Keep it in the closet

I've been trying for weeks to get Margot out of our bed.

I had the whole "well, I'll probably never have a baby sleeping next to me ever again *sniff*" nostalgia for about a New York minute, and then I wanted our bed and my boob back.

But since the extra-slash-guest room is on the first floor, kicking Margot out of the bed meant doing a complicated shuffle that would land Drew in Quinlan's room.

And the prospect of giving him the ability to freely roam a room which would no doubt steal his nap along with my sanity scared the living shit out of me.

So, the only other option was to put Margot in our closet.

When my husband first suggested it, the idea of putting her in the closet sounded completely absurd. We have a fairly large house and so it seemed sort of wrong that we couldn't find a room for her.

But after a solid week of her sleeping while attached to my boob for the entire night, I decided that to the closet she must go. So I hooked up the rain machine, I dragged the playpen smack dab in the middle of my closet, and sprawled out on my bed while watching television for the first time since before I had her.

Freedom. Sweet sweet freedom.

Except that I quickly remembered that when she cried, I'd actually have to do more than pop open my bra; I'd have to get out of bed, pick her up, and lean standing up against my shelves while she nursed.

Perhaps if I had a closet like Carrie in the Sex and the City movie I could move my glider in there, or hell, even a kitchen chair, but alas, I was stuck rocking her back and forth between my husband's flight suits and his shoe hanger.

The first night I did that four freaking times.

On the plus side, closets are dark - so no aluminum foil windows or weird vinyl window coverings that drive slightly OCD husbands completely insane trying to apply. And with the bathroom between us, as well as a couple of doors that we can close, we're able to let her whine it out on those instances when she doesn't necessarily need to eat. Of course, I've yet to determine which ones those might be exactly.

So ironically, I'm not sure I'm getting any more rest than I was with her in the bed. Well, yet at least.

And instead of doing the co-sleeping "talk of shame," I get to tell everyone that my daughter is sleeping in my closet.

Comments

[The Muskrat]

Our youngest spent over a year living in our closet. I even took pictures! http://fathermuskrat.com/2010/07/05/real-estate-fail/

[Rusti]

E will be 5 1/2 months old tomorrow, and she's still sleeping with me/us (hubs doesn't get home from work and into bed until ~4am and we're up @ 6:30am) but she's starting to roll over, and I know that we'll need to get her out of our bed at some point... her pack & play is next to the bed, but she won't sleep in it... I don't think it will fit in the closet, but I think I'm going to check that out (the nursery is on the ground floor and our bedroom is the second floor/attic)... you're brilliant... I wish you had room for a glider though :)

[Sarah @ BecomingSarah.com]

*hugs* I hope it gets better and she wakes up a little less frequently. The shelf-lean thing doesn't sound comfortable =(

Anyway, there's no problem with the closet. My dad and Donald are building the baby's crib to attach, like a co-sleeper, to our bed. But they are WAY behind and won't finish until WAY after the baby is born. Our solution for the first stretch?

Dresser drawer. Heh.

That's just as bad as the closet.

[Bitchy Mom]

Man I wish I had a closet big enough for that! lol

My 2 year old is still sleeping with us...........

*cue violin*

Thankfully, I weaned her completely about 4 weeks ago and I FINALLY have my boobs back!!! Well... what's left of them anyway.

[Christina]

Hey, she's the third child. She should count herself lucky to even have the closet.

And considering Mira is now waking with the sun each day, despite light-blocking curtains, I'm thinking the closet might not be a bad place to move her crib.

[amanda]

Fin is in her own bed, but she is up and declaratively parched by midnight. I can't seem to stop the nights because she is too distracted during the day and the finality of ending it is more than I am can handle right now.

[Coma Girl]

That's ok. My three-year old is still bathing in one of those small inflatable tubs.

Because we only have a shower stall in our master bath, it's either that or bathing in the tub in her three teenage step-brother's bathroom (which is one hairball away from being condemned).

[Jackie]

My youngest son also slept in the closet from five months old until about ten months. I did not want to disturb the sleeping arragements of my other kids - and this worked!!! We laugh about it all the time!

[Mom101]

I may seriously try that. Hell, most NYC apartments are windowless closets to begin with. What's the difference, really?

[Heather]

Wow. I wish I had a closet that big!

[Julie @ The Mom Slant]

She'll be well prepared for dorm life.

