Sleeping with your baby on a mattress on the floor

[CDL]

Sometimes my baby gets restless and she tosses and turns instead of sleeps. As both my husb and I are light sleepers, I usually take her into another room and try to sleep with her on a mattress laid out on the floor.

To prevent her from moving away from me (and crawling about when I sleep), I usually "secure" her by placing my arm over her. When she was younger, she would fall asleep - and sleep very well, even though she can barely move. Now that she's 8 mths old, she hates being restrained. So both of us barely get to sleep.

As we have space contraints, we can't get another bed with rails. So using a spare mattress on the floor works for us - but does anyone have any ideas on how I can prevent her from crawling around while I'm sleeping (remember the case of the drunk teenage mother who didn't realise that her baby had crawled from their bed to the bathroom and drowned in a pail of water). Would a guard rail/gate around the mattress help? - how secure are such rails/gates especially if they are to be dismantled and kept away with the mattress in the mornings?

 

[stonston]

Your worry is her crawling out of the room or crawling out of the bed?

If you do not mind her crawling around the room (keep all dangerous objects away), then you can get a baby gate to ensure she does not crawl out of the room & into the bathroom.

 

[Ting]

i agree with stonston.
or, why dun u just close the door??
in the room, just make sure all dangerous objects r out of reach, n dun have any stools or items which she can climb on.
perhaps u can place some toys arnd the mattress and she can play til she slp?
or just put a baby gate at the kitchen, which is what i do since pin was few mths old til now.


question here, how come u dun make your girl slp alr then u and your hubby slp???

 

[CanCanMum]

Sometimes my baby gets restless and she tosses and turns instead of sleeps. As both my husb and I are light sleepers, I usually take her into another room and try to sleep with her on a mattress laid out on the floor.

To prevent her from moving away from me (and crawling about when I sleep), I usually "secure" her by placing my arm over her. When she was younger, she would fall asleep - and sleep very well, even though she can barely move. Now that she's 8 mths old, she hates being restrained. So both of us barely get to sleep.

As we have space contraints, we can't get another bed with rails. So using a spare mattress on the floor works for us - but does anyone have any ideas on how I can prevent her from crawling around while I'm sleeping (remember the case of the drunk teenage mother who didn't realise that her baby had crawled from their bed to the bathroom and drowned in a pail of water). Would a guard rail/gate around the mattress help? - how secure are such rails/gates especially if they are to be dismantled and kept away with the mattress in the mornings?

is your room fulla furnitures?

i am afraid crawling cannot be constrained but u can lock up the danger areas and prevent any loose or dangling wires around that will pose danger threats, as well as cover up all socket outlets not in use.

for instance install a latch to latch your bedroom door from inside such tat she canx crawl outta the room to explore other places (u never noe she may reach for the door knob especially those lever ones and accidentally "turned" it opened)

latch up the bathroom door (if ur room has an attached bath) as well, and neber leave any pails full of water in the bathrooms

Use a WC cover lock as well. Last time i use to worry baber will put his head into the WC lols~~~~

If u have cabinet doors, buy those safety first products to lock them. So that if baby crawls around and tries to "open" or pull them it will not be.

ya crawling and explorer stage is a headache~~~ we once woke up to find baber not by our side coz he crawled into the master bath and was playing with the floor trap cover lols~~~silly kiddo

 

[CDL]

Thank you for your suggestions. Here are my responses -

Stonston - "Your worry is her crawling out of the room or crawling out of the bed?"
Both actually. We are sleeping in the computer room. So lots of wires on the floor. Room also has an attached bathroom, with sliding door that she can easily move to open. Was thinking of putting a rail around the mattress?

Ting - "how come you dont make your girl sleep already then you and your hubby sleep???"
She sleeps earlier than we do but gets up when we turn on the light or talk a little too loudly. She'll be excited to see us and want to play, so hard to get her back to sleep. She'll toss and turn or keep kicking. At least when I take her into the next room, husb can get some sleep - since he's bringing home the bacon after all!

CanCanMum - "latch up the bathroom door"
Yes that's a good idea.

CanCanMum - "prevent any loose or dangling wires around that will pose danger threats"
Harder to do in a computer room - so many gadgets, but will give this a try

Besides some your ideas, I am thinking of getting 2 more playyard panels and putting all 6 panels around the mattress. It might work. Thanks again.

 

[stonston]

In your case, you can try Haenim play yard. 6 panels is just nice for single size mattress, but if adult & child sleep together inside, might be abit squeezy.

 

[CanCanMum]

CDL babe~~~

u can try those tubes wires organizers selling in ikea....coz computer wires so many difficult to organize oso

 

[Ting]

how abt ask hubby to slp in the computer room instead??

 

[CDL]

Problem solved - at least in part. Decided to get another 4 panels of the play yard. Now have a mega 8 panels of play yard. Last night, I moved a foldable mattress there and both baby and I were there all night.

Though neither of us slept a wink, I was at least assured that she was safe. We didn;t sleep as it was a new environment for us, which can be remedied over time.

Ting - yes husb can sleep in computer room but he has a more peaceful sleep when he sleeps in the bed in our room. As the quantity of his sleep has been affected by our baby, the least he should have is the best quality of sleep.

 

[Ting]

tts good. ever considered a play pen??
cos its foldable. only need to open up at night for your child to slp in it, day time can keep it.

 

[prettymamas]

But my daughter likes big big space to turn .. In the middle of the nite if she turn till the end of the cot, she will call for help leh.. how to let them know ur big is this size and u only have this much space to turn huh? She can roll from 1 end mattress to another end de lo..

 

[Ting]

well, if u r consistent in putting her in a confined area, like a playpen/cot, then she will get used to it.
if not, how much space u give also no use, cos she will just keep turning n turning n turning.
another thing is, u n your hubby need to get used to your baby's slping pattern, just ignore her turns n slp.
my mum is also a light slper, n pin is a horrible slper, n keep turnin here n there, but my mum alr used to it, so she just slp....

 

[Pei Qing]

well, if you are consistent in putting her in a confined area, like a playpen/cot, then she will get used to it.
if not, how much space you give also no use, cos she will just keep turning and turning and turning.
another thing is, you and your hubby need to get used to your baby's sleeping pattern, just ignore her turns and sleep.
my mum is also a light slper, and pin is a horrible slper, and keep turnin here and there, but my mum already used to it, so she just sleep....

I would have to agree. =)