Sunday, June 07, 2009

Sunday Survey

This little boy's name is Preston. His grandparents go to my church and his parents are on vacation this week so his grandparents are sitting. His mom, Caroline, reads my blog and she e-mailed me to let me know that she was excited they would be in the nursery together and wanted her mother to take their picture. So I took one for her! They make a cute couple don't you think? (This is about as good as I could get of them together).

Harper's BFF nearly had a heart attack when she realized they would be in the nursery together!
Sarah Kate and Wells - they are two active cuties - they are both turning one this month and I just can't believe it! Harper did good in the nursery this morning (I think the nursery workers are on to the fact that she is "SLIGHTLY" high maintenance). I don't think anyone will be calling her an "easy" baby. I went to feed her between church and Sunday School and she wasn't too happy so I decided to just stay in the nursery with her while Scott went to Sunday School. It was fun to be in there because there were 8 babies - all of our friends' kids. And there are 4-5 more who will be joining them (or weren't there) soon! I love watching them all grow!
I have two survey questions for all of you moms out there:

1. At what age did you put your baby in their own room? I plan on waiting until Harper is 6 months old (for some reason I've made that the magic age - we are going to wait on solids until she is 6 months, her own bed at 6 months, surgery on her extra toe at 6 months - it's like I think she will turn a big corner at that point?) Her room is just across the house from us and it seems like so far away. I want her to be sleeping through the night a little better also. I don't want to jinx myself but she has had two REALLY WONDERFUL nights of sleep so I'll try to get a 3rd night before I brag on her.
(well - I just messed up - we are going to be back to every 2 hours now). ha!

2. Did you get your baby a jumperoo and would you get one all over again? Did it really work/help?
I've heard a lot of good things and I'm tempted to get one for her but then again - I feel like we have a house full of big baby entertainers and she doesn't like any of them. I don't want to throw money down the tube again. So far the only thing that she really enjoys is me holding her. ha! She is a girl after my own heart though - she LOVES to shop. If I put her in her stroller and take her to stores - any store - she will be as content as can be. She just looks around and is so happy. So we try to go somewhere every day. I rarely buy anything - I just enjoy looking and keeping her happy! :-)

Thanks in advance for all of your tips - I'm going to be back soon with all kinds of surveys and questions!

388 comments:

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His Doorkeeper said...

I have nothing to add. I'm just the first to post on your blog and I have never done that!!

I wish I could just sit and hold Harper all day....you know I would if I could!!!!

Harper's Nonny

Anonymous said...

I didn't get my son Griffin a Jumperoo until he was about 8 months old, He probably would have been ready for one before then, but I got mine from a friend when her baby outgrew hers. He LOVES it. He is 11 months now, and STILL loves it! He laughs so hard and squeels almost the whole time he is in it!
As far as sleeping in his own room, We co-slept for BFing help at night, then about 4 months old he started sleeping in his own crib/room.
Love your blog! Harper is beautiful!!

Always A New Day said...

Hi!

We have the Baby Einstein bouncer - got it at this magical place called Target :) IT SAVED OUR LIVES! My son, Griffin, is pretty high maintenance, but he loves this thing. It plays music on one side and has toys that spin on the other sides. In fact, the seat itself spins and then bounces. He is a bouncin' fool! We LOVE it!!!!

Hope you find something that works for you!!

denise said...

I didn't use a jumperoo, I loved the excersaucers though. I thought it offered more developmental stimulation. Besides, I had peanuts who wouldn't fit in or stay in a jumperoo. My babies did go into their own rooms at 1-2 weeks. I'm such a light sleeper, that momma got much better sleep that way. I found without hearing us, the babies slept much better too. But it's what you are most comfortable with.

Jess said...

My three kids each LOVED the jumperoo. Definitely the favorite in our family. Look at garage sales and used kids stores, they're all over and you can find one for half the price. Or Craigslist, I see them on there often.

I put our oldest in his own room after 3 nights. I couldn't rest AT ALL with him grunting and rolling around all night. He's still a restless sleeper. My middle daughter slept in our room for about 2 weeks. Our youngest went straight to her own room. I think it's just what works best for you and your family. I personally wake up as soon as I hear them, even down the hall without a monitor, so it was horribly restless for me to be next to them in my own room.

Lisa said...

We put both of our children (4 and 2) in their beds at around 2 months. They were sleeping through the night at that point and once we put them in their own beds it seemed WE ALL slept more soundly.
As far as the jumperoo goes, one of mine loved it and the other not so much. She loved the bouncy seat. I would definitely borrow one first and if she likes it you could look for a cheaper one at a consignment sale/store or on craigs list. Just my thoughts:)
LOVE your blog!

The Baby Makes 4 said...

My girls didn't care for the Jumparoo very much. I kept having to give them toys to entertain them while in the Jumparoo b/c they got bored easily. I don't think they enjoyed the jumping or the restriction at the age of 5 months +.

I agree the "baby gear" can get out of control! You will use a lot less the more children you have! But, it is fun to buy for the first child! Do you have a friend with a Jumparoo that Harper can try? That might make it clear whether she would like it or not before you go ahead and buy one. Happy Mothering!

Amanda Rooney said...

With all four of my children I moved them to their own bed/rooms at six months. (GREAT choice).

As far as the jumperoos....we bought one with my daughter (#3) and she LOVED it, but my son (#4) didn't enjoy it near as much.

If she doesn't like it now...she might in a few more weeks...ya just never know.

One thing is for sure...she'll be cute either way! HA!

Andrea said...

I just started following your blog and love it!
1. We put our daughter in her crib at 6 months, but it didn't work until she was about 8 months. She has never been a good sleeper though, so it took a lot of time for her to get adjusted. I would highly recommend it at 6 months, if not sooner.
2. Our little girl stopped playing in the jumperoo about 2 months ago. I think it was around 5.5 or 6 months when she started playing with it and yes, it did help us. I would put her in it and let her watch a Baby Einstein DVD...she loved it!!
~Andrea

Colette said...

Harper is such a cutie!!!

My first son moved to his own room at 3 months when he stopped eating during the middle of the night. Also, I bought him a jumperoo that hooks to the door frames in the house and he loved it!

My second son is now 3.5 months old, and I moved him to his own room at 2 months because I realized that he was waking up to every little noise. I put him in his own room with white noise on and he sleeps so much better!

Good Luck!

Whitney said...

You can buy the Johnny Jumpers that you can hang over the door that can be stuck in a closet, under the bed, etc. My girls loved them!

B. Yarbrough said...

We started both boys in their baby beds the day we came home from the hospital. Sorry that I can't help you on that one.

We did not purchase the jumperoo because I was concerned about the maximum weight limit being only 25 pounds and I didn't know how quickly we would reach that weight. My parents purchased the Johnny Jump Up from Wal-Mart for our first (4 years ago) with the same weight limit. Both boys loved it and I did too because I could just take it down and put it in the closet.

Hope that helps!

Kodi said...

I'd say skip the jumper....she will be crawling soon, right? :)

How does Harper get more beautiful every day?

The B's said...

I put Emma in her own room about 12 weeks. Occasionally I would sleep in there with her. I really started sleeping better when she was in another room. I would get up and check on her if she didn't wake but I wasn't hearing her every breath.

Emma liked the johnny jump up thing...I would recommend it. She was a very picky baby too...the more you write about Harper the more similar they sound.

I would definitely try her in her room...it couldn't hurt...you could always put her back in yours if that made you more comfortable. :)

Audra Kelly said...

Hi Kelly! I just began reading your blog and love it! Harper is adorable. My daughter, Maegan, just turned two. I absolutely love being a mommy to a little girl...which I know you can understand! We started putting Maegan at 2 months in her own bed. It was really out of necessity. I am a teacher and school was starting back! There were a couple of rough nights but, we survived! All I can say is that you know what's best for Harper. You'll do what's right! As far as the jumperoo...we never had one. We, too, had a house full of baby gear and really didn't see that it was a necessity.
Again, I truly enjoy your blog! My daughter now recognizes Harper. It's sweet! You've also inspired me to start my own blog for my family and friends.
Take care!
Audra McLeod

The Basshams said...

We moved my son Rhett into his own room at 6 weeks, but my husband is a snorer. He immediately started sleeping better, because I wasn't up and checking on him everytime he breathed. :)

We are HUGE fans of the jumperoo! We bought it when my son was 5.5 months old, and he loves it. Before then, he really loved standing and jumping in people's laps, so we knew he was ready.

Good luck! I love your blog :)

michelle said...

I have done the "magic age" thing. My little guy who turns 1 in a couple weeks is still in our room. I say when he sleeps all night...yes he is almost a year and not sleeping thru the night. Both my kids have done that! But I love having him in there, he is only little once and I did the same thing w/ my daughter and she sleeps fine in her own room now. The Jumperoo...my daughter loved and my son wasn't interested...still isn't. I had him in it b/c it is the only toy I have to contain him...he crawled out of the exersaucer (my daughter did the same thing only @ 9mos.) and he is not a fan...so in my opinion it depends on the kid. Do you have a friend whose you can try out before spending the money on one???

Corrie, Joe, & Macie said...

Hi Kelly,

I have never posted on your blog, but read it every day and love all your updates. Sweet baby Harper looks a lot like my little girl did with that dark hair...LOVE it! We moved our little girl to her own room at 8 weeks. She was getting a little big for her bassinette and made lots of noise! It was hard in the beginning b/c she was upstairs and we were down and I was so worried, but I slept upstairs in the guestroom a few weeks. I really felt like when I moved her into her own bed she slept a lot better. Whenever you move her will be the perfect time for you...and her, so just know that:). We didn't have a jumperoo, but wish we did...they are so cute! I think a lot of times babies go through phases. Our baby HATED the swing for the first 2 or so months, but one day I put her in it and it was like magic...she LOVED it. So don't give up on all those things, keep trying and one day she may just decide they are fun. Our lifesavers were the bouncy seat and the exersaucer. Hope you find something she LOVES soon:).

Katie @ Miss Klohn's Classroom said...

Hi Kelly!

I don't have any children yet but I do have a God daughter who is 20 months old right now. Santa brought her a Jumperoo for Christmas in 2007. She has always been very strong and it had to be modified for her to touch but she loved it. I really hope and pray that they are still around when I have my own children in the future because all the children I have seen in one really seem to enjoy it. Harper is gorgeous and I love reading your blog!

Blessings,
Katie

Beth Roberts said...

1. She slept in her own room from day 1 (well, day 3, since first 2 days were in the hospital!). Never had a problem with her, and we didn't have to deal with any transitions from our room to hers!

2. YES! She LOVED LOVED LOVED the Jumperoo!! You might check one of the consignment stores here in town. Might find one there, and save you some money!

Michelle said...

We never had the jumperoo, but used the exersaucer like crazy starting around 6 months. We had tried it a bit sooner, but the doctor suggested we wait until this. It was wonderful while cooking dinner or taking a quick shower.

Also, my husband and I set an 8 week rule for moving the kiddos to their own room. It was so hard, but I slept much better without all of the little noises. In fact, we moved my little girl into her room after 7 weeks. She is a super noisy baby!

I love Miss Harper's flower! She is such a cutie!!!!

Gina said...

My son got his jumperoo for Christmas when he was 3 months old. He didn't really use it until 4-5 months, but he loved it. He would jump himself to sleep, doze, then wake up and start jumping like a madman! Hilarious! He did not like the swing or exersaucer at all (Both of which my daughter loved!). But every child is different. It would be great if someone you knew had one you could "test drive" to see her response before you bought one.

Justin and Jessica said...

Our little girl was about 5 months old before she was put in her own room. I was so nervous so we bought her the Angel Breathing Monitor that tracks all of her breaths. I was nervous to put her in her room ... I think I checked on her every hour (even though we had the monitor). Jordyn had RSV when she was 2 months old and was on a breathing monitor during that time. I didn't think I would ever let her out of my site after that! I guess I had to grow up too. :)

We don't have a Jumperoo. I think they are wonderful ... but Jordyn doesn't really understand the jumping part... she uses it like an exersaucer. We have an exersaucer (the same farm one you do), and she loves that!

Elizabeth said...

