Comments on: Ask Design Mom: Preparing for Baby – Sleeping

By: Adrienne Conner

Adrienne Conner — Mon, 06 Jun 2011 22:12:02 +0000

Hi…wanted to throw in my two cents here as a recent new Mama. 6 weeks after my wee little one came into world, we found out she had reflux. As I understand it, this is quite common for babies. The reason I mention this, is that Katie rejected the bassinet and crib immediately and I found out that due to her reflux, she was miserable sleeping flat on her back. I found the only thing that worked for her was her car seat, which I ended up putting in the bassinet so I could still be within arms reach of her. This kept her at the incline she so desperately needed and I have since been averaging about 8 hours of sleep a night!! I also agree with the blankets. I especially love the Aden and Anais Muslin blankets. They’re great for warm weather which allow air to circulate when I need to cover the car seat completely and they also work great for breastfeeding as well as swaddling. Best wishes to you and your bundle to be!!

By: BeautyAndTheBeastFashion

BeautyAndTheBeastFashion — Mon, 20 Sep 2010 23:29:25 +0000

Love the hanging bassinet. When I had my son I thought about getting just a crib, but friends convinced me to get a bassinet. It was the best decision I ever made. It was perfect and so handy to have the baby in the same room with me. Once, he got older he went to his crib. There are so many things to learn when being a new mom and this help to take some of the stress of me.

By: Emily

Emily — Mon, 26 Apr 2010 17:15:10 +0000

On swaddling your baby at night: most women will tell you that all babies will love to be swaddled. They do it in the hospital, so you think you have to do it when you get home. Try it both ways though. My boy didn’t like it, and started sleeping more peacefully and through the night when we tried not swaddling him. To keep him warm, we got some fleece sleep sacks to zip him up in and them use a heavier blanket over him under his arms so he can’t get it up over his face. He doesn’t move that much at night because he’s sleeping more peacefully than before, but that may not be the case for all babies. That’s my 2 cents! :o)

By: Erin

Erin — Sat, 24 Apr 2010 03:10:39 +0000

This doesn’t quite fit any of your categories, though many babies sleep in them: a baby wrap. My son (19 mos) still hasn’t been in a grocery cart! I found the wrap to feel more secure than the sling (many currently recalled), even though it took some practice on the wrapping!

By: Sydney

Sydney — Thu, 22 Apr 2010 15:53:41 +0000

The soothing blankets from Luna Lullaby are a must in the world of swaddling. The are made of 100% cotton muslin which is almost like a gauze. I wouldn’t attempt to swaddle a baby with any other blanket after using these. They are nice and large and stretchy. They are a little pricey but well worth the extra expense! http://www.lunalullaby.com

By: Laurie

Laurie — Thu, 22 Apr 2010 14:20:19 +0000

I found a pram with the big white ‘bicycle’ wheels at a yard sale and all 3 of my babies slept in it til they were 4 months old. It was great – we attached a length of those plastic links to it and we could rock them practically in our sleep from the bed!

By: LauraLake

LauraLake — Thu, 22 Apr 2010 03:53:13 +0000

I would say that for sleeping, nothing beats sleep gowns or sacks, even for boys. There’s nothing harder than trying to snap eight snaps on a wiggly newborn in the dark while you’re mostly asleep. Yay for sleep gowns, easy up, change diaper, easy down, swaddle, sleep!

By: Angel

Angel — Wed, 21 Apr 2010 22:12:47 +0000

We used all the receiving blankets for a variety of things – coverup when it was cold out and we took the stroller/babyseat combo. It’s also a great way to mark out a play area. She plays with them – peek a boo, snuggle, flopping etc. Later they’ll be part of a fort, capes – the imagination doesn’t end.

By: hush

hush — Wed, 21 Apr 2010 06:35:32 +0000

Cosleeping can be a real lifesaver – it was the only way my first ever slept. My second however, slept best in her Moses Basket for about the first 4 months. Now at 6.5 months she started crawling and sleeps best in her IKEA Gulliver crib – with lots of soft blankets, and a bumper to keep her hands and feet from getting stuck in the rails.

The latest SIDS prevention research out there recommends the use of a fan to circulate the air in baby’s room.

