeebers · #5 (**permalink**) 12-31-2007, 04:47 AM

We're going to be putting the two older ones together...should be interesting. Like you, it's going to be a tight fit. They're both in twin beds and the room is no more than 9x9'. So, that means a lot of the toys will have to go downstairs or into the baby/extra room until the baby needs it. He/She will be in our room for a few months anywyas...gives us some time to renovate the basement in the meantime. It is doable.

KateRose · #6 (**permalink**) 12-31-2007, 04:57 AM

I was originally going to move Thomas into Ruben's room, and have them share. I was horribly conerned about transitioning Thomas to a bed since he is such a monkey he'd be everywhere. BUT, since there is a very good possibility we are moving to CA this summer (just for a year) I am planning on leaving everything as is, and the baby will sleep in the bassientte in our room until we move. Then the older boys will share a room and the baby will get his own room. I'll have to transition a toddler to a big bed and an infant to a crib, all after we've moved.

3rd of a 3rd · #7 (**permalink**) 12-31-2007, 05:15 AM

We have tight quarters here, too. We are renovating our upstairs into 3 new bedrooms. We are really hoping to be done by May.
The baby will be in our room to start & from there we will decide if we will use 1 of the downstairs rooms as a bedroom or move on to the next phase of the upstairs (hopefully to be a full bath & 4th bedroom.) We may end up w/ 2 kids together at some point, but we'll see how it all goes together.

Brandi_love · #8 (**permalink**) 12-31-2007, 06:33 AM

We co-slept with my ds and still have him in our room for the most part. He has a full-size bed of his own in another room, but he goes between that sleeping in that bed and ours. We love co-sleeping, so we may just do it again once the baby is born. I don't know though. It depends on what kind of sleeper she is. We will also put up either the crib or playard with the bassinet in our room too. We have three bedrooms, but we use one for storage, one for my ds's bed and toy stuff and then everyone sleeps in our room, lol. Works for us

May · #9 (**permalink**) 12-31-2007, 06:46 AM

I will keep the new baby in my room with me until he is old enough to share a room with his brother. We only have 3 bedrooms in our house. DD in one DS in another and dh and I in the 3rd. But thankfully the rooms are very large so we will have plenty of room to have the crib in our room with us after the baby is too big for the basinette.

Surprise4th · #10 (**permalink**) 12-31-2007, 07:19 AM

Baby will be in our bedroom at first. I think our twins were in our bedroom until they were about 7 months - in their cribs. Then we gave them our room when they went into toddler beds...

We moved out!

We'll probably keep the baby in our room and then put our two boys in a room together when we move baby out of our room.

Good luck with your space!!

JennRH4 · #11 (**permalink**) 12-31-2007, 11:18 AM

I have a 3 bedroom house. Technically my 4 year old son has his own room and my 1 year old daughter has her own room.

The ideas is for this baby- a boy is for our older son to share a room eventually.

However, since my daughter was born she's been in the pack and play next to our bed. She has a cute room with a crib etc but she sleeps so much better next to us and it's been easy to get to her and check on her when she's next to us. Now that she's bigger she also likes waking up and she'll stand and make a noise until we put her in bed with us. She loves to snuggle up and she loves being between DH and I. When she was little I was so concerned about her suffocating etc so I wouldn't let her sleep with us. Now she's bigger and she sleeps so soundly. I prefer if she would stay in her pack and play all night and she does sometimes.

My son co-slept with me until he was about 2. I was divorced/separated from his father from before his birth and so it had only been the two of us and I wanted the company. He loved it and got a lot of one on one attention.

When I remarried we started putting him in his own bed in his room. Every once in awhile he'll come to our room and jump in bed with us. I always let him since he's only 4. So I do wake up sometimes with 2 kids in bed with us.

Our plan for this one is to get another pack and play with a bassinet and have this one sleep next to me and our daughter sleep next to DH on his side in her pack and play. Baby #3 will have to use the basinet/pack and play until he's big enough to come to our bed if he wants to on occasion. I also think that once he's older to share with our older son, that will encourage both of them to stay in that room in their big boy beds. Since my daughter has her crib still and it's mostly used for a changing table she has no desire to be in that crib. We'll eventually get her a big girl bed and start putting her in there when she gets bigger. If she gets up and comes to our bed of course she'll be welcome.

Our goal is to get a 4 bedroom house in 4 years.

Champaggne · #12 (**permalink**) 12-31-2007, 12:31 PM

i have a friend with a amaller house who is having her third. She will be converting har little one to a bed. SHe will just by a big girl bed. And move the crib to her room. (They plan on moving in the future too) I mean I think having the baby with you temporarily is better than with your youngest. I think it just keep her up too at night.