Dad tip #12: This crib's too far away, this bassinet's too flat, this baby papasan is just right

As a parent, you'll end up buying all kinds of crap that does essentially the same thing. You'll buy any combination of crib, bassinet, cradle, and/or Moses basket all to have a nice cozy place for your baby to sleep.

Perhaps you'll find that the nursery is too far away for your newborn to sleep, so the crib will go unused for some number of months. And perhaps your baby will find the bassinet in your master bedroom just to expansive for his/her tiny little body. And just maybe the Moses basket is too old-fashioned and frilly for your hipster baby. Now what?

Well, you may have also purchased a number of things for your baby to sit in like a baby papasan, a car seat/infant carrier, or a swing of some kind. Fortunately (or perhaps unfortunately) for you, your baby might prefer to sleep in any one of those things.

I say fortunately because as long as you find ANY place that your baby is happy to sleep, you should consider yourself lucky, blessed, and more well-rested than a lot of other parents out there. I hint at "UNfortunately" because I have a co-worker who's spent many a night sticking his kid in a car seat (yay for Graco SnugRides!) to drive around the block for a few hours to let his wife nab some precious sleep. But hey, you can always sleep in shifts! Don't give up ... you've bought more than enough redundant baby stuff that hopefully something has to work.

For the record, my son preferred the Fisher-Price baby papasan above all else for the first couple of months. Good luck!