It's personal to the baby, nicewarmslippers and probably very little to do with where they sleep. I'm sure if you did a poll on MN you will find it's about equal for who did or didn't and had a baby that did or didn't sleep through the night.

I never had a disrupted night because I didn't have to wake up to feed her and the longer she went without needing a feed the more she slept in her own bed until we were taking her in probably around 4 or 5 then she'd go back off until I got up. As soon as she discovered solids she wasn't as interested in me anymore so probably by 7 months she was sleeping through the night in her own bed unless she was ill or couldn't settle. Not that she ever weaned from the breast, she's 2y 5m and I'm 31 weeks pregnant and she's still nursing.

I exclusiveky breastfed 6 months and carried on for 14 months, now have a 8 week old, never fed either of them in bed. I am tempted with little one but dd is such a great sleeper (never woke in the night since 3 months) that I am inclined to do the same with him as I did with her. Many co sleepers I know baby still wakes to feed in the night at 9 months or a year-I'd rather short term cost for long term gain but its all trade offs and how desperately you need sleep in the short term

Both mine exclusive BF (till 6m and 9m) both slept in their own room from about 10 days. Both slept through the night at 3 m.

I forgot to say, we always put her in her own bed when she fell asleep at night and moved her in with us when she woke first - normally when we went to bed anyway. As she went longer through the night without needing feeds she naturally moved into her own bed so there was no rough transition for her. We also allow her to come in with us whenever she asks, although we do try to keep her to her own bed when she goes down (sometimes she gets on our bed with a "well, that's me sorted" face!)

BF both my children until weaned fully. But could not sleep with them in the same room as me.

like the idea of co sleeping but it just means that i then can't sleep for all the little noises they make and ds wanted feeding every hour cos he could smell me.... so at 6 wks went in his room, but in snall flat so was practically in same room iyswim?

Dd then went straight to the other room but whilst still small would sleep in our room to give ds peace.

I'm a bf peer support volunteer and I know about babies being best in same room as parents but it doesn't work for me and am fortunate that we found what worked for us.

if i had another I would want to invest in one of those alongside cots so that I could sleep with dc safe but near me for bf, and see if that worked at all. I just couldn't sleep with dc in my bed

Coslept for a full year with DH in other room and cot / Moses basket set up out of fear of HV catching me! I eventually had to move her out and attempt to night wean at 13 months. I didn't find sleeping through a feed easy and she was too active at night.
I also wanted DH back in bed and there didn't seem to be space for 3!
Now 30months old and still feeding despite my going back to work 2 says a week when she was 6 months old. Never took a bottle at all.
We bought an Amby hammock bed with intention of using it to help me cope having two under 2yr at once. Unfortunately, the second (and third)pregnancy ended with a miscarriage, so I can't give a true opinion of it. My breastfed baby still suffered reflux so I thought it might be better than laying them flat.

I haven't read the thread (10 pages!) we did cosleep, although I said prebaby I wouldn't. At my NCT class recently I was the only one who said they would (and only one with older children) the teacher said "there speaks a parent".

We weren't able to breastfeed exclusively because she was premature, mostly she was on BM and she was over 6 months before we started solids.

Another gem from my NCT class, the above question was from a poll of where we would feel happy about putting our baby. Everyone else said in their own cot or their own room. To those that said own room she pointed out that babies are twice as likely to suffer SIDS in their own room than their parents beds. She didn't say though that 90% of SIDS happens in a child's own bed, which makes me feel that cosleeping is by far the safest place of the three.

Only read about half of thread.
We didn't co-sleep until my DD was about 9 months. She slept brilliantly until she was 5 or 6 months old (through the night) so there was no need. HOWEVER, after lulling us into a false sense of security in those early months, she stopped sleeping through around 6 months and lo and behold, we started co-sleeping!!!

At 16 months we are still bf-ing and sort of co-sleeping. She now only comes into bed at about 5.30am. Although i feed her to sleep every night on our bed and feed her in bed whenever she wakes up. Is just easier. Then I pop her back in the cot and stumble back to bed. By 5.30 though i can stumble no more and just give in!!.

Waking up to a smiling, chatting, cuddly 16 month old is a wonderful thing .

Lie down with DS (2.6) until he is asleep and always have. Then leave him on double mattress on the floor and go back in when he wakes and stay there for the rest of the night.

Always BF lying down (still BF him now), and have never got up in the night unless he's ill and needs something. I did it mostly because I'm lazy and can't be bothered to get up/down/up again etc etc.

I didn't co-sleep with my dd, but did feed her lying down in bed. She slept in her moses basket next to me in the early months, but i did have lots of problems trying to settle her!

I didn't co-sleep with either of mine until they could roll over , but even then they would be put down in their own cot until I went to bed.

So I guess I co-slept regularly?

My DS is 2 1/2 weeks old and apart from one night at the beginning when we topped up with formula he's exclusively breastfed. He was feeding every 3 hours until last week when it went all wobbly and now he seems to feed continuously from early evening until 3 or 4 am. I was/still am worried about co-sleeping- my husband smokes (although never in the house and he's cut down to a few a day instead of 10 or so) but the last 3 nights I've brought DS into bed for the first part of the night to feed and sleep as I've been too knackered to get out of bed to feed him. I've made sure he's only covered by his blanket and not our duvet. Not too worried about him falling out as his basket is jammed up against the bed and we sleep on a futon only a couple of inches off the floor.

Both of mine exclusive breastfeeders, neither co-slept. I found mine had better night feeds if I got them up and fed then winded then resettled in their moses basket/cot etc than when they fed lying down in my bed (they mostly vomited it back up or seemed to be unsettled for a period in the night which I am sure was wind)

Yes it is possible! DH is 19 weeks and sleeps in his cot next to us and has done so since day one, it works for us as we all sleep better in our own space but I guess everyone does what suits them.

ds1 didn't really sleep anywhere, but when he did deign to do so at night it was in his cot. Spent a lot of hours co-waking, though...
He ebf to 6 months, self-weaned about 11 months.
ds2 prefers to sleep lying down, gets quite grumpy if held to sleep, loves his cot (grumbles about travel cots). He ebf to 6 months, is still feeding at 19 months. No way would I co-sleep with him, he rotates 360 degrees several times a night .

Not read all this but just to add that dd was exclusive bf for 6 mo, & is still bfing at 15 mo. She was in moses basket then cot by bed for first 6 months then own room. has only co-slept once when we all had stomach bug a few months ago - i'm a really light sleeper & wouldn't sleep well if she was in with us. She does now come in with us for her early morning feed & i try to doze but she's a little wriggler & doesn't feed for that long now anyway.

Have only read first page of threads but in answer to OP:
DC1, bf exclusively 'til 24 weeks (ie no food), all milk feeds bf until 10 months and then stopped bfing at 13 months (pregnant and throwing up....). He slept in his own cot next to us for 10 weeks, then into his own room at 10 weeks as he was waking me up too much - still did 2 feeds/night in the rocking chair in his room.
DC2 is bf exclusively (10 weeks), sleeps in a bedside cot (so almost co-sleeping as I can just reach an arm over to her) and often comes into bed at 5am.
DC1 was a winter baby - the thick duvet put me off of co-sleeping. I am still using only a 4-tog duvet with me for DC2.
So exclusive bfing with two babies with different sleeping strategies - whatever works for you at the time!

