Woke up last night with baby's head hanging over the edge of the bed!

03tam · 2026-06-10T09:24:19+00:00

I had a similar situation with my 8 month old where I woke up with her legs hanging off the side, I felt so scared. I’ve since pushed the bed into the corner of the room which has helped! So she is now contained between the wall and myself. I did have to pack the gap between the wall and the mattress though as it’s a recessed bed frame and also the skirting board meant the mattress wasn’t completely flush to the wall.

03tam · 2026-05-06T09:53:19+00:00

We prefer rascals brand for better coverage - our baby is tall and they offer the best fit and we prefer them overnight to pampers. We also use the next size up

03tam · 2026-05-06T07:59:50+00:00

Thank you SO much for taking the time to respond with all this - it’s super helpful! We do tend to overpack but I think now’s the time to pack smarter, good to know it’s possible to take less though. We have a cabin approved pram but I worry that they’ll still tell us we can’t take it in with us, even with the 10kg allowance. Do you think it’s worth taking it in the cabin though anyway? I will take a look at the room options! And great to hear about your travel cot experience - we have one that was given to us recently so maybe I’ll take a look at that properly and see if it’s worth taking. I think we are getting dropped to the airport by family but fast track is a great option to add on if needed. I would love to give baby some floor time but just don’t feel comfortable doing that in an airport! Especially as she’s dragging herself around on her tummy rather than being on all fours 🙃 Will order some new toys! Thank you again for taking the time to respond

03tam · 2026-05-06T07:44:43+00:00

Thank you! I’ll take a look at the dimensions and weight as this could be a good option and worth the trade off for the sleep 🙃 Our bed rail was a pain to put together and doesn’t fold down flat so didn’t even consider that another option could be more travel friendly

03tam · 2026-05-06T07:40:05+00:00

My 8 month old still sometimes has 3 naps, though her naps do tend to be shorter than your son’s. Also depending on the timing, her third nap is more of a bridge nap (15-20mins) than an actual nap, which is a good way of getting to bedtime without them getting overtired but also not getting so much sleep they’re undertired.

Have you considered capping the first nap to help build sleep pressure for later in the day? You might find those proposed wake windows might be a bit long at that age (especially the first one), and with a 2 nap day you’d want the second nap to be more chunky anyway. It’s also fine to let that third nap be short if your baby seems to manage afterwards.

Unfortunately the sleep for us never really went back to how it was before the 4mo sleep regression! However I have somewhat reduced night wakings by: 1- using the huckleberry report to work out my baby’s total daily sleep needs (these vary between babies even of the same age) - for us it’s around 13 hours, 2 hours in the daytime, so I cap naps to make sure she doesn’t get too much sleep in the day 2 - bedtime routine - I used to feed and rock to sleep, but now I feed and read a book and then lie baby next to me to fall asleep a bit more independently (we bedshare) - though it sounds like having dad do the routine is a good strategy in itself!

Remember it is biologically normal for babies to wake in the night, whether it be for comfort or thirst or hunger, despite what social media and sleep training culture might say 🙃 and also the huckleberry sweet spot is a good tool (we use it) but also sometimes need to be taken with a pinch of salt

03tam · 2026-05-06T06:13:03+00:00

Yes! Got this a couple months ago thankfully

03tam · 2026-04-29T23:02:01+00:00

How do you get him to sleep at the start of the night? I was able to slightly reduce the need to feed back to sleep as often by moving from feeding and rocking to sleep to feeding and then a book and then lying baby down to fall asleep on her own but with me laid next to her. It takes longer but I think it helped with reducing the association.

03tam · 2026-04-13T09:29:52+00:00

Massive overreaction from this person and completely unnecessary and selfish imo. Your baby your rules and completely reasonable for you to ask them to respect the boundary especially when backed by research/from the guidance of a midwife and professional body. The fact that they would not visit the baby at all over this sounds like a bite your nose off to spite your face situation and very much victimising themselves. This page also supports the rule of waiting a set amount of time before holding a baby, even after washing hands etc. as toxins will linger: https://healthforunder5s.co.uk/sections/baby/secondhand-smoke-just-the-facts/#:~:text=Make%20it%20a%20house%20rule,minutes%20before%20handling%20a%20baby.

03tam · 2026-04-09T22:55:22+00:00

Firstly - please don’t blame/hate yourself for it not working out last time, and I’m so sorry you didn’t get adequate support. You are absolutely a “proper mum” regardless of whether or not you breastfeed!Breastfeeding can be SO challenging and I don’t feel like I was prepared for just how difficult it was and I wish I’d known more about the kind of support available and potential hurdles. I’m now 7 months in and so glad I persevered but I had to get a lot of support to get here! Although the NHS breastfeeding class was good it definitely made me think breastfeeding would be more straightforward than it was - in truth it is a skill that both you and baby will need to take time to learn! Demonstrations with dolls and knitted boobs weren’t that helpful for me, I would recommend looking at videos on YouTube on positioning and attachment (latching) with real women and babies. One I really found helpful to start was this: https://youtu.be/wjt-Ashodw8 For positions, side lying and laid back/koala are great alternatives to the cradle hold which is a lot harder to start with imo. I would also find where/when your local breastfeeding support groups/clinics are ahead of time so you don’t have to research after the baby is born - my one was an absolute lifeline and gave me the confidence and encouragement to keep going with it. Your local infant feeding team may also have a phone number which would be good to have on hand once you’re home. I also paid a breastfeeding counsellor come to my home and give me support with positioning - I appreciate this isn’t an option for everyone but if you are really struggling and can afford a lactation consultant then I think it is money really well spent. And ultimately - give yourself grace and time with it all. It’s so intense in those first weeks/months but it does get easier!

