Lyla sleeps in a bassinet by our bed, which is fine, but I don't want her there when she's 12. She won't fit. So if she's not staying there forever, then when is the time to move her? We have this beautiful crib in the nursery, right across the hall, and its only purpose so far is for storing stuffed animals.
Mothers seem to have differing views on where babies should sleep. One friend told me her first-born slept on her chest for the first six months. Another friend's baby, nearly one now, sleeps in the bed. They've put the bed frame in storage and leave the mattress on the floor just in case the little guy should fall off. Yet another friend's child sleeps outside in a tree, perched upside-down like a bat. Okay, that last one's a lie. Point is, the experts don't matter; parents do what works for them.
So what will work for us? Well, Lyla has the unfortunate combination of an oral fixation and oral klutziness; that is, she wants a binky at bedtime, but then the damn thing falls out of her mouth. When she cries, Julie rolls over and shoves it back in her mouth, and she's happy until it falls out again. If we moved Lyla to the big-girl crib, then we might have to tie the binky around her head. The experts say that strings and ropes in the vicinity of the neck are a no-no, and I'm inclined to agree with them on that one.
But where does that leave us? Must Julie be on binky-patrol forever? I can picture Lyla as a teenager: "Mom, my gum fell out of my mouth again. WAAAAAH!"
Perhaps I am expecting too much out of my six-week-old. As a teacher, perhaps I am too inclined to want to teach binky self-reliance rather than wait for nature to do the same thing. I still wonder what would happen if tonight was the big move to the crib. Would Lyla feel rejected? Would it cause her to need a binky forever? I shudder at the thought. Yikes. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to go find a lollipop or something.
*Update*
Look who I just found upstairs in the bed, napping next to her mother. The binky has fallen out of her mouth, but she's perfectly content. This is trouble.
1 comment:
We tried Anja in the bassinet in our room the first night home. It didn't even last 2 hours, she was such a loud sleeper! So she's been in her crib since then. She's also a paci lover, so I know what you're worried about. At some point, she'll be able to put it in her mouth on her own - so there's that to look forward to!
Really my reason for commenting is that the picture is too damn cute. I'm sorry we didn't get to see that cuteness today. : (
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