I excl bf my ds for 6 mths, introduced solids and finally gave up bf at one year. I am currently bf 3 1/2 mth old. Have never co-slept. My dp is a large man and we never felt comfortable with the idea, would not have been enough room in the bed imo. I have always had the moses basket/cot jammed right up against my side of the bed tho so no getting out of bed in the night. My ds always settled straight back into his bed after a feed, my dd was harder but eventually got her used to it with persistance! The times rare times I brought them into the bed, say if dp wasn't there in the morning I have never been relaxed enough to sleep. I wouldn't personally put them in their own room until they reliably started going through the night or stopped bf, purely cos I am lazy. Ds was 18 mths when he went into his own room.

exclusively bf dd1 till 19 months and currently exclusively bf ds1.
never co slept. don't see at all why anyone would think it was necessary.

exclusively bf dd1 till 19 months and currently exclusively bf ds1.
never co slept. don't see at all why anyone would think it was necessary.

I've exclusively bf both my boys (ds2 is six months next week) and we don't co-sleep. Every baby is different and so are parents - my DH and I don't sleep well with the kids in the bed so we've been strict about putting them back in their cots but other friends have found the exact opposite (slept better with their babies in with them).

still bf at 9 months ds never took a bottle, never expressed, never co sleep, ds sleeps in his cot in another room, he wakes up loads in the night but this is mainly cos he is allergic to lots so solids upset him, will probably bf til at least 18 months, not really by choice but ok with it, have resigned myself to not sleeping for two years, and i look surprisingly good for an average of an hour sleep a night for the last 10 months.

i lost loads of weight tho so my advice is eat loads and loads and don't worry about getting fat cos once you lose it all its so hard to eat enough to maintain supply

I'm exclusive bf my 10 week old, and we don't co-sleep. he's in a moses basket next to the bed at night. I sit in bed and feed him then put him back in his basket. No way I'd be able to sleep with him in the bed.

I exclusively breastfed and did not co-sleep. I find that I cannot sleep properly with baby on the same bed. She sleeps on her cot beside our bed and it is no problem getting up to feed her at night.

Not read the entire thread but I have exclusively breast fed DS is now 5.5 months old and never co slept, he slept in his moses basket and when to big for this he happily moved to his cot.

every baby is different but was never a problem for me

I breastfed dd1 until she was a year old, co slept occasionally. Am breastfeeding dd2, we co slept for the first three months and she now comes to bed with me in the morning.

both of mine exclusive breast fed (dd still at 7 months). Never co-slept and she never feeds between 7 and 7. I want my sleep!

I breast fed my two girls until just beyond 2 years. Co-slept with both. I would have died of exhaustion otherwise!

I always put them in the cot initially, but brought them into bed with me and my husband when they woke in the night. When they started to sleep through the night, co-sleeping effortlessly stopped. Easy.

I exclusively breastfed both my babies, and never co slept (apart from very occasionally with DS) They started in a moses basket by the bed, then moved to a cot. Both sleep well, and have always been happy to go to sleep on their own. I'm sure it all really depends on the baby though. You do whats best for all of you at the time don't you?

Exclusively b/f for 4 and 6 months respectively. Co slept with neither.
(though DD did a fair bit of sleeping on me ...)

Went on to b/f for 12 and 20 months.

Breastfed exclusively for 6 months but carried on for a year...my DD never co-slept with us, she was in a moses basket next to the bed for about 3 months then in a cot in the room till 6 months, then into her own room.

TBH I couldn't have slept well with her in the bed, I used to put her back in the cot after every feed.

A few times I fell asleep but on the whole she was back in her cot and settled herself...

Fingers crossed the next one will be the same (37 weeks!)

mumofnineangels you NEEEEEEED a profile!

Co-slept with all my 5 - partially with first two and more or less exclusively with last three. Just couldn't hack sitting up in bed to feed - cold, tired, uncomfortable - when I could lie down all snuggly and warm and hardly wake up at all.

Always had babes on outside of bed, nowhere near dh, and with cot wedged against side of bed so no danger of them falling out. Side of cot was down so if by any chance I was awake at end of feed I could try getting them back in the cot - best tips for this are to have duvet as undersheet and nice warm fleece type on top of duvet so all snuggly and warm when put baby back in.

Had them all out of my bed by between 4 months and 10 months with no difficulty at all (last babe was exclusively co-slept from birth to 4 months and then went in his cot, still in my room, exclusively from around 4 months so no rods for my back there ;) )

Re. nappy changes - I never changed nappy in middle of night unless it was dirty (or had leaked of course) and tbh dirty nappies didn't happen at night time after a couple of months anyway.

I have exclusively breastfed all 9, however have only brought numbers 5,8, and 9 into bed. Each baby is different. I must say I am more likely to get a good nights sleep, if my youngest is in bed with me.

Excl bf for 5.5 mo - dd in Moses basket right next to bed, swaddling worked.
Carried on bf for 2.5 yrs - dd in cot with v nice bfing chair next to it.

ds now almost 8 mths and exclusivley BF. Started of in moses basket until 6 months next to our bed and then after in cot at end of our bed.

In early days hated his basket, probably because there was so much space in it so he co- slept with us which meant we all got sleep rather than him crying all night. Used to get out of bed to bf but so tired some nights decided to stay in bed and just latched him on. wonderful and then if I fell asleep no problem we all slept till morning otherwise would get up and put back into his bed no problem.

Still co-sleeps occasionally all night such as when he has a cold, or having a bad teething night, co sleep early morning as he is up around 6am for his morning feed, need my extra 1 hr or 2 of sleep, and ds can then go back to sleep after. So glad I decided to co-sleep. I do take heed of all the saftey precautions though.

Breastfed ds for 9 months so far, exclusive save exactly 3 bottles of formula. Never co-slept as it's usually meant, but did sometimes have him in bed with us for last couple of hours of the 'night'. He was in a moses basket for first 5 months, then in a small cot by the bed until 7 months, now in a cotbed in his own room. I think in order to co-sleep effectively (ie. we all have some sleep) I'd need a kingsize, some bedguards, and some solution to the duvet problem!

We co sleep in the main with dd (dc2) although shes supposed to sleep in her crib. Ds1 has a bed that sometimes he manages to stay in all night but often comes in with us at some erratic point of the night.

Months that is, not years, LOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I have BF all of mine until 5, 18 and 21 (so far - he is still BF) respectively

Co-slept with them all as it is sooo much easier

Slightly spooked by last poster being called "Griselda" - waves!!)

More of the same, i'm afraid. DD now 7 months, excl bf till weaning at 6 months- still only takes breastmilk.

Haphazard sleeping arrangements depending on everyone's mood each night - but usually in her own cot in her room (which I think she prefers). Heating broke down so one night with us this week!!!

Hope your friend has got some good ideas - i.e. do your own thing and whatever suits you!

DD1, could and would sleep anywhere. I rarely fed lying down, and never co-slept, but she always went straight back to sleep in moses basket.

DD2 was totally different, but I wasn't comfortable with cosleeping, and had a method of sliding her from my bed to her cot while on her own sheet in an attempt to give us both some space to sleep.
If I had my time with her again, I would definitely co-sleep in early weeks/months.

DS mixed sleeping. He always started in his cot, and finished the night in our bed.

