I have written up an extensive review of my son’s montessori inspired room and how the floor bed is going with my ten months old here: http://louiseallana.com/2011/08/26/roos-room-update/

I view the whole room as a safe space to the point where if he chooses to sleep on the floor, that’s ok by me. During the bedtime routine we put him on his bed and then he crawls off nearly every time… which is not a problem. He still goes to sleep. I figure one day he will choose to sleep in his comfy warm bed rather than on the floor. If that day is five years away, well, how much does it matter anyway?

“When she was learning to crawl, we would find her on all fours rocking back in forth in her sleep.” And then they wake themselves up of course. This is exactly what happened with my son! It was the point at which my mother expressed her (until then silent) concern that the floor bed was not a good idea. He also had a cold that had lingered for ten days that she was concerned was exacerbated by being on the floor. I told her I thought we would be having the same or different issues in a cot. Good to see others working through these issues here.

Just want to quick mention to Jill with the back pain (me too! after my 4th I finally did some physical therapy to strengthen my pelvic muscles – helped my back a lot) –

I once owned a crib where one of the sides handily lowered using a foot lever, allowing the baby to be easily placed/lifted into the crib. Then I just pulled the side (the front, really) back up and clicked it into place, keeping baby nice and safe. Sorry I don’t remember brands, but should be easy to search for. Good luck!

About the idea of fostering a youngster’s concentration (and NOT with a “plug in drug” as you say) is indeed undervalued in our society as of late. Although, maybe it’s not undervalued as much as over looked. I bet most any parent would like it if their kid showed signs of being able to focus for long periods of time on an activity (again, not the TV) but I bet most people consider concentration a personality trait and not a learned behavior. Not to be too judgmental – but I do honestly believe TV and too many toys hamper a child’s ability to really learn how to concentrate.

Sounds like you are a very supportive mom! Way to go.

And, funny about the dust…

I picked up on this link while reading some information my youngest of five daughters sent me on the subject of floor beds. We were discussing the possibility of starting a parenting class in our area…for new and old parents, and parents-to-be.

This particular daughter, a primary trained Montessori directress, told us all early on in her pregnancy that she intended to use a floor bed. I used a crib for all my kids (but wouldn’t now), still have a crib, (but use the floor when babysitting my 10 week old granddaughter).

In the search for a floor bed, I remembered that we had just purchased a new double sofa bed mattress for a 50 year old sofa bed another daughter absorbed from my parents’ home. That mattress met all the qualifications for my youngest: no higher than 5.5″, not too firm, not too soft.

Finding sheets that were not for a 15-18″ deep mattress was a challenge. But we did…on a camper site of all places…along with an allergy cover!

The mattress sits in a corner, under a window. They put a new area rug non-skid pad beneath the mattress. Between the window sill and the floor, my daughter (and her husband…don’t want to forget him in this adventure!) installed a piece of Plexiglas mirror…it sits snugly between the lower edge of window trim and the floor molding below. On the non-window wall, they have installed a clear Lucite mobile hanger.

The baby, when she awakens, or just whenever she is content to be just gazing, catches glimpses of her own movements (arms and legs waving and kicking), the assorted black and white mobiles moving with the air current, etc. The early morning lighting is particularly attractive for her. Who knew?

She spends more time socializing when awake and alert. But several times a week, at least once a day, she loves just gazing at the assorted images that she can see while lying on her floor bed. That is usually when my daughter takes a shower. Her view is not hampered by bars.

A very attractive swing away gate was installed in the doorway…more to keep the loving family pet from also sleeping on the floor bed, which he would do if given half a chance.

The room has clean, uncluttered lines…a low bookcase (made by dad with mom’s specifications), low artwork, my grandfather’s dresser with changing pad on top, a used but reupholstered glider (donated by my friend), and open floor space.

I have suggested my daughter keep a journal, since this is a new experience for all of us. Plus, it would come in handy if we ever do get that parenting class off the ground.

It has been quite fun observing how dad, his parents, my other girls, friends, etc., have taken to this “new” concept in both our families. I trust my daughter’s instincts, implicitly, and I sense that her husband does, too. So far, the skeptics have adopted a wait and see attitude.

On a few occasions, I have popped in to discover dad lying on the floor bed reading (a novel) while his precious daughter naps. It is heartwarming. When she’s awake, she prefers Goodnight Moon to a David Baldacci novel!!

The most impressive feature of this whole experience for me has been the ever expanding long periods of concentration that my granddaughter is developing. With still limited eyesight, but everything placed appropriately within the 12″ range, she is gazing for long periods of time, and is quite content to do do. That is a gift parents can give their kids and one I think way too many undervalue.

That ability to concentrate (and I am not referring to the obnoxiously ever-present “plug-in drug” located in the LR, and in some cases, every room in the house) for long periods of time is something much of our modern generations have lost the ability to do.

Baby now sleeps on her floor bed every night (as she quickly outgrew her lovely bassinet) and for long naps. She also sleeps on dad’s chest, in mom’s arms, in the sack/sling, or wherever. But the primary location is the floor bed. It is an experience in which we are all participating and learning.

Oh, and just an aside…she does not appear to be too dusty in the morning. (A concern expressed by one of my old fuddy-duddy friends.)

