One of the biggest things we still need to figure out before baby comes is sleeping arrangements. Simple question – complex calculations. We were given a free crib a while ago, but it didn’t seem appealing – and wouldn’t fit in our bedroom. Some of the considerations we’re going through include:
1) Our sleeping preferences. A queen-size bed already feels a bit too small. We’ve talked about a king-size – but do we do that before the baby comes?
2) Toxicity of mattresses. New mattresses with fire-retardant chemicals are highly toxic, and we don’t want that in our bedroom, much less near baby. But non-toxic mattresses are, annoyingly, much more expensive. Or we can buy second-hand, which is a possibility.
3) Proximity of baby. We want baby close. I want to be able to breastfeed in bed at night and not get up except to change diapers. That means baby is either in bed with us (so a queen-size becomes even smaller) or directly beside us in a sidebed.
4) Baby safety. We are both comfortable with co-sleeping from the safety perspective (particularly as it reduces the risk of SIDS) but our bed as it is feels like a disaster-zone by morning, with blankets all over the place. Not good for baby. Does this mean a king-size bed? Better blanket control/fewer pillows? A side-bed? Mattress on the floor?
5) Personalization vs. simplicity. M wants to build something for baby, and a bed sounds like a great thing to build. On the other hand, a friend is selling a side bed for $60 – $60 and our problems could be solved, like that.
So the debate continues. I hope we can settle on something soon – it would be psychologically helpful to take that big piece out of my to do list.