Co-Sleeping Families: Where do babies nap?

[lmh425]

My husband and I are planning on co-sleeping with our daughter (due this summer). We are doing everything we can to make our bed a safe place for her while we are in it, but I have not found good information about how to handle naps. I am thinking of buying the Amby Motion Bed (a portable hammock) so that she can take a nap in the main room of our apartment, but I am curious to know what others have done. Those of you who co-sleep/have a family bed, where does your baby take his/her naps?

New mom-to-be

[C99]

My baby didn't nap reliably until he was over a year old. But if he did take a nap, it was in our bed. I often took naps with him as it was the only way to get him to go and stay asleep.

[angusmom]

Maybe you could get a Moses Basket. Target.com has some that arent that expensive and you could use it up to 15-20 lbs (up until the infant can push up or roll over).

Or maybe a pack n play is what you need. Or bouncy seat, or swing, or stroller. The baby could probably sleep in any of those.

We also hope to co-sleep and I hadnt thought of this issue until you mentioned it!

[smilla653]

Someone on another board posted this warning about the Amby Baby Hammock:
http://www.ovusoft.com/forum/tm.asp?...42&p=1&tmode=1

My baby hasn't arrived yet, but I havea friend with a 10-week-old who co-sleeps, and she pretty much naps everywhere -- in a sling, on her Mom's lap, in her bouncy seat, in a crib (rarely!), in bed with Mom.

[elliput]

We have been using a travelcrib with bassinet feature set up in the living room.

[natividad]

My DS napped on our bed. In the beginning, I tried to get him to nap in the bassinet feature of the PNP, but he never cared much for it. I barricaded him with pillows and kept a close watch while he napped when I was not in bed with him.

Naty,
Mommy to Alexander
and baby #2 - EDD May 05

[lmh425]

For others who may be interested in the Amby option, check out "mrsmac"'s Apr. 6 post on the "Amby Baby Bed" thread. She emailed the company and was told that they are developing a solution to the metal shavings problem that will be made available in May.

[squimp]

We co-slept until DD was 9 months old - when she started crawling. We loved co-sleeping.

She napped in a basket on the coffee table or couch until about three months, when she outgrew the basket and started taking naps in our bed. We had a Dex rail on one side of our King bed, and pillows on the other, to ensure that she didn't fall.

At 9 months, we started transitioning her to the crib, since I was worried about her moving around and falling off.

[malie]

Our son came home from Korea at a little over 5 months so I'm not sure that you would want to use the same solution for a newborn. But basically he napped on a mat on the floor in the living room (and actually he did that until last month at 21 months when we moved him upstairs to nap) The only other placed he napped was in his fisher price rocking chair

[murpheyblue]

We co-sleep with DD at night. For the first three months, DD napped whereever she would sleep, primarily in a sling or bouncy chair. At about 3 months, we started putting her in her crib for naps. Once they're able to roll over and move around, I felt more comfortable with her napping in a crib. This gave whoever was home with her the flexibility to move around during her naps. Otherwise, if she was on a bed, someone has to be with her the whole time.