[robot sm]

Just wondering how many people have a new baby in the bedroom with them (in a cot or bassinet), and how many give the baby their own room?

We don't have much space in our bedroom, and would need to move some pieces of furniture out if the baby were to share our room. We are planning on the baby being in what was our spare bedroom, which is right next to ours. There's no trouble hearing what's going on in the next room, so we would still hear when the baby wakes.

I have found some people and resources say that for the first months you should have the baby in the same room as you - is that really necessary? I'm not going to be able to respond any quicker, and for night feeds etc that would then just wake up DH as well. In any case I would have to pick up the bub and take him to the next room for feeding, as there's no way we can also fit a chair in our room (very small bedrooms).

We do have a fold-out futon bed in the spare/baby room, which we're planning on leaving there, so I could always sleep in there if required if the baby is unwell or in whatever other case that I would need to be right there all night.

Any advice or experiences?

[Jenflea]

I had our baby in a bassinet in our room next to the bed. You don't need to feed in a chair, you can feed in the bed!
I've heard one of the reasons it's good to have them in your room is they regulate their breathing with yours, which means it's less of a SIDS risk, plus you're more likely to hear them if they do have trouble breathing or whatever if they are in with you.
I had to squeeze around my bed sideways, but it was worth it. It's also great for early morning snuggles
trust me, a man can sleep through a screaming baby in the same room if he really wants to! Or he'll wake if you do anyway.

[clrw]

We had baby in his own room. DP slept in the baby's room for the first 12 weeks to get used to his noises. After that we used a monitor for awhile but as the rooms are next door we found we didn't need it.

[Libster]

Our bedroom was tiny and couldn't fit one bassinet, let alone 2 for our twins. This time around, we're in a larger house and I plan to do what you're doing which is have the baby in his/her own room and have a single bed in there. I plan to sleep in the bedroom as well most of the time so my husband can get some sleep.
So I think your set up sounds good - I think the benefit of having you in the same room is there is a lower incidence of SIDS if you're in the room too, so ideally you would sleep in there every night for the first 6 months, however just do what you think is best for you.

[DS1979]

We've never had any of our kids share our room. My son had his own room from the very beginning; granted our place is small and his room is next door to ours so I could hear every sound he made. My daughter was in the lounge room for a few months until we moved her in with our son. Our next baby will do the same; basinette in the lounge room for a few months and then into the room with the other kids.

[au*lit]

We had the baby in the bassinet next to my side of the bed. The spare room (to be baby's room) had a fold out bed in it. DH slept in there if he wanted uninterrupted sleep.

I had no breastfeeding chair - I fed lying down in bed (I highly recommend this - get a midwife/lactation consultant to show you how). It really was so easy when I was exhausted.

Also, once the baby is born you might not want to be separated from him/her at first. Sometimes I would wake up in the middle of the night and want to make sure he was still breathing (very normal when your baby is tiny). This was easy when he was right there.

[Ehill]

I 'set up' a nursery/baby room on both occasions with the intention of it being the babys room eventually. The cot, changetable, feeding chair etc was all put in there. Then we had a bassinet (something I cant recommend enough) and we then had the flexibility of where they slept. It is very hard to know how you will feel about a baby in your room until you have it. With DD it was okay so she was in our room for 7weeks but with DS it was awful and he lasted 2 days and got parked in the hall outside our room and moved to his own room pretty quickly.

My DH never liked or slept well with the bubs in our room, he got too tired (I know that sounds pathetic when we are getting up all night but he works long hrs and has a stressful job). Also I never understood feeding in bed, I found it so uncomfortable on my back, couldnt attach properly, too dark and how do people change the nappy.....poo in your bed, YUK! I always moved into the lounge or babys room for the night feeds anyway. My babys pooed constantly (again something you dont know until bubs is born) so I could never have done the nappy changes in bed.

I cant imagine not having a room for the baby even if they are sleeping in your room. If bubs has gone to bed at 7pm, how does everyone get ready for bed without waking the baby?? I just used to wheel bubs in when it was our bedtime.

Just wanted to add, with your first baby it is nice to have them in your room in the early days and hear them breathe. Most new mums are a bit paranoid which is totally normal!

This post has been edited by Ehill: 05/11/2012, 01:04 PM

[AllegraM]

Our baby had his own room directly across the hall from ours. Both doors always remained open and we did not use a monitor. He also went straight into a cot. We had no dramas. I breastfed in his room as I had to get up to change his nappy anyway whenever he woke up. Newborns poo a lot!

[SarahM72]

All my babies have slept with me in my bed, and I've breastfed them in bed with me. Stuff getting up to sit in a chair in the middle of the night!


Safe sleeping guideline No. 5 from SIDS and Kids says:

5. Sleep baby in their own safe sleeping place in the same room as an adult care-giver for the first six to twelve months

http://www.sidsandkids.org/safe-sleeping/

This post has been edited by SarahM72: 05/11/2012, 01:07 PM

[CallMeProtart]

Each to their own... but so's you're aware the guidelines on having them in your room are not really about responding quicker, it's to do with the theory that hearing the parents noises and breathing helps regulate the child's sleep cycle such that they are less likely to get SIDS (one of a whole number of reducing factors - not at all saying that if you don't do it they would get SIDS!)
Just so's you're aware.