advice on moses basket/crib?

[chantelle]

I'm expecting my second child and wonder what people's thoughts are on moses basket vs. crib/cradle for the first six months. We had a rocking cradle with my son, which we already sold on. We liked it next to the bed, but it meant he didn't really have anywhere particular to sleep or be put down when we were downstairs, so he'd end up just on a large cushion on the sofa. Of course, I don't really recall him EVER actually sleeping in the day, but one can hope this baby will have the odd snooze.

Moses baskets seem to draw such mixed views but I do like the portability angle. Any thoughts or alternatives? We won't have any sort of pram carry cot, being MacLaren from birth types.

The idea is baby will go into a normal cot in her own room at 6 months, but the cot is too big for our bedroom in the meantime. Hubby has already rejected permanent travel cot type set-ups with bassinet and changing area. (that I actually like).

thanks!

[Pickle]

I found that neither of my children slept well at night in the moses basket, but to have one downstairs during the day for short naps/a safe place to put them down was very useful.

Admittedly I've never been one for keeping them in with me for 6 months, so they've been in their big cots from quite an early age for nighttime, I'm sure others will advise on good options for in your room.

[chantelle]

oops - meant to put this in discussion. Thanks Pickle. I don't know if we'll make it to 6 months this time either - out of courtesy to our neighbours, whose room adjoins our own, if nothing else!

[Lochie]

We also liked rocking crib in our room. We used to have a moses basket and put it in the crib so that baby had the same snuggly bed set up for day i.e. moses in the living room for portability, as for night (moses in crib next to double bed so could rock to sleep). Worked quite well for us and will be repeating for baby 2.

[chantelle]

so double the equipment to get, great! ;)

[Saffron]

Have you thought about getting a baby hammock? I had an Amby Nest hammock for my daughter. It was very light, easily portable. They are expensive new, but you can find used ones in very good condition. Or if you buy new, the resale value is fairly good. xx

[chantelle]

thanks Saffron. I was really keen on these before having my son, but a good friend didn't have a great experience with hers so I kind of dismissed it. (her first didn't sleep well in it, and her second was a real tummy sleeper, which didn't work at all.)

Does anyone have any ideas on where to put a baby to rest/hang out/sleep during the day in the downstairs of a house, if the crib or whatever is upstairs? As I said, we don't/won't have any sort of carry cot or appropriate pram. I just wonder what others have done. Bearing in mind there will frequently be two 3.5 year old boys in the house (my son and his nanny share mate) on a regular basis who are known to peal around and knock into things.

maybe i do need both a moses basket and a crib!

[snowboarder]

I have just shifted my 7m old out of my room into his big cot - until now he's been next to me in his 'bednest' which has been fab - large crib which can fix to the side of your bed and have one side down. So easy for night feeds etc - I literally have never had to get up/out of bed. I really have never particularly been into co-sleeping but this has been great.

We had an old moses basket for downstairs sleeping, and also a bouncy chair which laid flat and a swing in the kitchen. I actually found with baby 2 having something to put them in in every room was fab - swing/bouncy chair etc - because you do just have to dump them down sometimes and also want them near you - I could not leave the baby in the moses basket with toddler and feel comfortable going into the kitchen to do lunch etc.

[hellosailor]

Chantelle there are 2 moses basket in the charity shop by the Palmerston at the moment by the way, (just had a brain blip about what it is - st.christopher's hospice I think)

Snowboarder, we've just moved our 7 month old out of the bednest - agree, the best thing ever! Wish she could have stayed in it longer really, but she's finally got too big.

She absolutely refused to take a single nap, let alone sleep at night, in a moses basket (quite unusual I think! sure I've never heard anyone else say this? she had every single nap on me for the first 10 weeks...high maintenance at the time but rather lovely looking back...)

But I did find that keeping the moses basket in the kitchen and then just taking her wherever I went in it was the easiest thing, including having her in it in the bathroom while I had a shower or bath etc. Couldn't have done without it on that front.