I think my daughter, ella, was about 5-6 months old when she started sleeping in her own room. read that you are trying to do a schedule with harper. ella had colic her first two months, and later she would sleep with me, but she started getting so mobile i was afraid she'd fall out of bed....needless to say nobody was getting much rest. anyway, i want to recommend a book that was VERY helpful for setting up a schedule especially a sleep schedule. it's called 'the sleep easy sleep solution'. it worked for us in 3 days! amazing.

oh, and yes the jumperoo was an awesome thing. my friend had one that she let us borrow. ella loved it. i would put her in it while i showered, cleaned or cooked.

good luck...
elizabeth

The Garners said...

Question 1:
Rhett: about 2 weeks old. him being in the bouncy seat/car seat/pack-n-play, etc. and crying all night was driving us crazy. He started sleeping so much better in his crib and we wished we'd started two weeks earlier.
Alexee: first night home from the hospital (I slept in the guest bed right next door--well, "slept" might be a stretch, but "stayed" in that room)
Crosby: first night home from the hospital (I slept in the chair or the extra bed in his room for a few weeks until he'd had his follow-up EKG and everything tested fine with that.)

Question 2:
We haven't had that particular baby entertainer for any of the kids...looks fun though!? We have the play mat and exersaucer and have liked those.

Unknown said...

LOVE YOUR BLOG, AND AM GLAD I STUBBLED ACROSS IT! THE GREAT THING ABOUT being a mom and havng MOMMY friends, is you can share and barrow things, that way you aren't throwing your money away.

My 3 kids (my baby is 7 mos old) have all gone into their cribs at 3 mos. If they do or did wake up at night then it was in the pack and play crib next to my bed. You can also start your baby on rice or oatmeal cereal at about 4 mos. if you prefer. ;)

Helen said...

I moved our son into his own room sometime between 8-12 weeks old. Trust me, we ALL slept better. (I started with naps and then slowly transitioned to naps and night time.)

Jumper--yes! It was great! Whenever anytime held him he wanted to stand up and jump and everyone would say, "Oh, you can always tell which babies have jumpers at home!". He loved it.

Anonymous said...

I have four and they were all different when it came to sleep milestones. One was sleeping through the night in his own room at 6 weeks and one slept in our bed until he was 2. The others were somewhere in between.

The only advice I can give you is to do what is the right thing for the whole family. If it is working for you,your husband and the baby to be in the same room, then relax. If you are not getting enough sleep and maybe some tough love is needed. My husband slept through everything and I liked to nurse in bed so co-sleeping worked for us. But its not for everyone.

Sleep is the key, if you are well rested your mothering instincts are at full power and that's when you can really enjoy being a mom, appreciate everyday and know when its time to move the baby across the hall.

CulyQFun said...

Love the Jumperoo thing. Addie (our 8mnth) LOVES It. She jumps till her heart is content.

We did not have one of these with our first nor did we have a walker. And I thank the Lord everyday that someone created these two items. ;o)

Cruson Crew said...

Girl, My daughter is 8 years old and still likes to sleep in MY room! I'm thinking 10 years old is a good time to move them out! haha!
Jumperoo--both my girls LOVED it..(for a minute). Nothing beats a momma's arms!
Good Luck!!

Elizabeth said...

oh, the jumparoo we got to borrow was one that hung on the door facing. those are good too! i'd check at a children's consignment store. you can find slightly used items there all the time.

Giggles said...

No suggestions on the jumparoo but as far as her own room. The sooner Harper is in her own room, the sooner everyone will get much more sleep. She won't wake up at your noises and you won't wake up at hers.

lots of love said...

We put Rylie in her own bed in her own room the day we brought her home from the hospital! lol But she was directly across the hall from us. I'd just wait until Harper is sleeping through most of the night. Rylie started doing that about 2 1/2 mos-she would sleep from 8pm-5:30am, eat, then sleep until 10am. But I'd introduce her to her bed before then with naps & such.
We didnt do the jumperoo-just the exersaucer & I dont feel Rylie missed out on a thing!

Bethany said...

We moved our girls out of our room at 4-6 weeks old which was right when they started sleeping through the night. They slept much better in their own rooms and only would wake up once every now and then.

I absolutely recommend the jumperoo. My girls LOVED theirs and I got one for my friend's daughter and she cannot get enough of it as well. I think as far as Harper seeming to dislike the baby items, you should just give her more time. I personally tried not to pick up my girls each time they cried b/c I think it helps them to be independent early on. I'm not saying I neglected them in any way, I just forced them to spend a few extra minutes each day doing some independent things so that I could have some time to keep the house in order!

At the young age of 4 months old, you'd be amazed at what Harper knows and picks up on. She probably knows how to "push your buttons" so that you'll pick her up and snuggle her, and it's so easy to want to do that because she's such a special girl. Don't ever feel like a "bad" mom if you can't pick her up right away. You are an excellent mom no matter what.

Let us know if you do get the jumperoo and how she likes it :)

Janee said...

Our daughter, Parker, spent two weeks in our room before she moved to her own room. We ALL slept so much better after that... Ha, and by all I mean she did, I did, and the dog did. My hubs could sleep through a hurricane!

Immeasurably More Mama said...

Your church nursery is filled with SO MANY cuties!!!

Here are my survey answers...

1. D started sleeping in his own room at two months old.

2. We borrowed a jumperoo from a friend who wasn't using it and I think this was the best way to go.

Alyssa said...

I didn't move my son to his own room until he was going on 3- we coslept. We didn't have a jumperoo either. He wanted to be held constantly, so I put him in a sling, and carried him. When he was ready to not be carried all the time, he let us know (in his own way) and he was able to entertain himself. Harper will be ready on her own time, too! Enjoy that little sweetness!

Grasso10 said...

We put Dominic in his crib at 5 months. It took us a long time too. He's still swaddled, and in the "incline to sleep". As for jumpers-we have the Baby Einstein Jumper..but at times I think he'd rather have the jumper that goes in the doorways. We just have TOO many toys here and I can't add another! LOL

Melissa's Thoughts said...

We put Christopher in his own bed at 3 weeks because I found that we were waking him up. When we put him in his own bed, he slept all night long. 10-7.

Anonymous said...

Our little guy moved into his own room at about 2 months.

Don't tell anyone - :-) - but he slept in his carseat until about a month ago (4 1/2 months). It was the only way he slept through the night but I felt guilty about it and so we transitioned him to his crib about a month ago. Now he wakes up every night at 3 am for a snack.

He has a saucer but we've been thinking about getting a jumper thing because he loves it when we bounce him. It's hard to know what to get especially since they are so expensive. We found our saucer at a consignment shop - gave it a good washing - good as new!

Good luck!

becca said...

Well, Elijah is TWO and still in our room... but that's b/c he doesn't have one.
I think Abigail was around 6 months when I moved her?? I don't really remember. She slept thru the night at 6 weeks... but I know I didn't move her then.
Noah moved around 9 months and Isaac at about 14 months. Both without issue... that's just when they slept thru the night.

Angela said...

Honestly, I put my first son in his crib in his room from night one. That was at our old house, where the nursery was right across the hall from our bedroom.
With my second son, we kept him in a pack-n-play in our room for about a week-and-a-half, and that was all I could take! Up to his room he went.
I sleep so much better and I think they do, too.
As far as the jumper, we have a Johnny-Jump-Up (for the doorway) that we got at a yard sale for like $10, and both of my boys have LOVED it! It is cheaper than the one you have posted, it doesn't take up as much room, and I love its portability. We can take it to my parents' house for the day or to a playdate. If you do a search on Amazon for "Johnny Jump Up" there are lots of options. Here is one that looks good:
http://www.amazon.com/Evenflo-Classic-Johnny-Jump-Up/dp/B0010WFVRO/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=baby-products&qid=1244428961&sr=8-1

This one is more but I like it b/c it has activities: http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3393725

Mandy said...

My now 3-year-old went to his won room at 4 or 5 months. My 6 month old is still in our room. I had planned on them sharing, but he still isn't sleeping all that great and when he wakes up and cries it scares my 3-year-old and he tells me, 'take him out of here'!

We have a jumper that clamps on the door frame. Both my boys loved/love it and it's a lot cheaper than the jump-a-roo one.

lmashe81 said...

My friend handed down a jump-a-roo, to me when my second. He LOVED it! I think i waited until He was six or seven months old to put him in it. I think the older they get the more they like the baby entertainment things.

Elaine said...

Lena Kate is just about a month older than Harper, I think. She has a jumper(hand-me-down, fortunately) and is just now really starting to like it. She'll play in it for 30 minutes while I'm on the treadmill. Sometimes that 30 minutes of "hands free time" is priceless. I will say they are bulky. She also really LOVES her walker (a Sesame Street one), and it is more mobile. As for sleeping in her room. I JUST put LK down for her 1st night in her room and she turns 6 months on the 19th. I think you are right on with your timing. She is also breastfed and has yet to sleep through the night. She is usually up at 1ish and 4ish...on a good night she'll make it until 3:30. I'm hoping being in her room will help, otherwise my sleep will decrease. Oh well, sweet baby girls are worth it! Good luck and God bless.

Isaac and Mommy said...

Hi Kelly!
We put Isaac in his own bed at about three months. His bedroom is right across the hall from us, but we have the Angelcare Monitor, which monitors his breathing, so I felt ok about not having him in our room.

We also got him a jumperoo when he was almost five months old and HE LOVED IT.. I mean L O V E D it. He was always a fan of the swing though, as well as anything that moved and had songs and lights.

Hope it helps!

Megan said...

We waited until 6 months for solids too. Owen went to sleep in his own room around 6.5 months and it helped everyone TREMENDOUSLY. He's 11.5 months and sleeps at least 12 hours a night EVERY night (and has since moving him--even though he slept through the night since 5 weeks)!

Owen's jumparoo is GREAT! He LOVED it! Right now he'd rather crawl everywhere, but it's more for exercise than exersaucers and other baby entertainers, so it's a little different. I think it's worth a try!

Laura Jo said...

Our daughter LOVED her jumperoo! We started using it early around 3 months with a Boppy pillow under her feet until her little legs could reach the floor. She found it much more entertaining and fun compared to the excersaucer and used it for months. She also seemed to gain alot of strength in her legs from jumping so much!

Love reading your blog!

Jessica said...

We have that EXACT jumperoo from Walmart! Harbor loves it... and he just started crawling at 6 months! I attribute it to his jumping skills! Ha, ha! We moved HW to his crib right around 4 months.

The Pelhams said...

3 months old. I was holding my kids back. My first was 3 months, my 2nd was 2 months, and my 3rd was about 6 weeks! As a parent you want to be protective, but I realized after that all I was doing was really not benefiting them. As soon as we put my son at 3 months in his own room, he began sleeping all night from 8pm-8am. The first few nights, I was a mess checking on him every second, but he was sound asleep. You just get to a point where you need to let go, because it is what they need, even though we don't want it!

Yes, we got a jumparoo for a baby gift. My son used it at about 4 months old and really liked it and walked at 9 months, my daughter we didn't use it very much at all, forgot we had it and had our son to chase around, and she walked at 1 year, and my 3rd, never used it and walked at 13 months. So my experience would say yes, it worked!

Marcie said...

First of all, the pictures are just too cute!!!

As for question number one, My oldest 3 kids slept in their own beds in their own rooms from day one. But baby number 4, Delaney, had a mind of her own. We ended up cosleeping until she was almost 9 months old. And then it was a struggle. I think you need to do what feels right for you and Harper. Each baby is different.

For question number 2, Delaney liked the exersaucer until she started getting mobile, then she wasn't happy being contained. She never really liked the jumperoo too much. Not sure why. I think she liked being able to spin in the exersaucer and see all the toys. I'd look to borrow or buy one used. I found mine at a consignment shop for $15.

rindie09 said...

First question: with my first boy, I waited until he was like 9 months to put him in his own room. He was still eating through the night, but the ped assured me he was big enough to make it. We moved him, let him fuss-it-out for a few nights, and he started sleeping much better on his own. My second boy, I waited until 7 months...I was nervous b/c his room would be close to his big brother's room and I didn't want him to wake him up. But he was an absolute miracle sleeper and never fussed a bit...just went to sleeping straight through the night. Now, my third boy is here and is almost 6 months old. I don't know when to move him b/c we only have 2 rooms and 3 kids! So the big boys will have to start sharing and I'm not ready to deal with that transition, lol. I do tend to wait a little longer to get him during the night, though...I don't jump up at every single noise like I used to and it seems to be working. But, like you said, we'll have like 2 good nights, and then he'll go back to eating all night.