Still Exc BF my 10 month old. He was in our room in a crib til he was 6 months and then in his cot in his own room. He has slept through about 10 times in total. I feed him before I go to bed and usually once in the night. He wakes between 6 and 7. I guess he will sleep through consistently at some point but in the meantime once a night is manageable for me. I have co slept with him a few times when he was younger but since he has been very mobile I think he is safer in his cot where I know he can't fling himself out !

Exc BF #1 but did not cosleep - to scared by NHS propoganda advice. Baby was low birthweight so it was a consideration, to be fair. but she slept through from early on.

#2 - had read lots of seditious material about bf and cosleeping, ignored otherwise great midwife in that regard. If we had not coslept I would have been institutionalised by now . #2 has no intention of sleeping through and I have no intention of stopping her night feeds since I barely wake anyway. I don't seethe with resentment at being woken at night, nor am I a martyr to it.

I don't believe you have to cosleep but it makes life a lot easier and warmer. We use a bedside cot with one side permanently removed to make up for the fact we only have a double bed. Wish I could persuade DH that we need a superking.

Excl bf both til 6 months. with dc1 never co-slept. she was in her own room from day 2 she was a good sleeper apart form one really bad phase.

#2 was a bit more relaxed. I had a bed right mext to cot in his room and would pat hism to sleep (when he was a bit older).

With both tho I would feed them in the night lying down and then get them into their cot (so don;t know if this counts as not co-sleeping) I did this because it was EASY!!

DS now nearly 3 and still bf (not that i want to) has all of a sudden started waking in the night (after being ill) and I REALLY cannot be bothered and co-sleep with him (but don't bf and he knows he won;t get any) This has gone on for about 3-4 months but he was regularly sleeping through til 6am since about 18 months. All I would say is ....don't get confortable in any routine....as it will change!'

Exc BF DS1, never occurred to me to co-sleep, I got the impression it was a Dangerous Thing. Bloody wish I had though, things may have been so different.

Decided to co-sleep with DS2, and am SO glad we have, it couldn't be more different, and have never had any of that up all night business that we had last time.

Will do it with any others that come along too.

I have BF DD for nearly 27m now. The only time I co-sleep is if she is poorly, first time was nearly 1 year, DH was away for work and she got a tummy bug and I was too scared to leave her alone.

She slept in a moses basket in our room until 12 weeks then in a cot in the room next door. We worked out she was disturbed by us both snoring

DS was exc bf until almost 9 months, he had a moses basket then crib next to our bed until he was 8 months old.
We would have put him in his room at around 7 months but it wasn't ready ! Often had him fall asleep on me in the newborn days and he slept in our bed a lot because we were rubbish about putting him back!
It took a fortnight or so for him to get used to being in his cot in his room, was no biggie.

DD was exclusively BF until weaning at 6 months, stopped BF at 17 months. Never co-slept - not enough space in our bed for me to feel comfortable initially and when we tried a bit later out of desperation she wouldn't sleep as she thought it was all a game. She was also in her own room pretty early as she wouldn't settle in the moses basket, so I just got some very warm slippers and a very warm dressing gown. DH bless him would move over to my side of the bed to keep it warm for me while I was up and then go back over to his own cold side when I came back to bed .

breastfed 6 exclusively for between 3 months and a year

never co slept

My son is nearly 7 months old and up to the time we started solids was exclusively breastfed (he is still getting only breastmilk)
I have never co-slept with him: he has slept in a crib in our room since the day he came home. I have a comfy chair to feed him in our bedroom. I've never felt any need to have him in our bed, so we'll never have the problem of training him out of it.

DS exclusively BF til 13 mo, then on cows milk in a sippy cup, never took to a bottle which looking back was a good thing as of course I didn't have to wean him off it later or steralise meanwhile. Slept in cot in our room for 8 weeks then in his room. First night on his own he slept through 10 hours (although my boobs woke up wondering where the baby was!) and did so every night for the next 2 months, then he wanted one feed in the night for the following two months (growing and hungry I put it down to).

DD exclusively BF til 23 mo (no that's not a typo) - now nearly 4 and still won't drink cows milk except on cereal. Never had a bottle. First two weeks slept in cot in spare room with me in spare bed - although I spent most of it sleeping (ish) in the rocking chair with her on my lap (VERY securely I might add!). After two weeks of little sleep and a increasingly complaining back thanks to sleeping in the chair I moved back into our room and only went in to her to feed (usually twice) during the night - she slept better and so did I. I guess this was the opposite approach to trying co-sleeping! She slept through (10 hours) at 7 weeks.

Never co-slept with either of them - too terrified by stories of babies getting squashed, even though I know in many cultures its common practice and works well for a lot of families. Also it's been another thing not to have to wean them off!

Best of luck to your friend - hope she too can have a good experience whatever she decides

Exclusively bf dd1, but she was a great sleeper and really placid baby from the start, and only ever woke for 2 or 3 feeds max during the night, so put her back in her moses basket then cot from the get go. plus i was paranoid about smothering her! dd2 - whoa, a whole different story. almost from birth she latched on really well (unlike dd1), but boy did she latch on - i was crying with pain after a few days of constant feeding. and it stayed like that for months, colicky crying too. so, bringing her into bed was the ONLY way to get any sleep pretty much at all. got her into her cot after about 6mths, but then after a month or 2, regressed as she was waking all every couple of hours or so, and settled best lying beside me. but, by about 11 months, she wouldn't settle beside me either, and kept us awake most nights. so, i weaned her off, and gave her bottles during night, but now out of desperation (she was 1 a couple of weeks ago), we leave her in her cot even if grumbling, trying to break the habit. and i never thought i would do that, ever, but sleep must prevail...

Excl BF until 6mo - co-slept for about 4 weeks, then he went into his cot at the side of the bed. Didn't move him into his own room until about 5 months.

ds - co-slept on and off, didn't plan to and was advised not to by most midwives
dd - planned to co-sleep and did so every night, still going at 19m

Exclusively bf for 6 months - never co-slept.

I would've liked to but the midwives puts the fear of God into me saying that they'd seen the statistics and it wasn't worth it. My Mum wanted to kill them for scaring me so.

I breastfed for 9 and again for 12 mths (i was feeding2 at once for 2 months) and I never coslept. Im lucky in that I can fall asleep anywhere so Id get up feed then go back to my bed quite happily. good luck x

Exclusively breastfeeding DS (4 months). Never really co-slept, except in the very early days when I fell asleep feeding him and he fell asleep once he'd finished . He was in a moses basket in our room until about 10 weeks, and then in a cot in his room once he grew out of that - no space in our room for his cot.

However, I have been really lucky in that he's been sleeping through since about 6 weeks, which made it much easier, and meant I felt more comfortable not sleeping with him. I suspect that if he hadn't, then I probably would have moved to co-sleeping, as I was finding it very tiring just getting up to pick him up out of his moses basket, and I think we both would have had more sleep if I'd been co-sleeping.

exclusively bfed too, didn't cosleep with nr 1, coslept with nr 2 for 3 months- and i still do sometimes. you sleep wherever you can get some sleep, and usually that keeps changing at times goes by...

Exclusively bf DD until 5months with some co-sleeping. First 8 weeks getting up to feed and settling her in carrycot. She started to sleep through for a few weeks but is now hungry about 4am and as it's so cold in our room laziness dictates co-sleeping. As Noolia said, I intend to put her back in cot but fall asleep. I wish I'd seen this thread when DD first born - thought I'd be 'told off' if admitted co-sleeping!! But hey, laziness wins everytime with me

DD was exclusively breastfed for a year (with food at six months obviously!) She slept with us for a month and then spent most of her time in her cot (she snores).