By: redmenace

redmenace — Wed, 21 Apr 2010 00:27:20 +0000

All wonderful advice. I also wish I lived in NYC where people left amazing furniture on the street. This does not happen in Seattle!

By: Kristin

Kristin — Tue, 20 Apr 2010 20:30:23 +0000

Swaddle wraps with velcro, for sure. My son can houdini himself out of just about any regular swaddle. The velcro keeps him snug and sleeping a lot longer.

By: Lotte

Lotte — Tue, 20 Apr 2010 18:27:04 +0000

Hi Gabrielle,

This is perfect timing for me! I’m due May 29th with my third and have been making lists (why didn’t I save the ones I had before??) for two weeks now. I keep thinking I’m forgetting stuff… So I’ll keep an eye on your blog this week :)
Also, I’m with you on the crummy nights, unfortunately.
I love hanging bassinets, especially these ones since they hang from a spring:

http://www.hanging-cradle.com

And you can hang them right next to your bed the first couple of months. Hope you get in a good night tonight!

-Lotte

By: Ashlea Walter

Ashlea Walter — Tue, 20 Apr 2010 17:51:13 +0000

I’m confused about the blanket issue. We received A LOT of blankets as gifts and some were handmade and almost all were absolutely lovely, adorable, soft and cozy. But what am I supposed to do with so many blankets? Even Wren who spit up a lot for the first quarter of her life didn’t really need more than two blankets. Now I have a box of keepsake blankets because I can’t get rid of most of them, especially when they have “Wren” embroidered on them. Ideas, anyone?

By: Angel

Angel — Tue, 20 Apr 2010 17:04:49 +0000

We bought a crib, but ended up using a co-sleeper as a free-standing pack n play, and it’s the best sleep purchase we made. She doesn’t hurt her head, I can see her through the mesh (she’s near our bed, but not attached to it), she can’t chew on any wood, I don’t have to worry about it collapsing on her, and I didn’t have to buy a lot of extra bedding. It was also a smart decision for us because I had to have emergency surgery two months pp, and the Arm’s Reach allowed me to bend down and pick her up without hurting myself. Next baby, I’m skipping the crib.

Oh, and here’s a link to my favorite baby gear post:

http://www.otherpiecesofme.com/2010/03/5-things_10.html

By: angela

angela — Tue, 20 Apr 2010 16:40:56 +0000

I also used my pack n play in my room for the first couple months. The twins were both able to sleep in it. Putting them in their own room helped everyone sleep better!

By: Nancy

Nancy — Tue, 20 Apr 2010 15:37:45 +0000

How fun! I am writing my thesis on nesting. Do you mind if I quote you about your going into nesting mode? So happy for you!

By: michelle LeBlanc

michelle LeBlanc — Tue, 20 Apr 2010 14:27:40 +0000

I wish we had invested in a king size bed instead of purchasing a crib…my daughter slept in hers maybe once? If you have a bassinet I think you can totally hold off on a crib until you find out what kind of sleep arrangements work for you ;)

By: Ann

Ann — Tue, 20 Apr 2010 13:04:09 +0000

I love our video baby monitor. I spend less time getting out of bed and sneaking into the baby’s room just to make sure everything is OK than I would without it! But I’m a worrier. We used this into toddlerhood with my oldest, and it was fun to see what she was doing in her crib when she was supposed to be napping (playing, singing, gymnastics, taking off her diaper, etc.).

By: dunski

dunski — Tue, 20 Apr 2010 11:07:01 +0000

I always had my babies in our bed with us, in the middle, later at one side secured with the nursingpillow, and as soon as I was fed up with being so tight… (depending on the kid that was after 4mths, 6mths, 5mths) they would move to the crib in the neighbouring room. BUT.. we’d always have the natures sway hammock from day one and put them there for naps or to start into the night, when we didn’t want to go to bed yet…
http://www.naturessway.co.nz/Hammocks.html

By: aja

aja — Tue, 20 Apr 2010 08:44:38 +0000

I agree–the Aden & Anais muslin swaddling blankets are the best! They are huge and lightweight, which is perfect for a baby in the spring/summer. They come in really cute patterns and usually in a package of four so you’ll have plenty on hand at all times.