The Nut is not a reliable sleeper and never has been. Blah blah blah… broken record.
In preparation for Baby, I’ve been racking my brain regarding all things sleep in the very limited space of our NYC apartment. Where should she sleep? How do I help create a better sleeper? How do I limit disruptions to The Nut? How do I limit disruptions to Baby?
I know I can’t plan away all problems, but I feel like our current situation isn’t ideal. The Nut starts out in her room and comes into our room at some point during the night. We may end up walking her back several times or she may just end up in our bed, kicking me in the face or the spleen. Where does an oft-waking newborn fit into sharing one of our two bedrooms? Where will Gigi stay when she oh-so-generously joins us as a third set of hands for a couple of months?
Here’s what I came up with over the weekend:
The Nut is still sleeping in a toddler bed. We moved it into our bedroom, tucked in the corner next to B’s side of the bed. It has a tiny footprint and you can’t even see it unless you walk around the side of the bed.
We bought a twin sized bed to put in the girls’ room. It will serve as Gigi’s bed this fall and delirious optimistic Katy tells me that The Nut will look forward to sleeping in it and sharing a room with her little sister when Baby is a few months old and sleeping through the night!
Baby will sleep in the girl’s room in either our new Breeze or the Rock ‘n Play Sleeper so many people swear by. They are both portable, so if we decide she should come into our room or hang out in the living room, it will be a simple move.
The Nut has had two nights in her new quarters. The rules are strict and clear. She doesn’t get out of the bed without permission. She does not get in our bed. So far, so good! The first night she was in bed for 13 hours with one wake-up for less than five minutes. Last night she slept 12 solid hours without a peep. This may be typical for many preschoolers, but for us it feels like a miracle.
I know nothing is fail-proof, but this seems to be a really good solution for the time being. Let’s just hope Baby gets the memo.
{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
Good luck! I hope that arrangement works out; sounds like a pretty good solution to me! I just bought one f those sleepers for the baby, too, and am praying it is as great as everyone says!
You would be amazed at what babies can sleep through – mine sleeps through the crazy noise my toddler makes all day long. It’s kinda amazing, but in the end I think it’s helped him be better sleeper overall. I’m glad your new arrangement seems to be working – you are brave for moving the bed into your room!
Sleeping thru the night in a few months? Let’s hope!