If you haven't discovered it yet, I would recommend the book "Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child." I have used it as a sleep bible for my three kids and have loaned it to 3 people (and had to end up buying 3 new copies b/c they all passed it around, too, lol!).

Question 2: We love the jumperoo...they all seemed to enjoy it more than the stationary exersaucers.

Laurie said...

I love these pics. SK looks like the shaggy dog. She adores you and Harper. I promise, she does not act like that around other babies!

Hayley said...

Hi Kelly, I think this is my first post, though I've been lurking on and off since yall were in the hospital. Harper is beautiful and I'm enjoying watching her grow. :) I've got 3 kids and none of them did the same on the two questions you've posed. You are the expert on Harper, and if you say 6 mos, then 6 mos is the perfect time for her! I'd tend to agree with others on the Jumperoo - if you can borrow a friend's (at least long enough to let her try it for a week or 2) I think that's the way to go. My first loved it, I sold it when my second didn't, and I borrowed an exersaucer for my 3rd who is now 8 mos and has already grown tired of it now that she is mobile. I am SO glad I didn't pay full price for it as they are used for such a short time! Have a great week! Hayley

The Shupe's said...

We had plans of having our daughter in our room with us. We had a beautifu bassinet made just for her. She ended up sleeping in it TWO times. She has just always loved her crib.

My Rylie bug LOVES her jumperoo. I bought it for her at 4 months. She will easily bounce 30-40 mins. she likes all the things on it and just figured out how to turn around in it.

I really enjoy reading your blog.

Bamawhitney said...

My daughter slept in her crib - in her room from night one. I just would get up and feed her when I heard her on the monitor. She slept all night long though, from about 6 weeks, so that was a blessing.

We never had a swing a jumperoo. The only I ever put her in was an exersaucer - probably at about 6 months.

I also gotta say, self-soothing is key to not "creating" a high-maintenance baby. Just my two cents worth!

Heather said...

I like the jumper roo's. Cause it's a lot of activities in one and then she can jump in it and I didn't have to buy one of those jumpers that went in the doorway. Plus it's great to carry outdoors too and she can sit in it and watch you landscape!! :) Mollie sat in hers from 4 months to 12 months!! I got my money's worth and then you can save it for more children or sale it and get most of your money back!!

Matthew, Ashley, Jr. Colton and Tinsley Hutson said...

love the blog! i put my boys in their own rooms at 4mo., its hard but if you can make it through the first night then its fine after that!i just prayed for Gods peace for my worry and he gave it to me, before i knew it we had made it through the first few nights and now they love their rooms and so do i! and both my boys love the jumpie!babies love to kick their little feet so jumping up and down is perfect for that!

Mike and Molly Spivey said...

Well - we had the boys in their own room since the beginning and they have done great - however, their room is RIGHT by ours - not sure if I would be as comfortable if they were across the house.

Is there someone you could borrow one from before you bought one to see how she likes it? If not, you can always check on craigslist as well so you aren't spending full price. But our boys LOVE any jumping thing! We dont have one, but we have a jumping thing that hangs on the door and they LOVE it!

Lilly, Reid, Matt, and Sara said...

We waited until 6 months for Lilly to sleep in her own room. She transitioned just fine! We were going to wait for 6 months to start her on baby food, but she started waking up hungry in the middle of the night at 5 months...so we started then! On to the jumper, my Lilly LOVES her jumper. She has used it since 4 and a half months...now she is 9 months and still LOVES it. We got the Baby Einstein jumper because I liked that you could change out/hang whatever toys you want to around it! We put some of her favorite toys up there and she entertains herself! It is the only way I got things done for a couple months. Also, six months is kind of a magical age because that is when she will really start interacting with you and entertaining herself more and learning so much so fast!!!

Wherever we go there we are said...

We put our first born in his own room at 4 weeks. Our second son is just two weeks older than Harper and we put him in his own room about a month ago (so he was 4 months old). His room is all the way across the house too, but we use a GREAT baby monitor and I just get up when he wakes up and go into his room and feed him and he sleeps a LOT better than he did in our room in the pack 'n play. I would NOT recommend a jump-a-roo. Both my boys are too tall for them and they aren't necessarily good for their development, but that's just my two cents. Good luck!

2 Little Irish Boys said...

Kelly,
I waited until my 1st was around 8 months to put him in his own room. I started him napping in his room then slowly moved to his room. Course, this is the child that slept on my chest best of all, I got sleep and that is all that mattered at the time.
I also didn't start either of my two babies on baby food until 9 months. I decide to put it off as long as I could. I think the docs try to rush it too much! Anyway, baby number 2 did the whole "eye our food" so he started sooner even on table food than Cash did. I just liked the easy of nursing and found that they get most of their nutrition from mother's milk. My first is not an eater.....my second one it.
Funny, how they are so different. We have a doorway jumperoo. My suggestion would be to buy one from consignment or borrow one. We didn't use it very long. I just got my 1 year old the Step 2 Kangeroo Climber--he loves it. It will be here before you know it!!

Kylie said...

My son went to his own room at 4 months because he was sleeping SO terribly that I thought maybe going to his own space would help (he was in a co-sleeper in my room). Our room was across the house so I chose to sleep next door in the guest room until he was about 10 months old and started to sleep longer stretches at night. :) My daughter slept in my room in the co-sleeper until she was 6 months old, then transitioned well to her own bed. We live in a different house now and our rooms are right together so I feel better about that! I think 6 months is a great time to move! That's my plan for my next baby, should I get to have another one! :) FYI- Some SIDS statistics do show a lower SIDS rate among babies who sleep in their parents' room in their own sleep space (such as a co-sleeper or pack n play) And SIDS rates drop drastically at 4 months and again at 6 months :) That's what lead me to my babies being in my room until 4-6 months.
Neither of my kids had a jumper like that, but both LOVED their baby einstein exersaucer!

caydensmommy said...

I agree with what a lot of people said about the doorway jumper... You can take it down and hide it, and it costs a lot less!!
My son started sleeping in his own room @ 6 weeks old! The fact that you are starting solids around the same time that she will be going into her own room is a great idea because eating solids = sleeping a lot more!!! Pretty soon you will be wondering how you ever made it without so much sleep!!! But of course you will still be getting up several times a night to check on her... I still do and my son is over a year... Good Luck!!!

Caroline said...

Thanks for posting the picture, I am going to try and copy it on to my post, if that is possible.

As for the survey, we put both kids in their own rooms at about 5 days. Their rooms are really close to ours so it wasn't too bad.

Taylynn didn't get to use a jumperoo, but Preston did and it was great for a while, but about 7 months he was done with it. once they start crawling, it's a lot harder to keep them in toys.
We borrowed the one Preston used, check with your friends maybe you could do that too.

Thanks again for the picture. Harper looks like she is saying "mommy who is this boy"? LOL, cute!

Jenny said...

Great pics.

My daughter started sleeping outside of our room at 8 weeks. She slept through the night though.

My suggestion is to make the transition pretty soon. At around 4 months of age, babies know how they feel asleep and where they were. She'll wake up and be confused that she isn't where she feel asleep at. Now, if you can get her to fall asleep in that room, then that's awesome!

I didn't have a jumperoo. Of course, they didn't have the cool ones they have now. My daughter liked the bouncy seat and exersaucer.

Katie Patterson said...

Hi Kelly!!

My little boy has been sleeping all night in his own room since 6 weeks. During the first week when he was still crying all night we put him in his own room and he started falling asleep sooner. He would stay asleep from around 10:30 til around 4 am then he would sleep til 5 am then til 6. Now he sleeps until 9 or 10 in the morning sometimes. I think it is because he is not distracted by my husband or my moving around on our bed or snoring or getting up to use the bathroom. He just seemed to want to be alone in his room. You might try and move her into her own room for a night or two now to see how it goes. You could always move her back. (my son was born 12/29/08 so he is only a few weeks older than Harper) By the way, I am strictly breastfeeding and he still sleeps from 10 or 11 at night to 9 or 10 the next morning (sometimes if I let him he will sleep to 10:30)

Hope this helps!!

Katie

Anonymous said...

Tessa slept in her bassinet until 5 months...she was a preemie so she is petite! Once she hit 15 pounds it was off to the crib...which was harder on me than her. She has slept through the night since 4 months so I think that made it easier!

Jumparoo....we have two and she hates both. She's pretty high maintenance too so she prefers to be held. And with all the bumps in the road we've had to ride out we have no problem at all doing a little extra cuddlin'!

Jessica said...

I am blessed to have a very good sleeper and my son was on enough of a schedule that I put him in his own room at 2 months.. even now at 16 months, he is still a great sleeper...

I received a bouncer as a hand-me down from a cousin, or I probably would not have purchased it on my own, but my son LOVED it... I think he was about 5-6 months when he first started sitting in it... always made him happy... I would highly recommend a bouncer! Some of his biggest laughs came from it.. until he was mobil.. then it was old news...

Anonymous said...

I put mine in her own room at 4 months. She was sleeping through the night by that point and it seemed like neither of us slept as well with her in our room. For me, I'm with her all day long and I deserve to have some time to myself, even if it is just at night!

Just a thought, if she's still not sleeping through the night you may consider trying cereal. My daughter started sleeping through the night very early on until around 4 months when she suddenly started waking up frequently again and really wanting to eat. Then I started with the rice cereal and it seemed to help.

I have a Baby Einstein jumper and it's been great! We got it for her at 7 months and she loved it. Mine also always wanted to be held and she rarely napped, so the break was always nice. :)

Good luck! I love all the cute little outfits you have for her!

Jo said...

My dtr was 4 mo old when she went into a crib. I started out with putting her in to her room just for her naps and progressed to all night. She loved her crib. Matter of fact by age 3 I had to take the crib down and make her sleep in a toddler bed because it was getting to hard for me to lift her up over the rails. She never tried once to get out of the crib.

I never had a jumperoo - did have a walker of course that was 19 yrs ago.............Jo

K Mommy said...

We moved our little girl at just over 6 months to her room. I just felt like she was "old enough" to make the transition.

And we also did the jumperoo. We borrowed ours from our cousins. She loved it. At first she didn't understand what to do but once she got it she LOVED it. It wasn't something we used often but it was a fun little change of pace for her.

Shana said...

I just couldn't bare the move from my room to their own room. When both of my boys were too big for the bassinet, I had either their crib or a pack-n-play in my bedroom, until I was comfortable with them being in another room.

I also choose the jumper that hangs from a door frame for the easy storage & portability. Much easier to carry it to Grandma's!!

Carrie said...

I put my baby in her own room when she was about 3 months old. I planned to do it sooner, but I just couldn't bring myself to. I think I'll do it sooner with my next child though. We both sleep so much better in seperate rooms! I think breast fed babies can "smell" their mommies if they're in the same room - haha. Plus, she will have a better chance of learning to soothe herself in her own room because you won't wake up everytime she stirs. I eventually had to let my husband start going into her room to comfort her when she would wake up crying. When she saw me, she expected to eat. That's how I weaned her off night feedings. She's been sleeping about 11-12 hours straight for several months now (since she was probably 6 months or so)!

As for a jumperoo, we have the kind that goes in a doorway. She LOVES to jump, and it takes up less space. When we're not using it, I take it down and put it somewhere out of the way. Sorry to write a book!

Donna said...

My first was in his room by around 6 weeks, but I slept in the guest room closer to him. My 2nd was in his crib by 9 weeks as he was sleeping through the night and not waking to nurse. My last was 9 weeks as well. We all slept better with everyone in their own beds. Mine seemed to enjoy being in the crib and waking to see their room and things as they got old enough to look around.
We did get a jump-a-roo with the last one and it was fabulous! Even when he couldn't really jump, he enjoyed the music and the different perspective it gave him! ha As he grew, he really got a work out with those legs/hamhocks!

Try to enjoy the process and not worry about the "right or wrong" thing to do. : ) You're a great Mom!
Blessings!
Donna

Kendra said...

We put both of our kids in their own rooms at 3 months. It was hard (for me) but they were both perfectly content.

We got Braxton his jumperoo at 6 months, and at first, he hated it. I would try every few days and when he figured out how to jump he loved it, especially all the toys & music.

Tera said...

First- Yeah for waiting until 6 months for solids! People will try to encourage it before...or even try to sneak the baby food, but Harper will be fine waiting until 6 months. We moved our girls to their rooms around 3-3.5 months. If I had waited until they were sleeping all night, it would have been forever! :) To keep my milk supply, I wanted to nurse every 4-6 hours at least until 6 months, so my girls didn't sleep through the night until about 10 months. As for the jumper...we had a fisher price one that hung from the door. Both of my girls liked it and it was cheap.