DS has been in his cot from the day we came home from hospital - he snores and kicks He's nearly five months and exclusively breastfed despite being the size of a small town!

I am bf DD, now 12 weeks.

For the first 7 weeks she was in a moses basket in our room but as she is quite long she then moved to a cot in her room.

So once or twice a night, whenever she starts to grizzle I have to turn the light on and stumble across the landing to get her and bring her back to feed her in bed.

TBH I would love to have a bedroom / house big enough for her to have a cot in our room or to have a chair upstairs, but our house is like a dolls house.

I have never co-slept, far too scared!

Never co - slept as the idea just terrified me (still does) and breastfed successfully for a year with my son sleeping in the next room and me going in to feed him. Think I was really lucky as he did and still does feed and sleep really well. Maybe your friend will be equally lucky. Don't disillusion her - plenty of that to come anyway!

DS4 is the only one exclusive bf (now weaning)

even on his first night (born at home so from hour 1) he wouldn't settle in a bed / cot ewtc- only in my arms. So we have co-slept since then and indeed, even now- nope always in my arms! Bit of a strain now really, yhough him crawling gives me respite.

The non-bf (well varying lengths of) all co-slept too. Oh indeed, when give the opportunity they still do- ds1 is 9 next week!

I bf exclusively both dds until weaning at 6mos and 4.5 mos - they never had formula and I moved them to cowsmilk at 13 months.

And I didn't co sleep, they both slept in a basket beside my bed until about 4months and then in their own rooms. i always fed them in bed at night though, think people who get up and sit in a chair are mad!

So, yes, it's perfectly possible.

I'm still exclusively bfeeding ds (7.5 months). He was in a crib next to me until about 5 months, when he started waking up when dh got up for work (at 5.30!), so we moved him into a cot in his own room. DS and I never really got the hang of feeding lying down, so I found it worked better to feed him sitting up - plus he seemed to take more that way and wake less often (from about 8 weeks he went from 7 - 7 with a feed at 11 and one at about 4, so it might have been different if he'd woken more often).

I really liked the idea of co-sleeping but was scared by reading about not doing it if 'excessively tired' - which pretty much characterised the first few weeks for me, after a very very long labour. He slept with us a few times when he wouldn't settle, and it always felt lovely - but I hardly slept, and I was always afraid that dh (a very heavy sleeper) would roll on him.

So, a rather rambling response to say that I found b'feeding and sleeping separately perfectly possible (I still do 2 night feeds with ds in a different room)

Yes it is - she never had any formula at all and was BF til 15 months. The ruddy co-sleeping only started once she weaned herself and then refused to sleep alone. grr.

Dd: Ex bf for 14 months. Always slept in a cot in our room until she went in to her own room. Always welcome in our bed (still is) but just seemed to settle best in her own cot. I would feed her sitting up in bed or in a chair and then move her into her cot once she was asleep.

Ds: Ex bf for 7 months (so far). We co-sleep. He only settles when being fed lying on the bed. Have dismantled the cot. Unsure how it's going to work when he starts rolling as he naps in my bed too.

Ds (still bf) slept between DH and I for the first couple of nights, but I was abit nervous as he was very tiny (only 6lb6oz when born) and DH is a heavy sleeper.
We still co-sleep occasionally, mostly he sleeps in his cot in his room but there ar times (especially when DH is away overnight) ds will sleep with me (we now have a bed guard).
He slept in his moses basket until he was 4 months, then in a cot in our room until he was nearly 7 months.
We've never had a problem with switching between co-sleeping & him sleeping in his own cot.
I think your friend will have to figure out what is best for her and the baby. Can't see a problem with co-sleeping myself, and I would consider it again for (theoretical!) dc2.
After all, how many teenager do you know still sleep with their parents

<<Disclaimer - not including SN teens here!>>

I coslept the first night with both my kids and then after that they went to a cot in their own room. They both slept through the night at 6 weeks.

I exclusively breastfed for 6 mths till they ate solids, and they didn't touch any milk but mine until they were 13 months, Both very happy too

B/f DD till 11 months but never co-slept until she was well over a year old. I was too nervous about her being too hot or getting squashed (especially as DP is a very heavy sleeper).

I didn't even discover the wonderfulness of feeding while lying down until about 8 months in, when I got an inflamed milk duct and was trying all sorts of odd angles to try and persuade it to clear! After that, it became quite a nice routine for the early morning feed, but I still never dared do it when I thought I might drop off.

As others have said, it's all about what works for you.

I BF exclusively till just before 6 months and am still feeding at a year and a half. Wee One has never slept through the night and still wakes at least twice, sometimes around 4 times! I lasted till a year and one month (when separation anxiety increased night wakes from around 4 or 5 times to up to ten times a night), at which point he came in with us - usually on his mattress on the floor next to ours with limbs straddling the two mattresses.

For those first 6 months though I found that he slept fine in the basket and later on a cot with the side down up against our bed - as I was so exhausted (with him waking for feeds every hour and a quarter throughout) that I didn't feel safe about cosleeping at the time. So it's definitely possible (depending on what type of baby she gets of course - it just happened to suit mine)! I did find it hard though keeping awake through the feeds - I found a reading light and also a DS invaluable!

We were occasional co-sleepers, not something I planned to do.

DS was EBF until 6 months, then carried on with BF until nearly 2 yrs. TBH he slept fairly well in moses basket rammed up against the bed for first 3 months - then he 'woke up' to the world and sleeping went a bit all over the shop.

After 3 months he was in a cot in our room, then in his own room at about 5ish months. The time between then and 1 yr was pretty rubbish as he was still feeding several times in the night, and I spent far too much time (in retrospect) crouching on the floor in his room in the freezing cold trying to feed him back to sleep and get him to settle back in the cot. At around a year DH & I finally relaxed and decided that ad hoc co-sleeping was the only way we were going to get some decent sleep, so used to co-sleep after the first waking of the night. DS gave up night feeds at around 15 months (except when poorly) and suddenly started sleeping thro around his 2nd birthday.

I'm due with DC2 in a couple of weeks and will definitely be much more open to co-sleeping from birth if needs be - first time round I really took in all the 'rod for your own back' and 'spoiling' messages...

Both have slept in our bed but DD1 too kicky and with DD2 feeding lying down knackers my back [ouch]

DD1 EBF for 6 months, slept in moses basket to 6 weeks then cot in her room
DD2 (currently 14 wks old) EBF so far, slept in moses basket to 10 wks, now cot in her room

Night feeds are done in her room on a rocker chair

never. dd1 was simply too wriggly

Haven't read all the replies but my youngest is 15 months and still B/F, she was exclusively BF until 6 months and we did not co-sleep! She came in to our bed for her 3 am feed and would often stay, but before that she went back into her Moses basket. No real reason, I am not against cosleeping, in fact in those early weeks it was great 'cos it meant I slept!!

My eldest was also bf and I was millitant about putting her back into her Moses basket (first time mum taking far too much notice of other people telling me she'd never sleep in a bed if I didn't!) She suffered terrible wind and I now wonder if she'd have been a lot better in with us.

It is all about what you are comfortable with, cosleeping is great until they get a bit bigger. I didn't want my 6 month old feeding as and when she wanted, by that age I wanted to know what she was having!

