Cosleeping is usually great for everybody. Because I was dirt poor with my first baby, it was our only option and, because of this positive experience, I had no doubts with this new baby 21 years later.
I looked at all the options for cosleeping contraptions that were either purchased or DIY and none of them seemed to fit.
I was trying to figure out how to make a DIY changing pad when this idea hit me. It is so basic and simple and worked very well until our boy was rolling over things. Because the border is raised and fairly hard, it kept me from rolling in my sleep and in the last few months, gave my little one a "pillow" to use while nursing while we were sleeping together.
My desk is against my bed and we usually kept this on the desk when I first went to sleep. When the baby would wake up in the night, I could pull the entire thing into the bed with me and curl up around it.
When traveling and visiting family in un-baby-friendly homes, this was perfect!
My boy began rolling at 2 months and this kept him contained. We used this until he was almost 5 months old.
Of course, this did work great as a changing pad, too.
Step 1:
Gather one pillow case, one pool noodle, and one normal towel.
Bend the noodle and slide it into the pillowcase. It will naturally expand out the sides of the pillow case. Insert the folded towel to fill the center.
Step 2:
Admire your economical genius for a moment while you grab your baby.
Step 3:
Lay your baby down and smile. Take a cute photo and post it online somewhere then post the picture location here for me to see (if you right click on the photo, you can "copy image location" and then paste it here in the comments).
BONUS
An easy way to swaddle your baby is to simply roll him/her up in a towel. Forget all the blanket origami, this is much easier
