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Well, I don't think you want to be wearing earplugs when sleeping with a baby since you want to hear them when they cry or need you?

We co-slept (w/baby in her crib) for the first 6 months. Our master is huge, so we were able to comfortably fit a king size bed, changing table, crib, three dressers, and glider. If your master is smaller, you may want to consider a bassinet (at least for the earlier months) and changing table? Or, you could even forego a changing table and just change the baby on a mat on the floor - we did that a lot.

@stiletto_mom: have you tried Mack's brand? I've been using ear plugs every night for years and they stay in really well. Also comes in "feminine" size (smaller) which I prefer because you feel them even less. Plus the feminine ones are hot pink color so theyre easy to spot if they fall out or fall off the bed.

@pinkcupcake: ear plugs don't block out sound (at least for me), they just muffle them so you'd still hear your baby crying even with ear plugs on. Like I can still hear my iPhone alarm clock through the ear plugs even set at low volume (4 tics on the volume.) I like them cause I'm a light sleeper and the teeniest sounds wake me up.

Other than ear plugs and noise machines... hmmm... I can't think of any other alternative besides sending DH to sleep on the couch! For what it's worth, I don't see anything at all wrong with giving DH ear plugs to use on his "off" nights.

DH has worn earplugs every night since his college days, because he is such a light sleeper, even once we were in a single family house with no kids. Now, he wears them still, but had no problem hearing the monitor. His "job" for the last several months was to go get LO when he cried at night, and bring him to me since I was breastfeeding. He started it when we were room-sharing with LO in a bassinet (because getting in and out of bed PP was hard for me at first with my tear), and continued to do it when we moved LO to a crib in his own room. We have a monitor so it's just as easy to hear him. So I don't see any problem with wearing them, if you can find ones that fit better. Other sound sources, besides the sound machine for baby, are a desk fan or humidifier.

I don't use earplugs but we do have the baby in our room. He sleeps in a RNP right next to my side of the bed. We took everything off our dresser and change him there. Our room is small (10x12) with a queen bed and we manage fine

We live in a tiny (and I mean tiny!) one bedroom apartment and all share the same room. LO is 2 now, but in the early days he slept in a bassinet with the legs detached (our mattress sits on the floor) next to my side of the bed. Now his toddler bed sits at the foot of our bed and his soon-to-be-arriving sister will go in the new co sleeper I just bought at my side of the bed. We didn't use a changing table - I just kept a small basket for diapers/wipes/etc next the bed, laid a towel down and changed him on the floor right next to the bed which I found to be much easier to settle back into sleep mode after nursing.

I don't have any experience with earplugs, but, for what it's worth, my husband would wake up initially when LO cried, but fell back asleep with no problems after. I guess it depends on how your DH sleeps though!