I co-slept & bf exclusively. No choice and never even imagined she wouldn't sleep in cot or moses basket. Had various attempts to get her to sleep in cot, but all 100% unsuccessful until stopped breastfeeding in night entirely (at 16m!). Got good sleep mostly though, just let her help herself and hardly had to wake up at all to feed her. Although much better sleep when she was finally in cot & sleeping through!

DD1 BF exclusively for 6 months, and BF for 18 months in total. As a newborn, she slept in a moses basket next to my bed, but she slept from 12 - 6 by 6 weeks, so never had to do any night feeding after that (would go to bed at midnight, and wake again at 6, then nap during the day). I did try co-sleeping for a bit when she started waking when she was about 7 months old. It lasted until I rolled on top of her, and I moved her out of my bed that very night, she stopped night waking the night after!

DD2 was never allowed in my bed (after rolling onto DD1), but again slept in a Moses basket / cot next to me for a year. She slept thru from 8 weeks, and so never needed to come into bed with me. Plus, when she did try night waking at a similar age to DD1, I was able to nip it in the bud much easier, so never needed to.

DD was in moses basket in our room until she waggled it too much, then in cot in our room. Regularly put to sleep with feeding, but in own bed, though she would always end up in ours by the morning (chilly bedroom, more cosy in our bed so she slept better with us. By 5 months she was in her own room on a mattress, then we got round to arranging it more like a nursery, and she went into her cot. Still breast fed to sleep until 1, then feeding bedtime and morning but she got better at settling herself. Stopped feeding at 15 months.

DS was in moses basket next to bed, now cot. still in our room as still waking for milk, don't want to disrupt DD's sleep. He ends up in our bed most nights, though he can go through in his own if wrapped up well enough. depends on the weather, teething etc.

Bf exclusively for 6 months and continue to bf at 23 months. Co slept on and off from about 2 weeks as no heating and the house was freezing, but I did find that she then didn't want to sleep in her cot.
It was though, so much easier to bf whilst co sleeping.

yup, for us co-sleeping was prety much a feature...however, ds 2 always , natuallyy, seemed to refer his own space..he was also naturally a very routinely driven child...

i co-slept occassionally and i breastfed all three of mine for 4-8 months each. however i did find everyone got a much bette nights sleep when we didn;t co-sleep and it was ontl realy out of utter exhasution and failure that i ended up co-sleeping. i was just so knackered i feel asleep with them on my boob and that was that!

still exclusively bf DS at 4.5 months, we part time co-sleep, i.e. he starts off in the cot (and earlier in carrycot) then comes into bed when he first wakes up in the night. He's never slept through so is always in bed with us in the morning!

I breast fed and co-slept/sleep with our four girls, worked well for me. We used an Amby hammock for dd3 and dd4 until they were about 7 months, moses basket for dd2 and dd1 slept in our bed most nights until she moved into a 'big bed' at about 18 months. The most important thing is getting sleep and that is how we do it!

exclusively bf dd1 to 5 months ish
co-slept hardly at all, perhaps one or two occasions. was willing but dd1 did not sleep well in bed with us, so slept beside us in a moses basket then cot.
excl bf dd2 to 6/7 months. coslept a little more often but dd2 in separate cot (by side of our bed) after a few weeks.

All three of mine where breast fed but we never co-slept. Did do night feeds in bed but hubby stayed awake and put babies back in there bed.

Ex bfed all my 3 boys. Didn't co-sleep at all with ds1 and ds2 but this time round I did it out of necessity in those 1st few weeks when he fed sooo often, then gradually he got more used to his moses basket and now cot. He's 5 months now and I bring him in bed with me for the early morning feed which is about 5am ish, then I can have a cuddle and he'll sleep. I even get a lie in at the weekends!

3 x exclusive bf for 12/12/16 months.

None of them regularly co-slept, DS (the youngest) would occasionally - he was a heat seeking baby who would hang off my neck hence I got no sleep. He was soon chucked back into his own bed.

No feeding lying down for me - huge boobs just didn't allow. And none of this baby helping themself lark either, generally sat-up fed and popped back into either crib or cot depending on age. Two girls slept 8-6 ish from 10 weeks and 12 weeks so no real need to be honest. DS again was a different but fed in about 10 minutes and was happy to be popped back into bed afterwards. He didn't really sleep throught until about a year so was a marginal pain in the butt but much less than sleeping with him.

Never co-slept, have exclusively breast fed two babies.

Haven't read all of the posts, but doesn't it seem that far more girls than boys seem to settle happily in their own cots? Though I love co-sleeping.

ds1 - bf and co-slept until 3 years old, although I couldn't feed him lying down, when he was tiny - painful latch - so dutifully sat on my chair in the bedroom 3 or 4 times a night!

ds2 - bf and co-slept from birth until 3.5 years old (and still do at 5.5) "It is one of the loveliest things in the world to sleep curled around your sleeping baby. It's like having a warm teddy" That's me too, Prettycandles. DS2 is a brilliant sleeper, and the snuggliest thing in the world! He usually wakes once a night to turn over, smile at me, and sometimes say "I love you, Mummy" before going back to sleep. <melty emoticon>

I am still feeding my 14 month old and we have never co-slept. She was in the moses basket next to my bed for the first 4 1/2 months. I wouldn't have minded cosleeping but she would never settle in my bed.

Actually just realised we did for the first week but not after that as she slept better in the basket. She is an awful sleeper though I still get woken up now...but if I bring her into our bed she just wants to play.

Bf three boys for 13/12/17 months.
All were in same room as me for first 6-8months in basket/cot but only
co-slept "informally" i.e. when i fell asleep while feeding.

We co-slept till 6 mo at which point i got desperate (she had started waking up every HOUR just to suck a bit to go back to sleep) and I used cc to get her to sleep in her own cot, thankfully it worked within a few days without much screaming and I have NEVER looked back and never regretted it! I wouldn't have coped if I hadn't done that.

Once that was sorted, I continued to exclusively bf (and pretty frequently) till about 10 mo when I began very, very gradually thinking about weaning. Not co-sleeping at that point wasn't a problem, except during the day, the only way to get her to nap was either snuggled up with me or out in the buggy or sling.
At 10mo I started with just one feed at a time, replacing the feed with formula until 1 yo then milk (though for a while I was mixing the two because she refused the milk. However, i now think it was prob the temperature rather than the taste, should've warmed the milk d'oh!). She was fully weaned by 14 mo but was VERY attached to her cup of milk, she had one pretty much constantly available to her!

ds - excl bf to 6 months, bf up to 1 yr - never/very very rarely co-slept - moses basket then cot
dd - excl bf to about 4 mths, bf up to 9 mths - coslept regularly from about 2 months onwards.

I found the whole sleeping thing (>feeding) much easier with co-sleeping. But don't think I would have had the confidence to do that with my first.

Regularly part time (ie he started in his cot and then came into bed with us). Exc bf to 6 months and then bf until 2. Stopped regularly cosleeping at 18 months

DS bf until nearly 2, co-slept for most of first 15 mo. Less to do with bfing and more to do with his horrendous sleeping patterns though!

I am still bfding my 2.11 ds at bedtime. We co-slept from 5 months, and it was so much easier after that!