[Caroline]

Our baby girl slept in a pack n' play bassinet in the closet for the first four months of her life (with a string of Christmas lights as her "nightlight," no less) My friends thought we were nuts, but it was much better than having to run down a flight of stairs to the second floor nursery every time she woke up (co-sleeping wasn't an option). I defended it by reminding them it was a walk-in closet with plenty of space... as if that made it better.... :)

[Melanie]

Hey, my son is three and a half, and sleeping in what is essentially a glorified closet. Other options? Move to a place with a second bedroom, share my bedroom with him, or I sleep in the 'closet'. Which I've considered. It's kinda cute.

[Bella]

Now why, WHY didn't *I* think of that?!

And with my sample size of 2 kids: yeah, the move to those stupid toddler beds robbed me of the only sane island of time (naptime) in my whole day. You're right to be very, very afraid.

Hope you get more sleep very soon -- by whatever means necessary.

[Adventures In Babywearing]

If I had a big enough closet I might consider it. I've got a baby attached to my bewbs in bed this very moment. Sigh.

Steph

[Shannon Moore]

I don't think it's weird. At least it's a nice dark space :)My cousin slept in a drawer when he was a baby. For some reason, I felt that is strange!

[CatJ]

We did the same thing with my son. Only in the master bath instead of the closet (couldn't fit the pack-n-play in the closet or it would have been there). It worked out really well until he could stand up and would shake the pack-n-play so hard I thought he would tump (shut up, it is too a word) it over. Then he was moved to the real crib in our bedroom and at 14 months was moved into the other bedroom with my daughter. Now (2 months later) he still wakes up at least once a night but it only takes 5 minutes to get him back down.

[Ruth]

We used to have a master bath at our old house(oh how I miss that!) Anyway, when my youngest son was still in his bassinet he used to whine in his sleep and keep me up all night, so I turned on the fan in the bathroom and pushed him in :) My MIL thought I was crazy!!

[Erica cain]

My son is 2 and sleeps on cushions on the floor next to our bed. I say whatever gets you through the night...

[Susan Getgood]

Just think of all the fun you'll have telling people she's out of the closet. :-)

[Angela]

It's OK. Just start saving for the therapy bills now. That way when she's a teenager, pulling out the "you didn't love me, you stuck me in a closet, I didn't get a beautifully appointed nursery, and did I mention that you didn't love me?" card, you'll have some savings!

;)

[Boston Mamas]

Hell, at one point *I've* slept in the closet (complicated).

Ultimately you do the best you can do and improv where needed - yes, she's sleeping in the closet, but you are kinda too (though standing up). :-) -christine

[Emily]

I had to give that talk of shame five years ago when I had my first son. We lived in a brownstone style condo and the other bedrooms were a level below ours. Being a firt time parinoid mother, that was not acceptable. I had a huge walk in closet. I easily fit the crib, changing table, small table and a lamp in there. We also had a window in our closet. (I know, sort of werid). Carson slept in there for three years. He only ever got a real bedroom when we moved into our new home. I lost a closet for three years but the comfort of having him hear far out weighed that. Good luck. There is no shame. You will laugh about this in a few years!

[Erin]

When I was a kid my friends down the street had a house with a generous walk in closet in the master bedroom. My friend Timmy slept in the closet (clothes racks removed and done up like a room) until he was at least 10. I didn't think it was weird to walk through his parents' bedroom to get to his room.

It wasn't until a lot later, when I was grown up and ran into Timmy again as an adult that is struck me that Timmy slept in a closet for most of his childhood. I guess it is all just what you are used to.

[Amy Jo]

We did this with Lucy while we were still in Atlanta, and on vacation and while staying at other peoples' houses. Our own closets aren't quite as generous, but it's a great compromise!

[Michelle]

No problem with that. We had our son sleeping in the dining room (waaay down the other end of the house) for three nights, breaking him out of the habit of needing to be held all night. (With my F-I-L dying two days after our son was born, there was a lot of stress going around.) It wasn't easy listening to him scream for three hours, but was a lot better (in the end) than having to hold him and have him start screaming when I even 'thought' about leaning forward and putting him down.

Don't feel bad about the closet. Just don't let her play on it when she's older. "When I was a baby I had to sleep in the closet!" I can just hear the converstation starter/stopper now... :)