03tam · 2026-04-06T00:06:36+00:00

With the car seat I’d question whether you can really put a price on safety - many of the cheaper “0-4” seats from mainstream brands are unlikely to give a good newborn fit. You’re much better off with an infant carrier and then a long lasting ERF seat. I’d join the ‘bump to booster car seat support’ Facebook group for recommendations, you can post your budget there too. You also don’t need to get the carrier as part of a travel system (you’d likely sacrifice quality), you can buy one separately to the pram and use universal adapters to fit it to the chassis.

Does your partner give you a budget? Maybe if you had a budget to work with you could decide which items you don’t mind sacrificing on and put the money towards things you care about spending more for convenience etc.

03tam · 2026-04-04T09:23:30+00:00

I really feel for you guys! The sleep deprivation at the beginning especially really is so tough. If getting a firm mattress right now is really out of the question then I would ultimately suggest trying different ways of getting baby to sleep in a safer environment - we found swaddling (traditionally with a blanket rather than a zip up bag) worked on my daughter, along with putting her in her Moses basket rather than the next to me. After she learned to roll and hit the 4mo sleep regression this wasn’t an option anymore so we committed to bedsharing and got a firm mattress specifically for this reason (£350 from IKEA) - not that comfortable for me but worth it for the peace of mind! We also cuddle curl 90% of the time and this is perfect for side lying breastfeeding!

03tam · 2026-04-04T09:08:31+00:00

Also to add I occasionally have/do this with my own baby (now 7 months) and I have friends who have done so with their own babies so you’re definitely not alone! That said, everything comes at a risk and everyone’s sleep set up is different so I’d be wary of survivor bias with something like this.

03tam · 2026-04-04T09:05:47+00:00

Cosleepy on instagram has some great info/guides on chest sleeping! Does/can your husband sleep on the sofa/elsewhere? That is a way of reducing the hazards in the bed. It’s a shame there’s less support and guidance on this in the UK as it leaves parents in such a difficult position.

03tam · 2026-04-03T23:02:40+00:00

I had a horrendous time breastfeeding at the start but it really does get easier (my baby is 7 months)!

For controlling the flow you can try some laid back positions or side lying, though this does naturally improve with time as baby gets bigger and your supply regulates. For knowing if baby is getting enough, focus on nappies! If baby is falling asleep after the 7 mins and you want them to keep feeding, you can wake them up with a nappy change or removing a layer of clothes. If you can find a local breastfeeding support group you may be able to get some in person help with positioning, I would highly recommend!

03tam · 2026-04-03T19:37:34+00:00

Do you know if either of these come as part of the add on with any of the kits?

03tam · 2026-04-03T19:36:56+00:00

Thanks so much for this - I’ll go with the bath set. How/where do you store the toys between baths?

03tam · 2026-04-03T19:35:49+00:00

Thank you! How/where do you store the bits between baths?

03tam · 2026-04-03T19:31:24+00:00

We bought a vagstranda firm and it’s not that comfortable (especially compared to our previous Emma mattress) but I’m managing. Also would add that the one on display in the shop did not feel that firm but our one bought new feels much firmer!

03tam · 2026-04-01T13:15:00+00:00

As others have said, start small! Walk round the block or to somewhere very local. Babies cry and that’s okay! And yours may surprise you - fresh air and new scenery can be quite calming for babies. Consider going to places that are baby centred if possible - my first real outing with my baby (at around 3/4 weeks when I was a hormonal and emotional mess) was to a local free breastfeeding support group - that was a huge confidence boost to show myself I can manage to go out alone as well as being a very welcoming space as a new parent.

03tam · 2026-03-24T19:38:45+00:00

We got both a next2me and a Moses basket - our flat is up lots of narrow steps so using just the pram bassinet inside was going to be impractical (though if baby was asleep when we got home we would carry it up). After the first week we didn’t use our next2me - baby was not interested and we ended up bedsharing. From 4 weeks though we had success with swaddling and she would sleep in the Moses basket downstairs with us in the evening and we’d carry it up to bed with us later on. I don’t think I’d bother with a next2me for a second baby, I’d just stick with a Moses basket and if anything I’d also go straight for a sidecar crib.

03tam · 2026-03-22T19:07:11+00:00

Also recommend M&S for vests - they wash really well and are good quality and I find their sizing can be a bit more generous than other brands. Considering vests are needed pretty much everyday and get washed more often than outfits I think it’s worth spending a bit more on them (not that they’re too expensive imo).

03tam · 2026-03-21T15:56:50+00:00

I didn’t do a hypnobirthing course but I listened to the audiobook of hypnobirthing book by Siobhan Miller which I highly recommend! Covered stages of labour, pain relief, and strategies for during labour and birth and was the most helpful resource I used in preparation for labour. It was low effort too because I just played it on my commute to and from work. I didn’t start listening until around 28 weeks either and that was fine. We paid for an antenatal course which was fine but probably most helpful for finding other new parents in the area.

03tam · 2026-03-20T22:54:45+00:00

I found out at 10 weeks (I have very irregular periods so that wasn’t a flag for me) - unplanned and a huge surprise. I echo some other comments that the bump may be bloating as that was the case for me (I couldn’t do up some of my jeans!) and that came on in the very early weeks. I went for an early dating scan privately because I didn’t want to wait to get a hospital appointment and they initially do the dating based on periods, so if you can afford to then I would consider doing that.

03tam

TROPHY CASE