I BF my ds for 10 months without co-sleeping - I was far too paranoid about squashing him and wouldn't have slept at all.
He started in moses basket at the side of the bed, then cot in our room, then cot in his own room.
My biggest problem was not getting up to feed him but the middle of the night nappy changes...I have always been curious as to how co-sleepers who claim to roll over, feed then go back to sleep cope with this aspect.

dd1 - V rarely co-slept, too worried about squashing her. She slept in a moses basket then went into big cot in her own room at 12 weeks. She was a good sleeper, fell asleep without help from me, woke up twice a night for a feed but was quick and back to sleep really quickly.

dd2 - Sort of half co-slept. Slept in an Amby hammock was a great sleeper when tiny, it all went pear shaped between about 9 and 13 months and I co-slept with her a lot in that phase. Didn't really suit either of though, she ended up getting fed up with me and slept better on her own in the cot. She's a great sleeper now.

Co slept with DS1 till he was about 6 months or so and b-fed him till he was 2.
Co sleeping with DS2 who is 18 months (starts in his cot but wakes up every night and comes in with us), is still b-fed.

Think co sleeping makes it much easier to feed and sleep at night...

Am still co sleeping with both - ds1 is 5 and ds2 is 18mo.
It gets crowded...
Ds2 still bf and I have been trying to stop for about 4 months but failing...

I only started co sleeping at around 9 months. DS was exclusively bf for 23 weeks.

Only co slept occasionally, when ds was tiny, up to about the age of 8 weeks or so. He would start off in the moses basket next to my side of the bed, but when he woke in the night, after a feed he would be reluctant to go back in there, so he'd spend the rest of the night asleep on my chest. He pretty much stopped needing this when he was about 8 weeks old, with the occasional relapse. At 6 months he went in to his cot in his room without a whimper (couldn't say the same about me!) and he's slept there since. From about 10 weeks he was only having one feed a night (plus a dream feed before I went to bed) so I didn't really need to co-sleep and from about 7 months he was going through the night completely from 7 to 7. I never had any problems bfing, though my supply was sometimes not great, which is why I kept the 10.30pm dream feed until ds was 1. He self weaned a week later - I guess giving up that late feed killed off my supply (I was back at work full time by then, only feeding twice a day)

Am ex BF, apart from a little 'hiccup' in the first week due to jaundice and paed's orders to top-up with formula. After initially having a sleepy DS in the moses basket that needed to be woken up we had a clingy DS that would wake as soon as I moved him after a feed. Discovered the easiest way to keep him asleep after a feed was to feed lying down - was also the best way for all of us to get the most amount of sleep. Didn't last long though, only co-slept from 2 weeks to 8 weeks when we moved him into a bedside cot, after I got backache from lying on my side too much.

He's only 12 weeks now and I love the bedside cot. I sometimes feed him lying down, half in half out of his cot. But mainly sit up in bed to feed as he seems to get a proper feed that way and I can practically do it in my sleep. Lying down he just snacks on and off waking me up with his 'still hungry' snuffles whenever I roll onto my back.

Brought him onto my part of the bed this morning for a lazy lying down feed (in an effort to stretch my lie-in a bit further), but he wanted to go back to his cot after he finished .

DD2 has co-slept since birth (20 months). Still BF.

DD1 BF until 15 mo occasionally co-slept but mainly didn't.

DS1 and DS2 BF to 15 mo and never co-slept.

DS3 BF to 13 mo and co-slept occasionally until he was almost 12 years old

Tried a bit of co-sleeping with dd and hated it. I couldn't sleep and she learned to prefer to sleep on her side. She then became hysterical when on her back. I bf her exclusively for 5 months and continued til 12 months.

DS, I fed exclusively for 8 months and carried on til 12 months. Never co-slept.

With both dcs I found it better to get up and wake them up a bit more for them to feed. Otherwise both would only feed for about 5 - 10 mins, fall asleep and then wake yelling for food 2 hours later. Oh, and they both threw up a lot as well, which is obviously not great when co-sleeping.

dd co-slept / bedside cot combo excl BF and extended BF but she never took to being fed lying down which at first was hard work

co-sleep occaisionally. Bfed both my other two and bfeeding DD2 at present.

I have a crib next to the bed- don't need to get out of my own bed to pick them up.

Fed DS1 for 10 months, co-slept.
Feeding DS2 & co-sleeping

Exc BF till 6 months, co-slept from birth - still BFing at 13 months, and partial co-sleeping (now he starts the night in his cot)

I don't think I'd have got BFing established without co-sleeping, I'd have switched to formula because it was either co-sleep or no-sleep.

ds1 was exclusively breastfed for 4.5 months.

he slept in his cot from day one, and had a regular 4 hr waking/feeding pattern. this had nothing to do with the gicving up bf, btw. totally diff issues going on!

ds2 is also exc breastfed and we have done ANYTHING necessary to get some bloody sleep lol. so, co-sleeping, sleeping downstairs with him on my chest etc etc. he now sleeps in his cot and we're still bf-ing

all babies are different, and I don't think it's unreasonable of your friend to think her baby might sleep in a cot or whatever. some babies do!

I exclusively bf dd for 6 months. She started out sleeping in her Moses basket and then came into our bed at some point during the night (I intended to move her back but always fell asleep!) At around 4 months she started feeding a lot at night, had outgrown the Moses basket and wouldn't sleep in the cot, so we co-slept full time until we nightweaned at 22 months. I'd have continued with the co-sleeping but dd couldn't cope with being next to me at night but not getting milk.

I'm pregnant again and fully intend to co-sleep from the beginning as I think I'll get far more sleep that way. I was thinking about getting an Amby hammock for naps and the odd time I don't want to co-sleep, but you (OP) have made me reconsider that!

I have bf my 3 (total of my life spent vf, 5 years +) and only ever co-slept when I fell asleep while feeding through utter exhaustion. I was [am] terrified of rolling on the baby.

I never had a problem with putting the baby back in his/her cot to go back to sleep. Although DS2 as a small baby objected until I lined his moses basket with a fleece blanket.

DS2 is 14 months and when he wakes for a feed goes back happily, a quick burp as he is carried back to his room. He has a sleeping bag and stays in it for the whole feed, and has done since tiny.

I exclusively breastfed mine til 6/7 months. With ds1 I didn't co-sleep at all, he was in his own room from 3 weeks. With ds2 I occasionally co-slept, or rather brought him into our bed in the night, didn't ever start off in bed together. They were quite different babies, ds1 was a noisy and restless but sound sleeper and has never enjoyed being in bed with us. Ds2 is much more cuddly and lies quietly in our bed, plus is not as good a sleeper so more often ends up there. I think you have to go with the flow and do what seems right for you and the baby.

DD was mix fed and sometimes coslept
DS excl bf sometimes cosleep. He starts off in his own cot and comes in with me at whatever point I don't want to get out of bed anymore! So sometimes he stays in his cot all night (feeds excepted), other times he is in with me from 4/5 am, other times from 11pm. I prefer not to have him in with me though because he annoys me, I like my own space to sleep not having a little person climbing all over me or nuzzling me all night!

Started mine off in crib by the side of the bed. Plonked them in bed with me when it seemed easier in the middle of the night. Didn't make a big deal out of it, kept it secret from Health Visitor and Midwife in case I got told off.

exc bf my youngest three to 4 months, 6 months & 11 months respectively (basically until I went to work!!) Never co-slept or even shared a room with them, I think the eldest one lasted 2 weeks in our room.