Ashley said...

We put our son in his room at 3 months. Once his feeding schedule kind of regulated. Ha!

My advice on a jumperoo thing would be to buy a used one at a resale shop. Seriously, you only use them for a few months. Once they are able to start moving around, they don't want to be in it.

I didn't know she had an extra toe! How cute! Will they just be able to remove it easily?

blg67 said...

Our first daughter slept with us for about 3 weeks. After we moved her to her own room, everyone slept much better. Our other 2 daughters slept in their cribs/rooms from day one.

We loved the jumperoo! So much fun!
Harper is adorable!

Erica said...

I tried to keep my son in our room when he came home from the hospital, but we quickly figured out that it just wasn't working. :) I have heard that babies can smell their mother's milk and wake more frequently if they're right next to their mom, smelling the milk. We put Eli in his own room from the get-go, with a baby monitor, of course, that I still keep next to my bed. I think everyone sleeps much better that way. Good luck with the transition!

We LOVE the jumparoo. LOVE LOVE LOVE it. It was Eli's favorite thing to do from about 4-11 months. We didn't buy one of those big stand-alone ones like you have pictured, but one of the ones that you hang from the doorway. It worked great- I would hang it in the bathroom while I showered, in the kitchen while I cooked, etc., and Eli would just bounce away, happy as could be. I highly recommend it! And the hang-from-the-door ones are much cheaper, too ($30 at Babies R Us).

Good luck! Sorry for the long comment!

Angi said...

I didn't realize Harper had an extra toe!! I was born with 6 fingers on each hand. Power to the polydactyls!! ;-)Fortunately for me, mine weren't fully formed so the Dr. was able to cauterize them when I was 3 days old.

My son LOVED the jumper they had in the church nursery, but I never bought one for home. We have a little house, so not much room for big items. The exersaucer suited him just fine.

The Davis Family said...

she may sleep better in her own room-- both mine did! As heart broken as I was to move them out of our room, they both turned into great sleepers soon after. I think there is some truth to the fact that they can smell mommy & want to eat more often?! And mommy & daddy slept much better too :)

Lindsey said...

I was going to put Bennett in our room when he first came home and the nurses told me not to do it. So, he has been in his room since night #1! It is tough getting up in the middle of the night and walking down the hall to his room still at 6 months old!!!

We don't have a jump-a-roo. We have one of those bouncy seat things. We can talk out the seat later and it becomes a walker. He really seems to like that.

I guess I don't really have any great advice..just what we do!

Samantha said...

I put Lucas in his room at 1 month. (or around there) His room is a foot from our room just across the hallway. We have a pretty small house. The monitor is on, fairly loudly, on my nightstand all night long. It's also a video monitor. We found that he actually sleeps better in his own space. When he was in our own room I kept waking him up to much to check on him!! :)

Tara G. said...

Your mom is precious!

1. Between 7-11 weeks. The 3rd was with us much longer than I liked, but we were in the middle of a move.

2. Never had anything except a Tiny Love play mat and a bouncie seat. Again, always moving internationally or something close to it and so we didn't buy any of it.

Melissa said...

My sweet baby (who turns 1 in 2 weeks!!) started sleeping through the night at about 10 weeks. (OMIGOSH, we were so blessed!!) So, my husband made me put her in her room at 3 months. It was really sad for me. You will miss her at first, but you will love it later. Do you have a baby monitor with video feed? We love ours. Helps us keep our eyes on little missy even though she's on the other side of the house.

Does someone have a jumperoo that you could borrow? I'm a huge advocate of try it before you buy it. Cora hated swings (on account of her severe acid reflux), but seemed to like the jumperoo and the exersaucer.

jess said...

Kayle is is 2 and she is still high maintenance :)!! We waited until she was 22 months to put her in her own room and I wish we would have done it earlier!! I think the transition would have been easier if she had been younger, and she also sleeps better now. But, I wouldnt trade the days she was in our room for anything and there is obviously a huge difference in 6 and 22 months lol. She had a jumparoo as well and loved it!! I think we put her in it around 7 or 8 months, but I think she would have enjoyed it earlier too!! Good luck and remember there is no right or wrong...its whats right for you guys and that precious baby! :)

:) jess

Amanda said...

I started both of mine off in their crib. I did that because we have that motion sensor monitor in the crib and it kept me from worrying about sids. Anyway, I'm not sure if I mentioned this to you before, but any time Jackson had to sleep in the room with me (when we traveled) he would wake up more and more every night to nurse. It was like the all you can eat buffet all night long. One time at my mom's he was waking up every single hour. I nearly lost my mind!

Katie Patterson said...

P.S. If you establish a good and constant bedtime routine that will help with trasistioning her into sleeping in her own room. For example, I will feed Matthew, then change his diaper (whether it needs it or not), then rock him and say our night night prayers, then sing a song (he likes Silent Night). Then after he quietens down (in the beginning this took 15 or 20 minutes sometimes) I slowly walk him to his crib and lay him down I stand there and rub his head telling him mommy and daddy loves him...then quietly walk out of the room. In the beginning he would start crying and I WOULD NOT go in unless he cried for 15 mins or so. Then I would quietly walk in and rub his head and tell him we love him again until he calmed down. Eventually he stopped crying at all and went to sleep within 15 minutes or so. We do have a video monitor so I could see if he really needed me or was just upset because I left him alone. He now knows how to cope and self sooth which is very important. It is really a preference if you want to do it this way. Some people find it very difficult to leave a crying baby. I totally respect that feeling too.

Hello There said...

My son started sleeping in his own room as soon as he outgrew his bassinett. I think it was 3 or 4 months old.

We never used the the jumper, but he LOVED his exersaucer. He was really sad the day we had to pack it away, but he was learning how to climb out!

Tina said...

Hi Kelly! Harper just keeps getting cuter and cuter!
I have a 19 month old daughter and we put her in her own room/crib at 6 weeks. I know, that is really early, but she grunted, snorted and squeaked so much as an infant that we were not getting any sleep because everytime she made a sound I woke up. I slept with the monitor turned all the way up and kept it on my pillow. (hehe)
We had jumper and our daughter loved it. We put her in it around 5 months, I think. She played in it almost everyday and I was able to get stuff done. I was sad to pack it up when she outgrew it. Sniff, sniff...

Lisa said...

I love questions...
1. I moved my first to her own room when she was only 2 months. I'm still shocked I did, but we lived in a tiny little house and i could hear her in my room without a monitor. But my second child we had moved and her room was super far from mine.... upstairs and down a hall. I couldn't hear her in my room if my life depended on it! So I didn't move her till 5 months. She was sleeping through the night so I decided she would do better and sleep a little more at night and early mornings when she didn't hear my hubbie and I making noise! But I totally know what you mean about the 6 month marker! She actually might do a little better in her own room where its nice and quiet.

2. Jumperoo - we actually got one as a hand-me-down and good thing b/c neither of my girls really liked it. Sure they would hang out for say maybe 4-5 minutes then they were done. That said I have also heard of many of child that loves it. Maybe you could borrow one from someone (even if just for a day) to see if she likes it. My girls were just never fans of all the "stuff"... they wanted me to hold them. OH well... I guess it could have been worse. :)

Nutty Mom said...

I have 2 kids, never bought a jumperoo or an excersaucer. I had a Johnny jumper (the doorway hanger) which Peanut liked, but Donut didnt. I'm so not into all the BIG baby toys, and quite frankly I don't think they are necessary. Donut had a walker which she used for MAYBE a month before she got so mad that she couldn't reach things from it, so we took her out and she learned to crawl pretty quickly after. I'd say save the money, esecially since she's your first you CAN hold her and take her places all the time. So enjoy it!

Christy@pipandsqueak said...

We moved both of my girls at 6 weeks. They were exclusively breastfed and continued to wake up at night and I still heard them. I did not hear all of the little fusses that normally occur though and that was a good thing.

As far as a jumper, I would suggest borrowing one to see if she likes it. I borrowed one and she liked it . . . for only about 5 minutes every other day. So, I gave it back. It was not worth the space that it took up in my den.

Casey said...

We moved Avery into her own room across the house at 1 week old. I did it because I am a horrible insomniac and I just couldn't sleep. She was a refluxy baby that grunted all night long in her sleep so that didn't help. Also because Daddy had to get up and go to work so I wanted him to be well rested.

We had a doorway jumper and loved it. I would move it all over the house and take it on trips because it was so portable. And it took up less space!

Kelly said...

Hi Kelly,

I put my daughter in her own room when she was 3 months old. She wasn't sleeping through the night yet, but I wanted her to get used to sleeping in her own crib. I tried to acclimate her to it by putting her down for naps in her crib first, and then we moved to nights. She loved her Rainforest Jumperoo (at about 6 1/2-7 months), and she also loved her exersaucer. I think each baby is different. Some like them, some don't.

Terri said...

We never had a jumperoo. My four used an exersaucer, which I might add have come a very long ways in 13 years. (My oldest is 13, the others are 11, 9 and 5.) They were very, very plain 13 years ago, but well loved toys.

As far as sleep, most of them slept in the carseat beside of the bed for a few nights. Then they were in their own rooms. I do agree that it is really what is best for the whole family. Personally, I could sleep better with them in their own room. God gives us moms great hearing in the middle of the night with a monitor next to our ears. :)

Rikki said...

My daughter is almost 10 months old and she still sleeps in our room. She has been sleeping through the night since she was 2 months ,so there is really no reason for it other than I like to have her close. It's totally up to you with what you feel comfortable with.

The jumper is great! We love ours.

{K} said...

my little girl is a couple weeks younger than harper. we got her a exersaucer yesterday and she seems to love it so far! (the exersaucer is a little different than the jumperoo though.) we're also waiting until she's 6 months before starting her on "real" food.

Barclay Kathryn said...

Here are my suggestions:

I never got a jumparoo because they weren't around when I registered for the first baby (3 years ago) so just never spent the $ the second time around. But I've heard great things about it. Especially if Harper likes movement more maybe she'll like. Also if you get it at Walmart and try it and she doesn't like, just return it.

For their moving to their own room. Do it! I did Bella at 1 month because she was so noisy when she slept. It was great, she went much longer between feeding because I didn't hear her until she was really up and she ate better since she was good and hungry therefore went longer between feedings. You'll be glad you did it! We also at 4 months "made" both girls go through the night. Bella did it instantly some how even though I was still feeding her 2 to 3 times a night! Brynn I wasn't feeding anymore at night at 4 months but was sticking in her passie several times a night so at 4 month we cut her off and it took only 1 but VERY LONG night but so worth it for two girls that sleep 12 hours every night since they were 4 months!

Casey said...

Kelly - I've started following your blog over the past few months and have really enjoyed reading. This is the first time I've ever commented. I have two girls.....the oldest will be 3 in October and the other will turn 1 in September.

As for sleeping in their own rooms, my oldest started sleeping in her room at 7 weeks. My youngest went to her room between 10 and 12 weeks. We never have had a jumperoo but I wonder if my little one would like it.

Casey

Bryce's momma said...

Our baby slept a solid 12-14 hours a night at 7-9 weeks. So we waited a little longer, since his room is across the house, then he slept in his own crib at 4 months old. He was a breast baby too. As, for the jumperoo, I think that it beats the excersaucers hand down! We put our little one in it and put blankies around him to prop him up. We even put books and pillows under his feet so that he could lightly bounce. Harper might like it since she seems to like motion a lot. He is 16 months old and would still be jumping if he wasn't so tall! The BEST toy that we invested in! You will absolutely laugh your head off and be able to get tons of stuff done! That was my favorite part. You can ACTUALLY get a shower! Waa hoo!

Patty said...

My advice for buying the jumperoo, is don't! Ha! My son liked it ok, but he also liked the bouncy seat, the bumbo and the exercauser...it's just another large piece of "furniture" and I probably won't be digging it out for my next child just because it takes up so much space.

As for sleeping in their own room - we took our little man out of the cradle next to our bed and into his own room at 5 months old. He was getting too big for the cradle AND he was sleeping through the night so it was a good transition time.

Of course all babies are different and all mommies are different so I wish you the best of luck in your transition decisions!

Have fun!

Beth said...

