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One thing that surprised me as my first baby got older, was how little I used his crib.
I expected to use his bassinet during the first few months and then transition to a crib when the time was right. In reality, I could count the amount of times I actually used it on both hands if not one hand and 95% of those were for naps–not nighttime.
Instead, the crib was put in storage when he was around 10 or 11 months old and stayed there until we gave it away around the time he turned 2, shortly before we welcomed our second baby.
What I learned quickly was how much better he slept with me and how thoroughly he hated being laid down. Which meant that I held him for a lot of naps or put him in his wrap if I didn’t feel like sitting or laying down. At night, we snuggle for the majority of it and he sleeps for most of it that way.
The more I learned about him and how to best lay him down so he’ll actually stay asleep, the more I knew the crib was going to be a bigger headache than I ever cared to deal with.
Before and during pregnancy I knew about the Montessori method and the use of floor beds. I knew I liked the idea of that for when the baby got older but like I said, we planned to use the crib when he was done with the bassinet. This plan didn’t change partly because we already had a crib and I just wasn’t feeling confident or ready to make those changes.
It was set up and ready to use but it was mostly used for clothes or keeping the baby contained while I went to the bathroom if it happened to be cleaned out.
We transitioned to the floor bed which was largely used for naps as we bed share and that transition hasn’t been a huge priority. Even so, I am really glad that we went that route. Since then we have transitioned him to a normal twin bed as I was pregnant and needed something I could get in and out of more easily.
The bed and frame is now in storage until our baby is out of the bassinet stage at which point we will bring the bed back out.
You don’t necessarily need the frame but we got one with slats so the mattress wasn’t lying directly on the floor especially out of concern for mold growing in that corner. It also makes the room look a little more put together in my opinion.
While there are different options available we wanted it to be affordable and practical so we went with an inexpensive 5 inch memory foam mattress from our local furniture store and this frame from Amazon.
I would recommend a thicker mattress if you do use a frame with slats because I underestimated how much I would be laying down with him in that bed. It became very uncomfortable for me to do so, since my weight cut right through the mattress and it felt like I was laying right on the slats.
We luckily had a family member with a spare mattress and it became much more comfortable when we switched it out.
Here are a few reasons I went this route and plan to go this route with any future children:
Developmental Aspect
Developmentally, there is a ton of research on the benefits of having a bed that young kids can independently get in and out of. This article from Paper Pinecone does a good job explaining more about the Montessori floor beds and addressing concerns that a lot of parents have.
To put it simply, kids thrive on the ability to have independence and allow natural instincts for things like sleeping, eating, cleaning, etc. to flourish.
Late Night Wake Ups
I hate being up and rocking especially in the middle of the night. I never have patience for that so having a space I can lay down on means I can easily snuggle him to sleep like we have been.
Transfers
Laying him down is a million times easier than the long drop of the crib. With a bed I can easily lay down on, I can roll him off of me and onto the bed with so much ease I barely have trouble with him waking up. Not to mention if he is struggling to stay asleep from the transfer, I’m not bent over at an awkward angle with the edge of the crib digging into me and my arms falling asleep trying to comfort him back to sleep or picking him back up and having to awkwardly transfer again.
In summary
Ultimately, you need to do what feels right for you and your baby and your family as a whole. He gets more sleep and I get more sleep than when we were trying to use the bassinet and the crib.
If you are trying to figure out what you should do, then ask yourself what is the reason behind what you are doing currently. Is it because you feel like it is the best thing for all involved or is it because that’s how others do it and have told you it needs to be done? Maybe it is how you did it with a previous child or you are getting pressure from family or friends.
Block out the noise and figure out what it is that you want and what is important to you and the wellbeing of your baby. If it is safe, and doable and you want to, then go that route. If a crib makes you feel better then go for a crib. If you despise cribs then try out a floor bed.
You got this momma. I’m rooting for you <3