Exclusively breastfed twins (except for stupid midwife in hosp giving them a bottle of formula!!) and never really co-slept. Occasionally fell asleep with one on my chest, but transferred to Moses basket as soon as I realised. I think it's what the baby is used to right from the beginning. With twins its impossible to carry them around all the time, but they were always near each other so that probably helped. Esp. when they moved into their own room at 5 mths.

I don't think you have to co-sleep to succeed at breastfeeding, in fact I know several people who have had baby/ies in another room and still managed to exclusively breastfeed, but I don't have a problem with people who do co-sleep if it works for them. Whatever helps you through those long dark hours!!!

I exclusively BF and yes I did co-sleep.

Breastfed exclusively for 5 and a half months (until I went back to work) and continued successfully until DD was 14 months when she self-weaned. DD never slept in our bed until she was 20 months old and suddenly went loopy. But she is now a committed co-sleeper and I have no idea how to get her out!

Exclusively bf but no co-sleeping for us.

Up until about 6 months (when solids introduced) would wake 2/3 times a night so not great sleeping I spose but worked fine for us!

PS - Should ahve said my DS is obviously supposed to be on solids now but is not really interested so milk is very much his main source of nutrition still.

My DS has been exclusively BF until now. He has never slept in our bed but then from day one he was always a really good sleeper. Even as a newborn he would only need one night feed.

On the other hand he would want feeding every hour and a half or so throughout the day so I guess he stocked up then.

2 babies bf for 12 months and 2 years and counting and i co-slept with both.

when dd was born the hospital suggested bringing her into the bed if i was bf-ing and i was a bit resistant as i'm a heavy sleeper and wasn't convinced it was safe. after 2 days at home it became clear that my options were;

A cosleep and feed lying down
B sit up all night feeding and returning to crib only to be woken 10 mins later for another feed and have to sit up for another 30 mins.... nervous breakdown soon to follow
C give up and give her a bottle

i chose A and when ds was born i brought him straight into the bed with me and never looked back

both mine start ou t the night in their crib/cot and end p in my bed with me the first time they ask for a feed once i'm in bed myself.

i'll be doing the same with dc3

With dd (3) and ds (1) both breastfeed until about 9 months and never co-slept with either. Both were in moses basket right next to bed until they were too big for it. Then into own cot. I got up and fed them - though often did it lying down when they were in the same room as me and then PUT THEM BACK in moses basket.

I just accepted getting up in the night to feed them. DD has only ever slept in our bed once (a habit i didn't want) and ds never has. I don't see that there is a problem doing it this way - worked for me, althought I do understand the benefits of co-sleeping.

If i had to do it again (which I hope I don't - 2 is enough!)I prob would do the same. Although, I think I would get a sling for daytimes (only difference)

HTH x

dd exc bf for 6 months and still bf now at 16 months,
never co-slept.

With my first she slept in a cot quite happily - she was a vrilliant sleeper though and slept through from 5 weeks. My second is a different story - he's pretty much a co-sleeper and is a year old. I suppose it depends on the baby really.

I entirely agree with Nelly. Not everybody wants to wear their baby all day and sleep with them at night. It is entirely possible to breastfeed without doing either. And has been for generations.

Exc bfed dd for 6mo. She was in her own room by end of week 1.She never slept more than 3hrs in a row at this time. Never co slept, paranoid we'd squash her.

Still b/fing 15mo DD. Have only ever co-slept when she's been unwell and extra difficult to settle. Used to have nightmares that she was still in bed with us, and wake up to find myself pulling the covers off DH, waking him up too. He wasn't terribly impressed!!

I did it very successfully without co sleeping and constant feeding. We need our sleep- getting enough is always a problem when DH gets up at 5.30am. I also had them in their own room and much preferred getting out of bed to do a proper feed.

Not entirely. It is one of the loveliest things in the world to sleep curled around your sleeping baby. It's like having a warm teddy . With ds1 I used to wake in the night and find that dh and I were both curled around him, with our arms arced protectively over him.

IMO co-sleeping is at its best with a good sleeper, who wakes for a feed only once at night. It's not nearly as nice with a child who sleeps through, because you don't appreciate it as much then. But, yes, it's born of necessity with a non-sleeper. Still nice, though.

The next-best thing to co-sleeping is a sidecar cot.

I think you have a point there, Nelly - cosleeping is usually borne out of necessity by people whose babies don;t sleep 12h at 8 or 9 wks

I'd never have considered it had the alternative not been getting up every 45min all night every night...

Sorry, I haven't read all the posts, but I don't agree with this at all (although everyone is different obviously). Actually I sadly find that it is the expectation that this is what it is going to be like if you breast feed (co-sleeping, constant night feeding etc) that has put off various friends of mine from trying it unfortunately.

Both my DDs were exclusively BF and I never co-slept. In fact I moved both girls out into the room next door after about 10 days as I found it impossible to sleep with them in the room with me. I've never really understood the feeding in bed thing. I found if I tried it that we'd both drop off, DD wouldn't take a proper feed and would wake up an hour later for more feeding anyway. In any event I ALWAYS had to get out of bed anyway as both DDs always pooed straight after or during a feed so I ALWAYS had to do a nappy change so generally it was easier for me just to get up properly once in the night, do one proper feed then go back to sleep rather than the constant on off feeeding and disturbance if the baby was in my bed. Both girls slept through 12 hrs a night from about 8 or 9 weeks anyway so I guess I was lucky that the whole night feeding thing wasn't much of an issue for me anyway.

started cosleeping when dd's sleep went haywire at 4m

stopped at about 8m when I had to go back to work - the disturbed sleep and constant feeding was fine when we could doze together all morning but I couldn;t cope with it once I had to get up at 6.30 again

still bf at 15m though

I exclusively breast fed mine for the first 6 months and we co-slept occasionally. It happened mainly in the first few months, when I was too knackered to actually leave the bed to reposition baby in the cot. Both mine slept in a cot in our bedroom. Ds until he was 2 (he was a bad sleeper, I preferred to have him close and not risking to fall down the stairs every time he woke up), dd until she was 8 or 9 months.

BF DS1 for 1 year and DS2 for 18 months. Never co-slept apart from if they were ill and needed propping up on my chest. DS1 in Moses basket by bed for 2 weeks - then into his own room. DS 2 in moses basket by bed for 3 months as I was worried he would wake DS1 up - then into his own room. Swaddled both. I just used to get up and trog upstairs in the dark in a dream, feed, and put them straight back down and go back to my own bed.

I just could NOT co sleep - I found I would just lie awake uncomfy as they rolled in further and further towards me.

always

I have co-slept to one degree or another with all of my babies, fed in all ways (mix-fed, and breastfed). The more confident I grew, the more I co-slept, until, with dc3, we didn't even bother building the cot until he was nearly 3m.

Excl bf for 6 months - carried on bf until dd was 20 mo. She slept beside our bed - I'm not a great sleeper anyway, and was very twitchy with her beside me. But - she was a great feeder - had longish feeds, but then long sleeps in between. She slept in her big silver cross pram in our bedroom(!) - she quite liked the motion if we leaned out and tapped it a bit.

If I have another one I might try a sidecar type arrangement.

Excl bf for 6 months - carried on bf until dd was 20 mo. She slept beside our bed - I'm not a great sleeper anyway, and was very twitchy with her beside me. But - she was a great feeder - had longish feeds, but then long sleeps in between. She slept in her big silver cross pram in our bedroom(!) - she quite liked the motion if we leaned out and tapped it a bit.

If I have another one I might try a sidecar type arrangement.