My four kids were in their own rooms after a couple of weeks...it was across the hall and sometimes their little groans and whimpers are just that but if they were in my room, I couldn't help but wake up with all those little baby noises.

In their own rooms, I wouldn't hear then until they really meant business. For you, if Harper's room is too far away, you can also use a baby monitor and hear her if she really is upset...otherwise you get a good night sleep...what can it hurt? You can always go back to the other way of doing it if it does not work.

I had a Jumper for my youngest)the kind that hangs in the doorway too)
and he loved it.

Jessie Weaver said...

We put her daughter in her room at 2 weeks. She hated the bassinet and we don't have room for a pack and play in our room. But she slept with us quite often in the bed, too.

She has LOVED her jumperoo. We don't have an exersaucer, she hates the swing, so it was the only thing she's really been gaga over. Although now she's 7 1/2 months and seems to think it will be the end of the world if we put her down, now. UGH.

The Albrecht Family said...

Hi kelly!
I have three boys, all of which are growing up too fast.
Here are the answer to your questions from my household.
1. My 1st and 2nd son slept in their cribs from day 2 of being home, but our rooms are very close together and they did a much better job in their cribs. My 3rd son however slept in our room until 6 months, but he started napping in his crib at 4 months of age, so that he could adjust to the different sleeping environment. The transistion went well. :>
2. Jumperoos came out with my 3rd son and I borrowed one, but he wasn't a fan. We had a jumpy that hung from the door, that he loved. My suggestion is that you find a friend who has one and let Harper try it out.
Have a great week! Heather, Nicu nurse from Indiana. :>

Jessie said...

We got the johnny jump that went over the door frame. our kids LOVED it. had it in the living room where they could watch baby einstein. for me i moved my kids to their own bed at 6 months. they napped in their crib during the day time to get adjusted to the crib. its alot easier to nurse at night in your own bed then it is to go across the hall and sit in a chair to nurs.

Emily said...

Kelly - my son was like Harper - so content if we were out and about. I planned our weeks to make sure that we were doing something out of the house everyday. i started taking him to the public library once a week when he was four months old just to have one more place to go where I wasn't tempted to spend money:)

Austin started sleeping in his own room at 4 wks, but since he had a twin bed in his room, I slept in there so my husband could get a great night's sleep and I could be near my boy. So the question really should be... how old was Austin when I finally moved out of his room at night:)

Kara said...

I wanted my son to sleep in our room, but it only lasted half a night. His first night home I couldn't sleep at all with him in there, and neither could he. So he's been in his crib since his first night home. With that being said, as he has gotten older he has gone through stages where he wants us to rock him to sleep rather than falling asleep on his own in his crib. So, we've had to make him cry it out. I never thought I would do that as a mother, but it really was the only thing that worked for us. I just want to encourage you if you have to do that with Harper adjusting to her own bed that it does work. It is absolutely horrible at first, but you and baby make it through. Even if Harper cries, she still knows you love her and will be there when she wakes up. Good luck with the transition!

laurensmommy said...

We put Lauren in her crib about 4 months. BUT, we slept on the air mattress in there with her for a while. Then we graduated to the guest room across the hall for a few months. Finally (about 6-7 months) she was sleeping in her crib and we were downstairs in the master (she was also finally sleeping all through the night at this point and I didn't have to climb the steps to nurse her!)

We never used a jumparoo...she didn't like her exersaucer or swing, so we didn't want to waste the $. But I know plenty of other babies who loved theirs!

Abby Johns said...

Ava has a bouncy seat, has since about 5 months, and she LOVES LOVES LOVES it! Now she tries to bounce even when she isn't in it. It is nice because once they become more mobile (rolling) if you need to leave the room you can plop them in the bouncy seat and not worry about them getting into anything or hurting themselves. It is also great because it wears her out, BIG TIME!

Ava has slept in her little room (our walk in closet) since she was about 3 months because she slept AWFUL next to the bed. It has definitely been a HUGE life saver for us. I think Harper will surprise you at how well she adjusts.

Also, I can't say 6 months was a magical change, but 5 months was! I think because that is right around the time that Ava's teeth finally made it all the way through her gums on the bottom. Getting those first teeth out of the way makes a HUGE difference. She is cutting the top two now and she isn't NEARLY as cranky as she was during the bottom two.

I hope all this rambling helps in some way.

Amberdawn said...

I borrowed a jumperoo from someone and I am so glad I didn't waste my money! My son liked it okay, but not well enough to have one of his own. He'd maybe spend 10-15 mins a day in it, then be on the the next thing. His exersaucer was our best purchase ever!!
We moved him at 3 months exactly to his crib. His room is also on the other side of our house away from our room so it's a little daunting at first, but it got easier. It really is so much better for the baby and parents bc everyone can get a better night's sleep! Good luck!!

amandanbo said...

hi kelly! love reading your blog, this is my first time to post a comment, though! harper is such a doll!
anyway, my daughter is going to be two at the end of this month, but we had her start sleeping in her own room at 3 months...her room is right next to ours, though, so it didn't feel too far away.
she also did have a jumparoo, along with an exersaucer and anther sit in type toy with all the toys around the top. she loved them all! her grama bought her the jumparoo, nothing fancy, just one that hangs from a doorframe and it worked wonderfully and was a whole lot less expensive than the big ones (even though they are sooooo much cuter!)
anyway, good luck with your third night of sleep! and hope that you find something little miss harper loves to play in!
~amanda

jellaan said...

Harper is just too cute!! I miss having a baby, but we are done, so no more babies for me!! :-(

If I remember correctly we put my daughter the room with her brother around 6 weeks and my son went to his room around 4 weeks (but I could be totally wrong about both!! haha). I've been a bad mommy and have not done anything with baby books....maybe I should start now while I still remember som stuff!!

We did not get a jumperoo, but we did have the johnny jumper which hangs in the door and both the kids seemed to enjoy that.

Julie

Ashley said...

My little boy started sleeping in his own room at 4 1/2 months. We stuck with a routine. We would give him his bath, do lotion and pjs and then turn on his sleeptime CD. I stay in the room to say prayers and then walk out. He has been a wonderful sleeper since we set up a routine.
We didn't buy a jumparoo, but we had something similar. My son didn't really enjoy. He loved his exersaucer too much! Good luck!

Anonymous said...

I put my son in his crib at 2 weeks old. He weighed 9.2 lbs at birth and kicked so hard when he was in his basinet that the whole thing would shake. Also, I do not believe in sleeping with baby and he was actually happier and slept better in his own crib in his own room. Don't get me wrong, I totally watched him sleep in his crib for a week before I decided he would be ok and went back to my own bed only to check on him like constantly throughout the night. It sounds like you have a lot planned for Harper at 6 months old. You need to think about gradually introducing her to her own bed. Maybe start her with naps during the day and when she takes naps well, then put her down for the night in her own bed. Don't make too many chages at once because she will not be a happy camper. BTW, the excersaucer was my son's favorite! He loved it...not sure what the jumperoo is but it looks similar. You could always put her in it and if she doesn't like it then try again next week when she may love it.

Ronda Bilyeu said...

We put our son in his room from day one. He slept really good and that worked for us.
We LOVED the jumperoo. I think it actually helped him to walk early. He walked between 9 1/2 & 10 months. I really think it helped his strength. He probably started in it at 3 or 4 months. When I felt he was strong enough to sit in it good.

Mommy said...

Both of my girls were in their rooms at 1 month old. They slept through the night right at 3 months, but I didn't nurse them. I hear that nursed babies can take longer to sleep through the night. I think your goal of 6 months is great! She will be fine and you'll know exactly what to do if she needs you or she just needs to cry. She may go through a little separation anxiety because she loves to be cuddled and held by mommy.

I borrowed a jumperoo for my first daughter and she loved it. She was around 7 months old. I never bought one because my friend let me use hers. I recommend that you borrow one first or try to buy one at a consignment store. She will love it! Most kids do.

Good luck! Your girl is GORGEOUS! She needs to be in a gerber commercial or magazine :)

Love your blog Kelly! Many blessings to you.

Sarah said...

You will probably never get to reading this comment, but....
1.) We put our kids in their own room at 2 weeks old with the monitor turned way up. Our kids both slept so much better in their own beds. And, it was good for mine and my husbands relationship. But, our rooms were close to the babies' rooms, so that helped.
2.) The jumperoo is one of the best things in the world. Our kids both used it by 3 months (once they could hold their head up for a longer period of time). Fantastic. Best ever.
Good luck with your decisions!

DJones said...

When my daughter was born, her room was right next to ours. We didn't use a monitor either. There was just no way to not hear her if she woke up. By the time that my son was born, we had moved into a different house with the bedrooms on opposite sides. Since he was "so far away" we put a monitor in his room. It lasted about 2 weeks. I was checking the monitor with every little squeek he made. In order to get much needed sleep, the monitor was turned off. Both of the kiddos were in there own room from the get go. We also made sure that we had a consistent bedtime routine and played a lullaby cd. We always look in when we go to bed. I used to get up in night, but they both sleep like logs.
We did not have a jumper, but they both loved our exersaucer. They were in it about 3.5-4 mos. They were both "petite" like Harper when they were born.:) We would move it around to whatever room we were in.
Good luck!

Misti said...

Hi Kelly! I don't think I've ever commented before. I love your blog & Harper is too cute!

As for your survey. If I remember correctly, my son, Jonathan slept in his crib for the first time at about 6 weeks old. It was the night before Thanksgiving & we were up really late getting things done so we put him in there. He did really well so he just stayed.

Jonathan had a Jumperoo and he LOVED it! He would just jump the day away.

Anyway, thanks for sharing all of your stories with us. We struggled with infertility for 3 years before we were blessed with our little man. I wish I'd known then that there were women like me sharing their stories online.

Audrey said...

Hi Kelly,
My oldest slept in her own room at 3 weeks. 2nd and 3rd born both slept in their room when they came home for hospital. We all seemed to rest must better that way. I just couldn't sleep listening to all the little noises. The nursery was right next to our bedroom. I always seemed to wake up about minute or two before they woke for their middle of the night feeding. Guess God makes our bodies so that way.

As far as the jumperoo. No, but looked the walkers.

Sure love your blog. We're heading to Bull Shoals Arkansas next week. Maybe we'll run into your parents.

Kimberly said...

Kelly, my experience is the longer you wait to put her in her crib, the harder it will be to make the switch. You are establishing a sleep pattern with her right now and imagine what happens when one tries to break a habit. I would suggest that as you are establishing her sleep patterns now, that you do it in her permanent place of sleep. Just my 2 cents. :) I had twins and they slept in their own crib at 1 week. Both they & I slept better that way! xoxo ~ Kimberly

Rachel @ Moments With My Miracles said...

Both my girls were in their own rooms before they were 2 months old!!! I couldn't sleep well with all their baby noises and plus as I was teaching them to sleep through the night it was easier for all of us to not be in the same room!

I never used a jumperoo but I think they look like so much fun!!! My girls have just loved the exersaucer so I stuck with that.

Rachel @ Moments With My Miracles said...

Forgot to say that we have a video monitor and I would highly recommend that!!! Those things are great for once the babies are in their own rooms!

Val, Brax and Harper said...

a friend of mine gave me the best advice we ever got--to put our son in his crib, in his room from day one. it made for more work for me when i was nursing and he was getting up thru the nite, but it made it easier in the long run--no transition period. my feeling is that the sooner you do it, the better. i think i've mentioned it before, but the book i swear by for sleep training is "healthy sleep habits, happy baby" by dr. marc weissbluth. it is kind heartened, but it works at the same time!!!!
maybe you could borrow a friend's jumperoo to try it out? i kind of thought it was a hassle, hooking it to the doorways, moving it to walk thru....

Bella's mommy said...

Bella was 4 months old when she made the move to her room. Once she did, she slept soundly. I didn't but she did! As for the jumperoo, GET ONE!!! It was a lifesaver. I got my baby one when she was 3 months old. She was too short to reach the floor so we put a pillow under her feet and she LOVED it.

2SetsOfTwins4Me said...

My older twins were in their own room when coming home from the nicu. Granted we also had a bed in their room that my hubby and i slept on till they were a bit older.
My younger twins are almost 7 mos and they are in my room still. We only have a 2 bedroom house right now so we cant really do much until we move. I can see your point in wanting to wait till she is sleeping better. Honestly i would do the same because it would seem like so much work to have to get up and constantly walk to and from her bedroom.
On the jumperoo thing. We have never had one but my children LOVE excersaucers and johnny jumpers. When my older boys were little, they were in early intervention and it was advised by the child devlopment specialist that they not stay in the excersaucers and things like that for long periods of time because of it having some negative effect on some development. Mine do not stay in them but for about 15 minutes once or twice a day.