But let me back up and address you question about co-sleeping past 3 months. I’ve co-slept with both kids for around 6 months – I can’t be sure on the exact date because I was so sleep deprived by that point the days just run together in my mind. I must have bought a very long co-sleeper (called a baby bunk and it has been great!) because I eventually moved each girl out because they both were LOUD sleepers. And, I think they could smell me so close to them because they woke up A LOT (especially my second) and wanted to cuddle and nurse. Loved it, but also hated the interrupted sleep. So, if you want to and can keep the little angel in with you for as long as you can, I say go for it.

Now, back to cribs…I’d recommend looking at Lord Company. Or, if you want to try the crib thing out and don’t want to make the $$ commitment, try a pack and play. But I’d definitely try the floor bed given your back. Mind you, you’ll be stooping regardless, but with a floor bed I could crouch and place the baby in bed while supporting my weight with my knees instead of having to bend and have all that weight pressuring my back. Any other specific floor bed questions? Let me know.

And as for books, I’ve liked the Montessori books I’ve read I’ve gotten a lot out of How To Raise An Amazing Child by Tim Seldin (but there isn’t a big section on floor beds) and Montessori From the Start by Paula Polk Lillard and Lynn Lillard Jessen. Those are mostly Montessori philosophy, so it may be more than you really want.

Now, what did I forget to tell you? Oh, yeah, the size of the room. At 3 months, your girl won’t be doing much more than wigging around the room, so you might find her in a different position than when you started, but you may not. Unless she has incredible strength and coordination and is learning tap dancing by then I “hampered” my squirmy girl with a sleep sack and that seemed to work for both of us. I knew she was safe and cozy and she could wiggle like a worm but not get very far. Of course that changed when she was learning how to walk and began tripping herself on the sleep sack, but that took a while. Then we just moved to footed PJs and went with it. We gave our daughter something to “do” when she got up from bed by placing toys in a “play” corner of the room (as opposed to a “sleep” corner) but the toys were BORING. It just occupied her enough when she got it in her mind to wander. And yes, she eventually wandered. But the great part about that was that when I heard her wake up on the monitor, she was entertaining herself so I didn’t have to run in her room. But again, they were safe, boring toys. Baby proof the room, definitely, but you don’t have to make it completely empty save a bed.

Hopefully that helps! If you’d like more info, just holler.

Thank you for what you’ve written about the “floor bed”. I’m wondering if you’d perhaps respond to my post.

I don’t want to use a crib because I have back pain on and off and reaching over a crib rail puts me at risk for injury. I’m considering going from a co-sleeper to a mattress on the floor for this reason, but don’t understand the logistics of how to do this with an infant. My sister told me to place about a 2 inch high, hard matress in the middle of the room (no sheets etc.), take the door off it’s hinges since a door might pose a safety hazard, and put a baby-gate up in the doorway that my husband and I can easily walk through. We’d baby-proof the whole room (cover outlets, no cords, no pets allowed, etc), but I’m really nervous about this because I think of a crib as a “safe container”. I’m trying to picture the room as a gigantic crib but it feels like such large territory for an infant! It’s possible that I’ll have to move her from her co-sleeper at 3 months, and a large room seems like a lot for a 3 month old infant to negotiate on her own, even with every safety feature in place. Do you have any words of wisdom? resources I might look into? books to read? I’m also concerned because I’d ideally like to keep her in our room for longer than 3 months because of SIDS, but like I said, if she outgrows her co-sleeper at 3 months than she’ll need something like a crib…any thoughts to add? Thanks for your time!

Because your daughter has certain sleep associations with falling asleep in your bed, you’ll probably have the most success by tackling this in terms of sleep associations, and that is what sleep training is all about. My suggestion (and I’m getting this from my experience using a modified Ferber approach to sleep training my two girls) is to get a floor bed and continue your sleep routine as you would in your bed. For example, if you lay down with her to get her to sleep, then lay down with her in her new floor bed. Be sure to get your smell on the sheets, too, as she’s definitely used to that! Then, over a number of days, scale back your routine and start changing it to what you want it to be. Like lay down for less time and read a book first. That way, the transition from Mommy’s bed to her bed is gentler on her. Timing is the key as you implement changes. You’ll hear her protest and get up. Go back in to her room and comfort her, put her back in bed, but don’t re-do the bedtime routine, simply let her know you’re there and put her in bed (so she understands that’s where she sleeps) and then leave. Time both the duration of time she’s protesting and the time you’re in her room. Gradually increase the time in between comforting her and stay in her room for under 2 minutes.

You may be in for a few rough nights as she explores her freedom. I bet there will be lots of getting out of bed. When you child proof the room, not only make it safe for little exploring hands, but also set up an area for her to “play” with extremely boring toys. And not too many of them. And then know that she will get up out of bed and go looking for you. She may bang on the door or otherwise call out for your attention. Best to think of the room as one big crib – her wanting to get your attention is all about wanting to maintain the sleep associations she has with co-sleeping.

Ferber, in his book Solve Your Child’s Sleep Problems, has a section on sleep training while co-sleeping. It might give you some insight on how to handle the transition.

I do hope this works! She will eventually have to get out of your bed, lest you want a teenager still in bed with you so good luck. Also, do know that the older these little guys get, the more stamina they have.

Good luck! Let me know how it goes – even if you need some more encouragement along the way because it’s hard.