Like practically every other new parent on Earth.. my biggest worry, stress, and tear-inducing frustration was sleep! No surprise there! It wasn’t just about me getting enough (err.. *any) sleep or when Iya would finally sleep through the night, it was everything about it. From the length & quality of sleep, safety, encouraging breastfeeding, being able to pull my half-asleep self out of bed to breastfeed… the list was and sometimes still is endless.

Also like a lot of new parents, we played a bit of trial and error. When we brought Iya home from the hospital we had a Halo Bassinest and Dockatot ready for her. I kid you not I can count on one hand how many times she slept in that Halo. Not only was it not working for her, it wasn’t working for me either! I had such a hard time pulling myself up to check on her when I was so exhausted, sleep deprived, & healing. And actually lifting her out of it every two hours to nurse??? That felt like a Herculean task. I can’t even begin to imagine how difficult it must be for cesarean mamas <3

My goal is to room-share until she’s a year old so moving her to her crib across the hall wasn’t an option. Our temporary solution was to safely but very uncomfortably co-sleep lol. Despite the Halo being a fail for us, Iya did sleep very comfortably in her Dockatot. We kept her above our heads so we’d never bump her Dockatot off the bed or accidentally throw our blanket over her – God forbid both. Our feet dangled off the bed for a couple months while I was on the hunt for the perfect bedside sleeper. All the ones I saw on the market were, simply put, ugly!! I wanted something that was chic and functional for our baby and our bedroom. In comes babybay!

babybay Bedside Co-Sleeper

I was visiting a friend whose youngest is just a little younger than Iya and I was noticing his beautiful bed that I’ve never seen before. Babybay is a German company and they have a bunch of different models overseas but are brand new here in the US currently in one model that comes in several different finishes – all of which are gorgeous! It was exactly to the T what I was looking for so I quickly got Iya one in pure white. It’s so beautiful and beyond functional. It sits flush against the bed and the height is adjustable – I dropped her a couple inches below our mattress level so I can easily glance right down at her, soothe her with a quick touch, & smoothly lift her into our bed for feedings. Our babybay Bedside Co-Sleeper gives us all the benefits of co-sleeping while still keeping Iya in her own safe little space. I also love sneaking in snuggles!

I wanted a mattress that was both organic and breathable so we went with the Organic Mattress Pad. Its made from coconut fibers and is completely free of hazardous chemicals. Eventually when she graduates to her big girl crib she has a coconut fiber core mattress waiting for her there too (Nook)! How long before then? It’s a personal choice but as I mentioned earlier, my goal is to room-share until she’s a year old; which means she’ll be in her babybay co-sleeper until then too! The standard overseas is up to a year but due to stricter US regulations, it’s recommended up until 6 months or when they begin pushing themselves up. Iya isn’t quite mobile yet but she’s just about there so I’m ordering the guardrail & will drop the level a little lower this week to be on the safe side. Please talk to your pediatrician before choosing to do anything outside of your country’s safety guidelines!