The Q family said...

I have a "high maintenance" baby and the jumperoo was the best purchase I ever made! She is a twin, so just holding her was not an option all the time. The jumperoo was the ONLY place she was happy. I'd sell off the other stuff on Craigs List and buy one for her. We started using it at 5 months. Even before the girls could really jump(or even touch the ground for that matter), they both really loved it. You might want to do a trial in her room now...you might be surprised how much better you both sleep with some space of your own!

nanc said...

I kept my oldest two in our room for a few months. When they started sleeping later than my husband and I it was time for the move. I hate to say this but we moved our youngest into his nursery after one night in our room. He was the loudest sleeper, grunting all night. I needed to be able to get whatever sleep I could.
My children loved the jumper. Even a few minutes of entertainment was worth it. They liked their swings, particularly when I put different toys in the tray for them.

Bella's mommy said...

Oops, forgot to let you know. Get the stationary jumperoo. (not the one that hangs in the doorway) Ours had lots of toys, music and lights that kept her busy for a long time.

Raina's Retreat said...

Kelly,
Congrats on Harper's good sleeping!
I don't know if you ever get this far in your blog comments :P but anyway...
Our house is a split floor plan too, so, my daughter is sleeping next to me in a bassinet in our room. But with my son we put a bassinet in a little cubby outside of our room (because my husband snored so much) at about 8 or 9 months we moved him to his room. We are currently moving to Fort Smith to a bigger house and it is not a split floor plan so I may move her to her room earlier. There is just something about having your baby next to you. Honestly though, your a good mom, and you will know when it is time for her to move to her own room. Enjoy this age and keep her with you as long as you want. When she is trying to get out of her bassinet and crawl into your bed... then maybe it's time. Ha

The Burgess family said...

My firstborn moved to his own room the second night he was home, ha ha! I couldn't stand me waking at every little noise he made! His 2 little sisters each spent 3 months in our bedroom before we moved them to their own rooms. And I have never owned a jumperoo. My older 2 were easy and happy without any special "baby entertainers" and my third sounds like Harper-- put her in the stroller or sling and go somewhere and she is thrilled.

Chari said...

I think we put him in his room at 4 or 6 weeks, but his room is right next door to ours. *I* actually slept much better because I didn't hear all his little noises. We put a baby monitor inside his crib so we would be sure to hear him nice and clear when he cried.

After looking at all the entertainers I decided on the baby Einstein one. I started putting him in it everyday at almost 4 months old. I had to stuff blankets around him for a while. He HATED it for a long time. When he figured out he could jump in it, that totally changed and he loves it. We don't buy many toys at all and I only wanted one big item like that in the house. It's really worth the money! Just be patient if she doesn't like it at first.

Pamela said...

Question 1: For me I waited until my little one slept thru the night (4.5 months) before I put her in her own room. Plus she seemed more comfortable in the crib vs the cosleeper. She was really sleeping thru the night at 3 months but I couldn't bring myself do it until 4.5
Question 2:
My little one loved her jumperoo and I highly recommend one!

Anonymous said...

See if any of your friends have one you can borrow that they arnt using right now and if so borrow and if she likes it after a couple of days which she probably will when she is older than go buy her one! A girl has to have what a girl has to have!

Brandi said...

Our first son didn't sleep in his own room until he was 16 mo. - yes, 16 months, and believe it or not it was an easy transition for him. Our second son didn't sleep in his own room until he was about 10 months and he moved into the room with his older brother, so it was an easy adjustment for him as well. Our third son will probably go into his own room around 9 - 10 months or so. They're only little once and that's just what felt right for me. If 6 mo. feels right for you, then go with that. As for the jumperoo, if she doesn't like the exersaucer much, I wouldn't waste the money on a jumperoo. :-)

The Pipers said...

We purchased a jumperoo for my son when he was about 7 months old (I have heard of people starting their children out sooner in them)...he LOVED it! If you are not wanting to buy it new (they do tend to run a little high), check out craigslist. I see them in our area (MD) all the time for half of what they are brand new.

Miss Mommy said...

Moved my first at 6 months to her own room (I was waking her up some and then she slept better), second baby moved at 4 months - ish. Do you have any nearby mommies to borrow a jumperoo? I always try to borrow stuff as much as possible. They outgrown/ get tired of things so fast!!

It's a wonderful life said...

Hey Kelly!!
(1) My daughter Savana was 9 weeks premature so we stayed in NICU for about 2 months and when she came home she started sleeping in her own bed. I lived with my parents at that time so we had adjoining rooms I tried sleeping in the same room with her and I could not do it every move that she made I would wake up. I am not sure what I will do with the next baby.
2)I used the exersaucer and LOVED it and so did she.
She is getting so big and still as precious as ever.

Chari said...

I forgot to add, I really think the entertainer helped him develop the strong leg muscles he has now.

Anonymous said...

We moved my son to his own room about 4 months. He was in a cradle and he was such a big baby he was totally outgrowing it. Also it got hard to sleep with him in our room. I probably would have moved him sooner but his room is upstairs. We had a video monitor so I could see everything.

No, no jumparoo for us. Fortunately my sister let me borrow a lot of her stuff for him to try out. I felt like we already had so much big plastic stuff all over the house. I got tired of it being everywhere.

Jo said...

YES YES YES on the Jumparoo. My boy LOVES it and started using it at 3 months. He's 6 months now and still thinks it's a hoot. We have the exact one you have pictured.

As for the moving to his own room part...ahem...we'll let you know when we get there. Before college for sure! :D

Amy said...

Yes!! I loved the jumperoo. WE ended up getting it for our second little boy Kyle because out house had 8 foot doors and the Johnny Jump Up would not fit in any of the doorways downstairs. He really liked it.

I ddn't put my first baby in his own room util h was about 9 months old. However, I masterbedroom was downstairs and he would have beenthe only little creature upstairs. I did put my baby upstairs in his own room muc earlier, and he was a much better sleeper for it. I was much better at putting him in bed and he would just go right to sleep. No fancy smancy stuff. He is still a good sleeper 5 years later.

If your house is one story, I would start by putting her in her room to nap during the day and then slowly start putting her in her room at night. One thing that helped was we had a sound machine that we used in our room and then would put it in the baby's room, so that the room would sound the same. This works well when you travel so that no matter where you are take the sound machine with you and everyplace sounds the same. It also cues them it is time to do that thing called "sleep"! Good luck!! You are doing a great job!
Amy

annalee said...

i think 6 months will be a good time for you guys! everybody is different. we moved adelaide into her room at 3 months because that's when i had to go back to work so it worked best for us. but everybody is different! your plan sounds good.

we didn't buy a jumperoo because they take up a LOT of space, and don't fold down easily. we got the exersaucer instead because it folds up in a closet when needed and provided much of the same entertainment. then we also used one of the over the door frame jumpers that you can put up or down at a moment's notice.

ps- you are a great mom! such fun to read about you and harper's adventures:)

Julie said...

Sleeping in her own room--With my older daughter, we put her in her own room at 6 weeks old. I wasn't ready for that, but my husband was. It worked out, and she was sleeping through the night about two weeks later.

With my yonger daughter, she began to sleep in her own room at about 2.5 months, due to space issues. Life generally just got much better. She slept through the night better b/c she didn't hear us, and b/c I wasn't jumping up to get her everytime I heard her wimper. I slept better b/c I couldn't hear her as well.

On the exersaucer--It's a very nice thing to have. And, if all else fails, you can Craigslist it, or gift it. :)

Emily said...

I would give the entertainers that you have a little longer. My son didn't start really liking his until 5 months or a little longer. And their usefulness is so short lived. At 7 months he doesn't really want to be in them any more.

If you really want to try something different, I would try to borrow one from a friend.

Oh, and Miles starting sleeping in his crib at about 10 weeks! :) Thanks in large part to "Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child".

Kari said...

Our first child we put in her room at 4 months and she never had an issue with it. Her transitions have always been easy. From our room to hers, from the crib to daybed, from daybed to full size bed. She never had the jumperoo. Our newest child, a son, born in Feb. 09 went into his room at 3 months because he got too long to fit in the bassinet. He never had an issue either. I missed him and his sister when they started in their rooms. He only has the over the door jumper which he loves and is awesome and his other moveable thing is his 'walker' aka 'scooter'. He started using it at 3 months old and he is almost 4 months now and zooms and flies all over the house. I like it because he's able to follow me around and change his scenery. Sure, he gets stuck sometimes on a chair or the wall, but he's learning how to turn and navigate on his own. We started our daughter in it when she was 4 months old. It gives the kids and parents freedom!

Anonymous said...

Hey there! The more I read your blog, the more I like it!

We put our son in his room when he was 4 months old. We found that white noise helped him sleep, and I found a set of great CDs just for babies at purewhitenoise.com if you think it might help sweet Harper sleep.

Some friends gave us a Jumperoo as a gift, and once our son got the hang of it, he loved it. If babies really like them, nothing beats the way they squeal and giggle when they're jumping! Tater Tot (our son's nickname on the blog) loved it so much that my parents got one for their house so he'd have one when he visited them.

Enjoy your week!

Jen said...

1. I moved both my kids out of our room and into their room/crib at 6 weeks old...unless they were sick or something. Never had a problem, definitely let me sleep better to get them out! :)
2. Our jumperoo has been worth it's weight in GOLD! My son loved it forever - he would spend more than an hour at a time in it, and sometimes even fell asleep in it! My daughter started using it a couple of weeks ago (she's 4 months old) and she LOVES it too - and she hates her bouncy seat right now, so it's a blessing. Hopes that helps!

ME said...

We were given a jumperoo with our daughter 5 yrs ago, we loved it, but were disappointed that she only used it for a short amount of time (once she started crawling, she didn't want to be "stuck" in one place) same went for my son 2 yrs later and everyone else that we've shared it with. I would have been put out if I had spent the $80 out of my own pocket...but it made a nice gift. My advice would be to borrow one from a friend, or find one at a second-hand store or garage sale (they are super easy to take apart and clean)that way if she hates it you can give it back! We do have some pretty cute videos of my son going absolutely crazy it ours. Hope that helps.

Michelle said...

With our first he went to his own room around 2 months and with number two it was just under a month. Our third which is due in January might be with us a little longer as they will have to share with their older sister who will still only be 2. She is a great sleeper and don't want to wreck her sleep routine.

I had an exersaucer for our first and he loved it. Laila our 2nd hated it and cried when she was put in it. Each kiddie is so different.

BrittenRoost said...

Our two kids went into their own rooms within the week of birth or release of NICU. As far as a jumperoo...we actually used a Johnny Jump-up. It is much cheaper and attaches to a door frame. Lots of entertainment for the kids and a bit of free hands for parents...
Katie Jean

Kelsey said...

Both of my kids loved the jumparoo. The first year, you feel like there is always tons of big toys in the house that take so much room but they will quickly outgrow them. About sleeping, my personal opinion is to put them in their own rooms as soon as you can. My kids are noisy sleepers so as soon as I put them in their room I slept so much better and they did too. Because they wake up and grunt but they will put themselves back to sleep instead of every time you hear them you get up with them. Anyways, the sooner the better, especially if she is right across the hall.

Teri said...

all 3 of my children went into their own room at different ages. My oldest was 3 before he slept all night in his own room. I think it depends on the child and parents. We never had any trouble sleeping with a baby in bed or near us, so for us that was never an issue.

I never used any type of jumper. Personally, I just never got into too much baby stuff. I had a bouncy seat that all 3 loved, a swing that only one ever tolerated, and an exersaucer that I only used for my oldest before giving away. I would work on getting her more content on the floor, which I know is easier said then done. I remember spending many hours on the floor with someone in my lap just waiting for the moment that they reached out for a toy and were fine on their own for a couple of seconds.

Tracy said...

