I have 12 children and NONE of them have resided in an official nursery. Why? I’ll admit it had something to do with the lack of money with the first children. But, now, it has something to do with me wanting my babies to be incorporated into the family. In this post I will tell you (and show you) where I put my babies and why I keep them so close. 🙂
Right now, my eight month old sleeps at the end of the hallway, in my bedroom, in a playpen (not a crib). I used to have her in a bed my husband built that attaches to my side of the bed; a sort of co-sleeper (similiar to this one, except a homemade version). I love using this when they are newborns, but, once they get a little older (and a little more aware of their surroundings) I like to move them to their own bed. They get a little too long for their bed, it’s gets a little unsafe for them once they can get on all fours and the slightest noise can wake them up. This is usually when I move them to their play pen.
For a while my babies slept in a crib. As a matter of fact, the sentimental side of me has kept my babies crib up in our rafters, JUST IN CASE I change my mind and want to use it again. I know I never will. My husband knows I never will. But, I can’t get rid of it. Thank you Dear for your patience. 😉
I found using a crib to be a hassle.
Yes, they can be pretty and cute, but is that really all that important? My bedroom isn’t big enough for a crib. If I wanted to use a crib my baby would have to be in a different room than me. That would not only mean my baby being at a distance from me but I would also need to invest in a baby monitor. That’s another unnecessary purchase. I agree they can be nice but, in my opinion, I find them as a luxury rather than a necessity.
But, my main concern is I want to be able to see and hear my baby.
This is very important to me, especially in the beginning. Early on my babies sleep in bed with me, so their breathing gets regulated by them hearing and feeling my breathing. Afterwards, we get to be so close that the thought of my baby in the other room makes me very uncomfortable. If my baby isn’t in the room with me I have a difficult time sleeping. I need to be close to them, even if it is in another bed.
I know some mother’s cringe over this as this means that the baby is in their room until they are a toddler. Yes, this is true. But, the toddler isn’t sleeping in my bed. So, this makes it easier for me to move them out of my room. With my son, it was actually quite easy as he had brother’s he was moving in with. The biggest problem I had was training him to stay in his bed. This isn’t as easy for him when he has siblings so willing to play with him!
Basically, to put it bluntly, your baby needs you; especially when they are little.
Don’t be in such a hurry to put them in their own room. Keep them close to you while you still can. Pretty soon they will be grown up and looking for their own place to live and you’ll be wishing they were back in your room in their little play pen. 😉
