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View Full Version : Soooo... DS likes a soft bed, what now?



Radosti
01-20-2007, 10:27 PM
DS co-sleeps with us and he falls asleep fine at night. During the day (on weekends) naptime is a complete nightmare. He'll get himself exhausted and still refuse to go down. So far, we've been falling back on the swing. But... he's been over the weight limit for a long time now and yesterday, the swing started making creaking noises. The kiddo is 28.5 lbs and maybe closer to 29 now, so obviously over the limit by a bunch.

We have a brand new mattress and it was $2,000 (just for the mattress, not boxspring) when we got it 6 months ago. Our other kingsdown mattress was terrible after 4 years and sleepy's replaced it, but we had to add $600 to upgrade to this one. I love it, but it's on the firmer side. Much firmer than their little computer told both DH and I that we needed. Still, no complaints from me, DH sometimes would have preferred a softer mattress.

Anyway, my dad has major back pain problems and for his birthday I bought him a Serta 4 pound 3 inch memory foam mattress pad with a down pad cover. He loves it and we actually ended up getting the exact same thing for my uncle (same problems with his back) for his birthday and he loves it as well. For one reason or another, I never needed to put DS down for a nap at my parents' house since I bought them the pad.

Well, today DS needed a nap, so I took him up to my parents' bedroom and put him down on their bed (I stayed with him so he would not roll off). I honestly didn't expect him to agree to a nap. Well, he acted like the mattress was pulling him into it's softness and he got sleepy very quickly. He fell asleep very easily and slept for an hour and 10 minutes. His normal sleep cycle is 40-45 minutes during the day and he never sleeps more than that for a nap, whether he's in the swing or in the daycare crib. He used to sleep for 2-3 hours in the swing, but it's getting tight these days.

Not only did he sleep a while, but he also didn't thrash around like he normally does. In our bed he rolls all around, flips over (so his head ends up where his feet started out), rolls into me and starts crying and kicking. Nope, none of that. On that bed, he stayed comfy on his tummy for the first 40 minutes, then he sat up a bit and I thought he was getting up, but he just rolled to his side and went back to sleep for another 30 minutes in that position. He woke up in a great mood (none of the crankiness we experience every morning in our bed) and was a complete peach for the rest of the visit.

So, what do I do??? Do I spend another $150 for the darn mattress pad for our bed? Do I try to find a smaller one and put it on top of his mattress in his crib, cover with his mattress pad and put a fleece sheet over it? Maybe, *GASP*, just Maybe he would then agree to sleep in his crib? Right now he downright refuses to lie down on the hard crib mattress.

Don't know if I should buy a pad for our super-expensive mattress(it feels like a complete waste of an expensive bed), or if I should buy him his own big boy bed and buy a memory foam mattress for it? Seems early to buy him his own bed.

Oh, I am so confused and I just need a bed that he will sleep on all night without waking up and screaming and kicking me in the process.

heidiann
01-20-2007, 10:39 PM
Well from a co-sleeping mamma ( purely b/c this child wouldn't sleep in a crib and I needed sleep) I would spend the money to get a mattress pad, so you get a few good nights of rest. I have a violent sleeper, and she screams out in the middle of the night for no good reason so i'd probabaly do just about anything LOL...
I guess I have no real advice for you though, sorry. Jillian is 15 months old and i'm seriously considering putting her in her own bed. Just not sure how thats going to work.

Radosti
01-20-2007, 10:47 PM
Are our DC's related? Let me know if you need the same pad, I'll show you where I ordered the other ones. I sold the darn Arm's Reach Mini-Cosleeper for $100 on Craigslist, figured if the next baby is supposed to be bigger, we won't get any use out of it at all. This one was 9 lbs 12 ounces and 2 weeks early. Needless to say I should have gone with the regular size co-sleeper. So, that money is available to spend. Bah, you are probably right, I should get the pad. My only fear is that it was a fluke and he'll hate the new pad and I'll be shooting myself in the foot.

Marisa6826
01-20-2007, 10:58 PM
Could you borrow your parent's or your uncle's for a couple days to try it on your bed first?

-m

MommyAllison
01-20-2007, 11:24 PM
That's what I was going to suggest, too.

FWIW, we also co-slept out of necessity (our cat has spent much more time in DD's crib than she ever will). A couple of weeks after DD's first birthday, we moved her to a mattress on the floor next to our bed. It has worked out wonderfully for us. I can go down to her bed to nurse her to sleep (and throughout the night, when she wakes - usually twice) and when she falls asleep, I get back into our bed. So I don't think it is necessarily too early to try your DS in his own bed - if you put a mattress on the floor in your room (or a very well babyproofed room, I guess) it can work out ok. Hope you find a solution!

Allison

Mama to DD 11/05

Radosti
01-20-2007, 11:27 PM
I asked DH if he wants the same topper and he readily said yes (I think he wants a softer bed too). So, I went ahead and ordered it. When it comes to buying DS his own bed, and he does well with this one, I might just get him a memory foam mattress.

Radosti
01-20-2007, 11:29 PM
Well, my parents had guests over for a few days over new years (two couples. One couple used the guest bed and another couple got to sleep on an inflatable bed. So, to make the inflatable bed more comfortable, my parents put their mattress pad on it for the guests. My dad still hasn't stopped complaining about how much NOT sleeping on his mattress pad for a few days hurt his back. So, I probably shouldn't ask either my dad or my uncle for their pads to borrow. They might fall apart on me (dad and uncle, not the mattress pads).

gina
01-21-2007, 11:08 AM
I am glad to hear I am not the only one who cosleeps out of necessity. You do what you have to do to get the best sleep.

I think you did the right thing ordering it. I noticed when DD was about 4 mo that she slept much better in our bed. Who can blame her? I wouldn't want to sleep on her mattress either.


Gina E
DD 11 mo.

dules
01-21-2007, 11:15 AM
What about putting the $19.99 IKEA sheepskin under part of your sheet on the mattress where he usually sleeps? If he likes it, stick it under his crib sheet, ya never know.... ;)


Mary

P.S. I don't know if I'd spring for memory foam for a kid who's going to have accidents - I'd guess those could be hard to clean/air out/disinfect, and I'm not sure if you can use plastic/waterproof pads on them w/o losing the effect.