I slept in a cot in my son's room until he was 6 mos old. Our room is beside the nursery. Last summer we bought something that changed our lives. He was 18 mos old. And we bought a Summer Video Monitor (we got the handheld one). We use it ALL THE TIME, even now when he is in a regular bed. In fact, atm we are on vacation, and guess what we brought!!! This is how we knew if he was crying in his sleep or truly awake, how I caught him climbing out of his crib as soon as I shut his door, was able to sleep train by telling him to "lay down!" every time his head popped up. Seriously, changed our lives. Go buy one NOW. I got mine from Amazon, and I bought a second camera when we did his new room. So 2 cameras, one monitor, you just switch channels. We also highly recommend the Angel Care monitor (it really works!!).

Jen said...

Kelly, my daughter Samantha (also a miracle baby...I have PCOS and struggled with infertility too) was a lot like Harper. She always wanted to be held and was kind of "high maintenance" for the first 4 to 6 months. After that, she mellowed a lot! One thing we used when she was smaller was a front carrier so we could still carry her around and have our hands free. We borrowed one from our friends first to see if she'd like it before we bought one ourselves. Also, she didn't really like her exersaucer at first, but we just kept trying her in it about once a week until she eventually liked it around 6 to 8 months. Also, we had her sleep in her own room at night after about 2 months (she was about 4 months before she slept through the night). If you're concerned about hearing her at night, you can use a baby monitor and put it on the stand next to your bed. Those things pick up the sound pretty well! Hope these suggestions help!
Blessings,
Jen in Central PA

Julie {Angry Julie Monday} said...

1. Our son was a few days old. He SNORED really loud and it was better for him to be in his room. He woke up for feedings every 3 hours like clock work. He was formula fed so that probably made a big difference.

2. Absolutely, we loved the Jumperoo. One of the best things we ever bought. We had one at our house and the grandparents house.

Jennie Peakin said...

We had a jumparoo for our son, Tate. He LOVED LOVED LOVED it! I don't know that we could have lived without it. He started using it at 5 months. I think it's a MUST! Although, every baby is different, you never know if Harper will like it. Our son loved it until he was about 11 months old when he learned how to crawl. He crawled/walked late, so once he was mobile, he didn't like being confined to the jumparoo anymore.

Diana said...

I'm going to bbe like comment 159, 160, depending on how long it takes to write this, so I wonder if you'll ever actually see it...

My "babies" are 15, 8 and 7, so I am outdated, but if the "jumparoo" is the door jam jumper, I highly recommend it, but it depends on the kid. Funny you should ask about both of these because my oldest was about 5 months old bouncing in the doorway at 3 am one night and I sat there exhausted wondering if he would ever figure out the difference between night and day and THAT was the night I put him in his own room. He cried for 40 minutes the first night, 20 the 2nd, 10 the 3rd, 5 the 4th and by the 5th night he went right off to sleep on his own... 15 years later it's still going beautifully. The longer you wait the harder it is, so keep that in mind. With my 2nd he was in his own room by 3 months. Because his sister came 10 months after him it took longr to get her on her own because of lack of space. She was on her own by 7 months because it took that long to get the wall built. She wqas the toughest to do...

Thany's my 2 cents, if it's worth that much.

Jennie Peakin said...

I forgot to answer your other question in my previous comment...

Our son was in his room at 2 weeks and we ALL slept much better that way! He liked having a CD playing and the CD "Sing Over Me" is THE BEST! If you don't have it, GET IT! It's Christian Lullabies and I can even just listen to the CD during the day on my own. LOVE IT! I KNOW you would too!

Shari said...

We had a jumperoo and our youngest loved it! Don't waste your money on a new one. Buy used off of Craigslist or Ebay. That way if she doesn't like it you wouldn't have wasted as much money.

asplashofsunshine said...

Q #1: Both of our children went into their own rooms and cribs on day one. No help on that question. I knew I would never get them out of my room if I didn't do it right away. My only advice, whatever you decide to do, stick with it, even if the crying breaks your heart. She'll do just fine! Be confident in your mommy decisions, whatever they may be.

Q #2: Yes, get a jumperoo thingy! Try one at a friends house or grandparents house if you are not sure if you want to buy one. Our children loved the jumpy and/or activity things. It also frequently helped me do laundry in peace and cook dinner too.

Angela said...

Hi Kelly, we put our girls in their rooms at 6 months too. IT went really well, and we all slept better : )

For my tow older daughters I had exersaucers and they liked them okay. For my baby, Sophie, I decided to try the Fisher Price Rainforest Jumperoo and she LOVED it! I started puttin gher in it at abour 4/5 months (it has 3 height adjustments). She loved all the toys attatched and it was a lifesaver when I needed to cook dinner or fold a load of laundry. My older girls would even try to get in and play, lol : )

Katie said...

First of all, too cute for words is all I have to say every time I check your blog out and see new pictures of Miss Harper!!! She is a doll baby!! I also waited until 6 months to start my son in his own bed. SIDS scared me so badly, and I too felt like his room (right next to ours! Ha!) was just so far away. I found he was still young enough that he adapted fairly quickly. I started him with naps in his crib first, and then went for the bedtime routine. I used to rock him every night, and after several weeks, he got to a point where I could lay him in while awake and he'd fuss just a little but then soothe himself to sleep. Now at 2 I feel like we are starting over somewhat, because he is having nightmares and is old enough to be scared of the dark. Sap that I am, I lay on the floor next to his crib and hold his little hand through the bars while he falls asleep. Whatever works for you will be just fine. This precious time goes so quickly and I know soon enough they won't need us, so I don't worry about it too much. Also, my son LOVED the jumperoo!!! I know how you feel about accumulating large baby toys, and we borrowed one from a relative for the four months that he used it before he was too big. Once they start walking, they don't want anything to do with comfining toys anymore. :) If you can find someone willing to loan you one, that's a great route. Seriously, though, it was his favorite thing to do from 7 months to 11 months. I have hilarious video footage of him bouncing like a bobble head and giggling. He even got to where he would take a running start and fly back and forth with his little legs kicking. I think it was a great strengthening toy for his legs. Okay, wrote a book, sorry! Hope the advice helps.:)

Ashley McWhorter said...

OK...weird! Just before I sat down to read your blog, I walked Cash up to his room, to sleep for the night, for the VERY FIRST TIME!!! He is a little over 6 months. He has been in our room since the day he was born. Maybe it is b/c he is the 3rd baby, or maybe it is b/c I don't want to walk upstairs all hours of the night. I don't know. I just never really wanted to move him. BUT, my husband said it was finally time. So, I just put him upstairs. We'll see how the night goes. :)

AS for the Jump-a-roo ... YES, YES, YES!!! We bought one with our first born (5 years ago) and 3 kids later, we are still using it. Yes, we have toys in all corners of the house right now, but, soon, those bouncy seats, swings and bumbo that seat will be out grown. They can stay in the jump-a-roo for at least a year. Harper may not like it at first, but she'll hopefully grow to love it. Mine all did. It is a hoot to watch them in it, too!! Maybe you could find a used one on line or at a resale shop. Or borrow one from a friend to test it out. Cash wasn't a fan a first, but now he LOVES it!!

OK..I am rambling, but I saw where you were putting Harper in her bed for naps. Do you have a sound machine..the "white noise" thingy's? They work wonders! Just a little mom-to-mom FYI!! :)

Have a blessed week!!!

Taylor said...

1. We moved Grace into her crib in her room when she was about 7 weeks old because she had some breathing issues when she was little. For her first 6 weeks she slept in her bassinet in our room, but on her tummy because she had a floppy airway and just breathed so much better and slept better that way. However, we bought the bassinet used and it was warped in the middle and sort of dipped so she couldn't lay flat. Once we finished the house and moved into it I just bit the bullet and started putting her to bed in her crib because she was sleeping through the night by about 8 weeks and she slept wonderfully in her room. I think it's just so different for each baby though!

2. We never had a jumperoo. She was always just happier laying down on a blanket watching everything or sitting in her exercauser (from the time she was about 4-5 months old) so I decided it was a waste of money and a waste of space buying big things that she didn't enjoy!!

Wow, that was long! Sorry!!

Jacquie said...

I love Judy's comment - hilarious!

I've been reading your posts while vacationing, but for the past week or two I've had trouble with an IE error when opening your blog. I just decided to try Firefox and haven't had an error. ???

Those are some cute pictures of Harper and her friends.

Cupcake Mama said...

I agree with several posters about trying a toy out and/or buying second-hand/borrowing. DD loved the jumperoo and exersaucer, but DS didn't care for either too much - he did however LOVE the swing and being the snugli, while his sister hated both!
As for the sleeping in their own room - baby #1 was in her bed from day 1. Our son was born 6 weeks early, so it was a little different with him. But pretty soon after he was "full term" he was in his own bed as well. I really think you will sleep more soundly once you try it - you don't realize how noisy a little one can be when he/she is snoozing! Both my children were and still are good sleepers and nappers. Our DD is almost 6 (she still has a 35 minute rest time in her room) and DS is 2.

Patti said...

We put our daughter in her room at 4 weeks. She just sleeps better in the quiet and is a pretty light sleeper. I am still nursing her (she is 9 months) but now that she sleeps through the night, life is so much easier. My husband was really good about going to get her for me when she was nursing more frequently. She may surprise you when you put her in her own room.

Emersyn got the Baby Einstein jumper for Christmas, she was 4 months. At first she just hung out in it and now she jumps like a maniac. She is so cute in it, she loves to jump to music. I record all kinds of live concerts on our DVR and Emersyn jumps to the beat with the music. She also has an excersaucer and seems to prefer the jumper.

Erica said...

i put my oldest son in his own room about 4 months. i had been nursing him but he ate every 1.5-2 hours all day & all night to eat and i was exhausted. so at 4 months we started giving him formula before bed & moved him to his own room (because he was sleeping better). my son i just had is 3 months old and is nursing & sleeping so much better then his older brother. i will probably move him around 4 months to his own room, out of necessity more then want. i enjoy him in our room but he is just about as long as his bassinet which i'm sure isn't very comfy for him!

as for the jumparoo... every kid is different with those things. my oldest loved the bouncer, my new baby hates it... you never know! i suggest borrowing one from a friend for a few days and see how she does or getting one from a consignment sale (and of course cleaning it very well) so that you're not wasting a lot of money. if you just want the bouncing action they have those ones that hang in the doorway, are safe, & have just as much jumping fun for a fraction of the price!

hope this helps :)

tobykaren said...

I'm the mother of 4! The first I waited until 6 months for solids, moving her to her room etc. She didn't sleep all night until I started feeding her solids. That was a long 6 months. The other 3 I waited just a couple of months. The other 3 started sleeping all night as soon as I added cereal before bed. It has a way of sticking with them a little better than milk. I think either way is fine it's whatever you think is best.

Evelyn said...

Hey Kelly. We have the baby einstein jumperoo and it was the best investment by far. My daughter used it from 4 months right to about 15 months pretty much daily! I loved that it grew with her and helped her expend some of the energy she has SO much of :)

Katy Hill said...

I love your blog!

We put our little boy in his own room somewhere between 3-4 months. We all slept SO MUCH better-I wish I had put him in his own bed sooner, but I was breastfeeding and thought it made my life easier.

Also, Owen loved the Johnny Jump-up! I think he started jumping in his around 4 1/2 months.

Ki said...

I moved all 3 of mine to their own room and crib before 6 months because everything I read said that it was a lot harder on them as they got near 6 months. Apparently that's when they stop being as adaptable. But oh it was so hard moving my first- my little girl Gracie. I think I laid there and cried and watched her on the video monitor for hours. (A video monitor might really help you feel better- the Summer Infant one at Babies R Us is $99 and works great. I thought my husband was crazy when he insisted we needed one- men and their gadgets- but it really has been wonderful.) I moved Gracie just before 6 months, Sam at 5 months and Sophie at more like 4 or 4 1/2 months because she was so sensitive to sound and was waking up every time my husband or I would roll over in bed or anything. All 3 of mine slept better (and longer) once they got used to their own rooms and couldn't "smell dinner" - aka ME!
As for the jumper- my oldest loved it, middle child thought it was ok, youngest hated it- so you never know. I'd try to pick one up at a consignment shop or borrow one from a friend before you shell out big bucks for one.

Harrington Family said...

My son slept with us or in our room till he was a year old. After that I put him in his own room. He slept great after that. My daughter not by choice had to sleep in my room in a pack-n-play till she was 9 months. She would wake nightly to nurse or to just see me. The night we moved and put her in her own room she slept through the night and has for the last 5 months. I think she slept through the night because she was able to fall back to asleep without me waking when I heard her stirring. Or maybe I was just a loud sleeper and disturbed her!

