Ok, maybe it's not so melodramatic as all that, but we are now crib-free and I really never thought that would happen.
A couple months ago I read this post by The Gnome's Mom about how they had just gotten rid of the crib they never used. I thought it was great, for them, but I liked having somewhere to put Jaron when (if) he napped. And at that point we still used his Pack N' Play for occasional naps. Our real crib was and is currently Aedyn's toddler bed and Jaron had outgrown his cradle.The cradle had been a wonderful and necessary thing because of Aedyn. Aedyn is a thrasher, when Jaron arrived Aedyn started wanting to co-sleep again and of course we let him. I was too nervous to allow Jaron to sleep on the outside side of me and too worried about what Aedyn would do in his sleep for Jaron to sleep on the inside side. Aedyn sleeping on the outside of Jake was never an option, he just wouldn't do it.
For the first few months it worked great with Jaron sleeping in the cradle right next to the bed. I'd bring him into the big bed to nurse and then move him back. Then, around 5 months he began to wake up every 45 minutes or so all night long. After trying just about everything I brought him in bed with us pretty much full time. The waking didn't stop, but it was much less disruptive to just pull up my tank top instead of having to get up and down with him.
We finally figured out that he was reverse cycling because he wasn't nursing enough during the day. While some would see it as early self-weaning, I knew better. I've tried to alter things during the day to help him focus and nurse longer, but in the end, if he needs to nurse all night long, it is what it is.
Aedyn has mostly started sleeping in his bed again, but even if he doesn't, the two of them wallow like little puppies until they're both comfortable and settle back into sleep. Just think of what they'd be missing if Jaron were in a crib!
I still used the PNP for naps for awhile because Jaron needed to be in a separate room to nap and I didn't want him crawling off the edge of the bed if I couldn't get to him the instant he woke up. Then about a month ago, (9 mo old) he learned how to get off the bed on his own. And then he started trying to climb out of the PNP...never succeeded, but was making enough progress for me to realize that it wasn't going to last long.
Still, I wasn't quite ready to give it up. It sat there, filling up with clothes and toys that occasionally I'd clean out. Aedyn would climb in and play in it, but the PNP was never used for sleeping.
Fast forward to 2 weeks ago. I was heading to Tennessee to visit family. I was on the fence about taking the PNP with us since it had already been decided that the boys and I would share a bed. But in the end, my be-prepared OCD kicked in and it made the journey. Then it made the journey back. Now it sits...ummm, somewhere in our house...can't remember where I stashed the thing when we unloaded the car.
Obviously we haven't missed it.
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We too co-sleep. Elijah, since a baby has always needed to rub my arm or a brother's head in order to go to sleeep and since I never found a replacement for that sensation for him, he stayed in our bed. I tried stuffed animals and nothing worked. When Cole came, I felt it was too dangerous to be in the bed with Elijah too, so he used the bassinet then PNP until he learned to climb out and then joined us. The same has now happened with Levi and he is currently in the PNP. We have a very expensive crib that through 3 kids has seen very little use and 2 toddler beds. I have intentions of getting them in their own beds, but I tend to do what works more comfortably for us. The bed is getting a little crowded now, but thank goodness it's a king size.
ReplyDeleteWe'll have to get a king before the next one comes along! Wish I'd thought to sell the crib before the new regulations came out! I think we'll have beds available when we move, but I doubt they'll see any use for awhile either :)
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