Sleep is probably the best bit about parenthood. Not my own, although that is never to be underrated. I mean the moment your little darling surrenders to the arms of Morpheus… and all the moments they stay there.
It doesn’t matter how horrible and trying they’ve been during the waking hours, the time they let their lashes settle on their soft cheeks all is forgiven.
And the same applies even when they’re almost a head taller than me and need to be nagged about having a shave almost as often as they need reminding to tidy their toys. In fact, that’s about the only time they let you get close enough to have a good look at them.
Moses baskets
I didn’t actually bother with a Moses basket for Boys One and Two. Perhaps they just weren’t much of a thing in those days… Boy Three got one though – a lovely affair with a lining of white and blue gingham. There were a few blissful few weeks when he snoozed in it. In truth, the weeks weren’t blissful but the snoozing spells between the colicky bouts were blissful. He outgrew it in weeks.
Carry cot
When Boy One was born in the Canaries, I had a feeling it wouldn’t be long before we were back in Blighty so there wasn’t much point in acquiring kit. He spent his first couple of months happily sleeping in a carrycot or in bed with me. He was so small he barely took up any space at all.
Real cot
Essentially a cage without a lid. Not, of course, that this is a bad thing, there were three sad days as each Boy demonstrated by means of escapology that it was time to move on to the next step. My advice to any parent is try to let this stage last as long as you possibly can. Big Boy/Girl Beds might be cute for a while, but this will wear thin at 3am.
Short bed
We had one of these for Boy One, but, unless space is an issue, I’d say don’t bother. It doesn’t make a jot of difference to the child whether his feet are near the bottom of the bed or miles away. And if space is an issue, you’d probably better start house hunting now.
Bunk beds and high sleepers
We’ve had both. And there are various other forms of adventure bed on the market – ones shaped like cars or with slides and tents attached. Choose wisely. What seems like the best thing ever at first can quickly turn into last week’s fad and see your darling demanding something different as soon as the shine has gone off. The other problem, especially with cheaper metal-framed beds is they squeak and wobble not matter how often you tighten the screws. The taller or more complex they are, the worse this problem.
Proper beds
When finally they decide they want a bed that’s just a bed, that’s comfy and bed-like. Boy Two has recently arrived at this point and decided it was time to say bye to the high sleeper and hello to the divan.