Jumperoo...My son loved. My girl not so much. It is not a huge investment and if Harper doesn't use it maybe a future sibling would enjoy it more.

Lexie Loo, Lily, Liam & Dylan Too said...

The pictures are so cute!
I moved my daughter to her room at night when she was 4 months old. She was already used to sleeping there for naps, so it went well.
As for the jumperoo, love that thing! We bought it when it first came out, for my son, and he used that more than the exersaucer. My daughter was the same way. Definitely worth it, IMO!

Cheri said...

Hi Kelly - we had our son's in their own rooms immediately. They were both robust and huge at birth (both over 9 lbs) and we wanted to start early that they learn to self-soothe. They were also good nappers...don't know if it was because we had that early separation, or not. But hearing us breathe, move around, roll over.......my gut feeling was that they would eventually "need" that for their comfort, and if that was the case, when would they ever want to be in their own room? I breastfed as well, and would enjoy the alone time in the rocker in their room (long before the Internet, as they are now 20 and 16. lol)

And we definitely did the jumperoo - especially our oldest son, he was quite the active jumper. Any time he was held, he was jumping in our lap, even as a young young baby. He LOVED it.

Good luck!

Kristen said...

I never got the jumparoo - for some reason it just made me nervous (like those baby seats that hook to a counter top - eek!) I'm too much of a worrier to put my kids in those!
As far as sleeping goes, our house has the master on the main floor and I didn't want Lauren all the way upstairs at night, even the monitor. So she slept in our room till she was 5.5 months old and sleeping through the night before we moved her. Had she been just down the hall or in the next room, we would've put her in her crib at 3 or 4 months, hard to say. I liked her being with us!

Jodi Lansink said...

We put our girls on their rooms at 3 months, but it was right across the hall, so didn't seem like a big deal being so close to us.

Did not get the jumparoo----but have heard friends that love them for their kids! Harper might love it!

Great blog!!!

Jodie Allen said...

Three kids in three years and the Jumperoo has never been put away! HA! Yes, we love it and all of our kids have loved it. And don't give up on the exersaucer or anything else you have tried... sometimes it takes a baby a few weeks to get used to something (we put them in them a few short times a day until they love it) AND she's still a bit young to really enjoy the toys... give her time and she'll have fun in all the things you've bought her!

Oh, and you can usually find used Jumperoos at children's consignment shops or yard sales pretty cheap... my sister just got one for $10 at a yard sale!

Alaska Girl said...

I had to Google a Jumperoo because I've never heard of one - when I had my last child (now 12) the exersaucers were the big thing. (And a lifesaver for me, I might add, since I brought him to my store with me for 6 months!) I personally would try the Johnny Jump-up before the Jumperoo because it is less costly and Harper just may not like jumping like that. I've had three kids and only two liked the JJU. One of my friends is an Occupational Therapist and many of them do not recommend the JJU - not sure why.
Blessings from AK - =b.

Us said...

Well, I moved mine out @ 1 yr and they moved back when they had pneumonia @ 4 yrs old haven't left yet :-). We never had a jumperoo thingy...and both of mine were VERY high maintenance...It does help to have 2 ;-) They play VERY well together.

Momma Chae said...

My daughter was in my room for about 16 months! I never planned on that happening, but I was completely blindsided by my maternal madness. :) Her room felt so far away!
And since I was/am this kind of mom, my daughter seemed to think that the best play thing to climb and bounce on was ME. She didn't have too much interest in anything else beyond a few minutes. :)

MamaLacey said...

My 7mos old has played in his Rainforest Jumperoo since he was 3-4mos old & LOVES it still! It's his favorite toy to play in. He even falls asleep in it lol

-Lacey-
http://missinglandan0306.blogspot.com/

Sara Campbell said...

Hey Kelly, we don't have that wonderful contraption over here, but I do have a Johnny Jump Up for Benaiah that looks similar...it hangs in the doorway. He LOVES it, good for strengthening legs (and his have a few fat cells!)He looks like a jumpy spider in it. Re: bed for Harper, I realize she was very sick so you may feel it is better to keep an eye on her closer. But my maternal ears got much stronger and I can hear anything louder than normal baby grunts at night and he is all the way down the hall. I found putting him in his own bed (and my girls) helped them develop an independence that I wanted them to have. I love to rock them, snuggle them, hold them, but I also want them to be able to cope without me, especially at bedtime. You do what you think is best, you are a super mom! But I think when you put her in her bed, you'll be proud of how well she'll do. AND it will have certain triggers that tell her it is time to sleep. B knows when we go in and I turn on the fan and give him his knitted blanket, he pulls it over his head and starts his process to sleep. You are a super mom!!! Even if she sleeps with you til 28! Don't forget that. Loved yoru voice the other day on the clip, miss you! this is long!!!

Amy, queen of the world. said...

My son was a lot like Harper... extremely high-maintenance and hated ALL of his baby entertainment.... UNTIL we got the Jumparoo. That kid LIVED for the Jumparoo!! It was his favorite toy up until the point when he was jumping so high and so hard I thought he would fly right out! I started putting him in it at about Harper's age, but he couldn't quite reach the bottom at that point. I think he really got into the jumping at 5 months.

Keely said...

We moved our daughter into her room when she was 4 weeks old. None of the three of us (four, if you count the Jack Russell who sleeps in between us) were sleeping well, and as soon as we let her sleep in her crib, she started sleeping through the night...and has since then. She turned two in March.
We didn't have a jumperoo, but had an exersaucer instead. She really liked it when she was about 5 to 6.5 months old. Once she became mobile, she would have rather been on the move. We did have a Johnny Jump Up, I think it's called; one of those jumpers that mounts to a door frame. She loved that even after she started crawling.

Unknown said...

I think every mama/baby/situation can be so different, but I can tell you my experience. :-) My daughter slept in our room (but in her own crib) until about 14 months old. She was breastfeeding for the first 12 months, and even though she almost always nursed only 1-2 times a night, it was so nice to have her close by! Then when she started drinking a sippy instead of nursing, she liked to lay with me and drink it, especially if she woke up in the night. (I always nursed her laying down @ night.) I think it eased the weaning transition for her to still be close to mommy even though she didn't nurse. Just about 6 weeks after weaning, we moved her into her own room, and she did great after a couple nights. Anyway, that's my experience!

Preppy Pink Crocodile said...

So I don't know what a jumper thing is but do they sell it at Target o Walmart? You could always test it out for a few days to see if dhe likes it. Both stores have a 90 return period. If she hates it, you're not stuck with it forever.

Rachel said...

I had an exersaucer with my first and it was just so so. My second was (and still is at 4) a high maintence little girl and she LOVED that thing. I started putting her in it around 4 months old. I had to stuff blankets around her, but she'd just sit and watch everything around her. She wanted to be up and able to interact with her brother. That thing was my best friend!

My first was in his own room at 6 weeks when he slept through the night and started rolling over (he was an over-achiever early on!). My dd was the lightest sleeper ever and didn't sleep through the night until almost a year old. They were to share a room and I was afraid she'd wake her brother up. When she started sleeping through the night, I put her in the room with her brother and all was well.
It really is just what works best with your situation!

The Reeds said...

The kids are too cute! I love pics of babies together.

No advice.. No kiddos.. But I'm sure either way will be a great decision.

Do you have any decorating advice for my very toile wall(that we're keeping) and a room full of panelling (the hubby loves)??? I'm currently in a dilemma of how to make my living room look "Better Homes and Gardens".... sigh.

Ashley said...

Your little Harper is such a cutie!

We started to put our son in his own room at 2 months. He was sleeping the whole night though but no naps during the day. I knew once he was sleeping the whole night I would feel better about him being in his own room. I still got up to check on him constantly since I was use to getting up 3 times a night to nurse him.

We have both an excersaucer and a jumper. We actually have 2 of each but 2 are here in Okinawa with us and 2 are at granparents houses in the states. He got his jumperoo first. The first time he got a little freaked out in it and then jumped and fell asleep in it. And he has been a jump-aholic ever since. Now that he is scooting all around he rarely jumps in it. I have an excersaucer in our room so he can be in there while I take a shower and I can still see him and hear him playing with the toys. He likes it most days.

My advice is to take Harper to the store and see what entertains her the most as far as turning on the lights/music or whatever the jumperoo/excersaucer has to offer. Also, the church nursery is a great place to "try" this out. Our excersaucer is the same one that they have in our nursery here.

West Family said...

I know a lot of people that have the jumperoo and love it. If you are looking for something that takes up less space there are the ones for the doorway. That is what my sister used for her twins and they would have stayed in their all day if she had let them!

Our daughter was 6 weeks premature and I had her in her room within the first month-6weeks (my husband tore his achilles at that time too and was not in the room! I felt that I kept her in their longer than I normally would have). If you don't already I would have Harper going in her crib several times during the day (awake or for naps) so she gets used to going in there. I will put Emma in her crib while I am putting away clothes and she just lays in there and coo's. That is also where she took her day naps so when I finally put her in there at night it was not a brand new place. Another thing I did would put her in there at bedtime and then when she woke up between 12-4 to eat I put her in the bassinet (I did that for about a week). That can help you transition too! Whatever you decide will be the right thing for your family. All you can do is get suggestions and try somethings and no other things won't work for you and Harper. Either way she will get there and when it happens it will be the right time!

I will say that I sleep A LOT better with her in her room!

Jennifer said...

Kelly

My daughter slept in her own room when we brought her home from the hospital. She did great right away and after a week of no sleep I trusted that she would be fine, and God was right, she was fine:) she is now 2 1/2 and tonite is the first night in a toddler bed and another sleepless night for mom, I keep getting up to check on her, but she's FINE again.

We had the jumper and exersaucer and I had a house full of toys, NOT worth it. She was happy with neither and developed wonderfully. I kept the jumper and got rid of the exersaucer (AWESOME babysitter when you have to use the bathroom alone once and a while) but really, she wanted interaction with me and the floor.

I do agree with some of the other posters that I do sleep GREAT with her in her OWN room. I know SIDS makes you nervous, but she's out of the danger zone as she can roll and she can get herself out of a bad position. She knows how to do that and she's napping in her bed.

Holly said...

My daughter Kyndra was around 6 months when we started putting her in her crib in her own room. Thank goodness for baby monitors. She really liked the jumperoo took. She would just bounce away! I'd defnitely get one again. We got ours from a garage sale....much cheaper than new! A little cleaning and it's just as good as new!

Sarah said...

Hi Kelly!
I really enjoy reading your blog. I only kept my son, Owen, in our room for about a week. I had such a hard time sleeping because every noise he made woke me up. He has always been a great sleeper and LOVES his crib and I attribute a lot of that to putting him in his crib early. Ever since he was a baby when he would wake up after a nap or in the morning he would just play in his crib untill I got him and rarely ever cried to get out.

I also found that if I pumped a bottle before bed and let my husband give it to him he slept much longer. I don't know if he got more and had a fuller belly or what, but it helped us. We finally did the cry it out thing around 4-5 months, but he only cried a little bit for one night and after that slept through the night.

I am a big fan of the jumparoos. I recommend it!

ginger said...

I may be repeating something that is already said (so many comments!) BUT.... if I were you I would try borrowing any equipment or trying her in it at a friend's house to see if it is worth buying. Every child is so different that it is hard to know how your child will react.
As far as putting her in her own room, each one of mine was different because we were in different circumstances for each (military family-moved a lot). I guess the average age was around 4-6 months though, pretty much for the same reason you mentioned: They were sleeping for longer periods of time. Just realize that as soon as you think you figured out her sleeping patterns, they will change! ;) Part of the fun of parenting. Enjoy!

Stephanie said...

Both of my children were in their nursery (right down the hall from me) by two weeks. They just made so many squeaky noises that it was for my own sanity even though I nursed both of them. In doing this, my 3 1/2 year old has never had a problem sleeping on her own and slept thru the night at 3 months, my 18 month old at 4 months. The book "On Becoming Babywise" did wonders for us, but can be very strict--I just used the parts that worked and they are such great sleepers!
On the jumperoo, I would totally buy an exersaucer over it anyday. Both kids loved it, but the jumperoo was very hit and miss. They were usually ready to get out after a few minutes.

Stephanie said...

Also it really helped to realize that I don't have to run to the baby every time they make a noise. And believe me, you can still hear it over the monitor! They often were able to settle themselves without interference from us.

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