Not read all the posts but I had no idea that co-sleeping went hand in hand with excl-bf to such and extent.

DS now 5 months. Exc- bf and should get to 6 months barring a crisis. Only co-sleep when really struggling to settle DS. I don't find it especially comfortable and we only have a double bed so find it a bit squashed for all three of us. Another factor was that following a c/s I could not roll onto my side for the first 3 or 4 weeks, so it was impossible.

DS was in a carrycot for the first 5 weeks but got too big for it so then went into his cot in his own room. When he wakes in the night I feed him in his room, but now it's winter I am finding it a bit chilly!

Co-slept and bf for 9 mths with both dds - best way to get as much sleep as possible!

I exclusively BFed DD until she was 14 months but we never co-slept.

I jcould not sleep with DD in the bed and she wanted to suckle the whole time if she was lying next to me.

For the first 6 months she was in a moses basket at the end of the bed. Then she started to sleep through so I moved her down to her own cot in her own room.

Dd sometimes co-slept.
DS1 sometimes co-slept.
DS2 always co-sleep (planned though).

Dd sometimes co-slept.
DS1 sometimes co-slept.
DS2 always co-sleep (planned though).

DD1 - exclusively breastfed - I didn't cosleep (and was still paranoid about cotdeath). Otherwise I coped with DD1 screaming because she didn't want to be in the Moses basket (or rather, I spent a lot of time picking her up, rocking her etc. etc.).

DD2 - exclusively breastfed - we cosleep pretty much every night. I still worry about cotdeath, but need to sleep or I'd never deal with both of them during the day. I keep thinking that there will be a good time to move her out, but it doesn't happen, and I'm really worried that I've conditioned her to cosleep now.

I'm so of people with babies who sleep! The Moses basket has always been positioned so that I don't have to go to bed, so it doesn't benefit me that they cosleep (except that they will actually sleep, of course).

If you count passing out through exhaustion and waking up with baby in bed next to me as co-sleeping then we did it once. She slept in moses basket next to my bed for 8 weeks then went into her own room in the cot. Pram carry cot was used lots in the day indoors for naps and out walking. We bf exclusively for 22 weeks. No bottles of ebm in there either. We are still bf now at 13 months. So your friend may well get use out of her purchases

With dd1 I also, like a previous poster, believed all the stuff about forming bad habits, so I sat in a chair by her bed, almost nodding off on top of her while she fed- it was awful , but bf her exclusively until she was about 8 mths, when she lost interest

With dd2, I used to bring her into bed to feed her, and often dropped off with her still feeding- and sometimes woke back up hours later to find she had latched herself on again!! I was so exhausted with a toddler and a baby that it was the only way I could have done it. She was exclusively bf until about 7 mths

With ds, I was far more confident with the whole co-sleeping thing. He started the night in his cot/ moses basket, but usually ended up in ours after the first night feed- so much easier! He is still bf at 13 mths- and still sometimes comes in around 6.30 am for a feed and a cuddle, although he no longer really feeds during the day.

Exclusive breastfeeding.
Always co-slept.
With baby #2 I actually gave away my cot beforehand.
If I was having a third baby I would also set out to co-sleep having heard Dr Helen Ball from the Uni of Durham speak about her research into co-sleeping and its benefits for breastfeeding.
More here:

http://www.dur.ac.uk/sleep.lab/presentations/

The 2005 infant feeding survey found 61% of bfing mothers co-sleep in some form. And it was recommended 'mothers need to be encouraged to adopt safe co-sleeping practices.'
Now that the FSID folks have come in on the UNICEF co-sleeping leaflet I think co-sleeping is more acknowledged and appreciated than it has been for a while.

DS slept well in his crib until he was 13 weeks, when it all went tits up. So then we co-slept (he would start in his crib/cot then come into bed when he woke) until he was about 9mo. He was exclusively BF to 6mo and self-weaned at 20mo.

I exclusively bf for 1 year (DS started solid food at 5 months and I gradually wound down the breastmilk so he went straight onto cows milk at 1 year.

Never co slept, followed GF routine more or less. He was a glugger who took full feeds and then slept happily. Depends on the baby, if they are a fitful feeder it might be different. It's good to learn techniques for getting them to take a good feed and also keep your milk supply up by trying to nap yourself and eat a lot of regular food, as when you get tired you can produce a lot less..

I exclusively bf for 17mo with DD- we never co-slept- she would never have gone to sleep with us next to her- too stimulating for her.
On the odd occasions we tried when she was older... she would lie next to us, stroking our faces and giggling saying 'Mama'... 'Papa'... <stroke, stroke> she found it hilarious.

She was in a moses basket, then a cotbed next to our bed for 5.5 mo, then went in her own room, where she started sleeping much better- she was such a noisy sleeper!

DD1: ex bf, never co-slept - maybe she would have been easier if we had?
DD2: ex bf, sometimes co-slept, sometimes she slept in the cot.
DS: ex bf, co-sleeping from day 1. Very calm baby.

I took the side off the cot and had it right up to my bed so that all I had to do was reach over to him, but he was "safe" (before he could move at all of course) and I could get to him without having to leave bed.

I ExBF for the first 6 months and Im still bf at 9 months.....we've never co-slept.
DD was happy in her cot from the start. I still feed in the night but just feed her sat up in bed and then put her down in her cot when she's finished. I think I've been lucky in that she never really woke more than twice a night for a feed from the beginning. She now wakes once a night and feeds very quickly....10 mins tops.

If I'd had a baby that wanted to feed constantly then I probably would have co-slept out of desperation. Im not sure DP would have been happy with this though he has a morbid fear of rolling over and squashing DC which is probably why DS and DD never co-slept.

I am exclusively bfing dd2. She co-slept for the first 3wks or so, now she is in her cot in our room (mainly due to lack of room in the bed!)

the night feeds are not so bad even though I haven't mastered the art of feeding lying down...

ocassionally co-slept......by that i mean for a couple of hours a night a few times a week. only ever done whole night twice, and that was due to dd being very unsettled.....excl bf after first 4 weeks of dd life till weaning started at 5 n half months.

re-hijacks. thanks witchandchips. i do just want it to click into place now, though, and it REALLY doesn't seem to be. i should start a thread but it's SO boring and depressing.

b/f with 2 (one to 9 months and one to 21 months) and never co-slept; exclusive for first 5 months - then solids

Exclusive bf with 3 and never co-slept.

both of mine exbf til 6 months - ds coslept out of desperation til about 5 weeks then he was in the cot in our room til about 7 months.

dd never coslept - she wasnt much of a one for sleeping past 4.30am so dp took her downstairs then and paced etc, after about two months she was happy enough in her cot in our room and she is now sleeping 7-7 at 6.5 months in her own room - I miss her though as she has only been in there a week

I would have coslept if dd was one of those babies - like my ds - who would drop off back to sleep immediately after a feed.

DS was in his own room at 6 weeks bf until 15 months. Slept through at 5.5 months

DD had learnt my lesson so co-sleep. Not doing that getting up, waking up thing this time! Seems to be sleeping through at 10 weeks though

DD1 was not breastfed and I did not co-sleep. Reasons for not bf too complicated to go into. I didn't really co-sleep because I was uninformed and was worried about rolling on her etc.

DD2 was exclusively breastfed and I co-slept until she was about six months then she moved into a cot but still in my room.

B/f ds for 13 months (weaned at 4 months - didn't know better 8 years ago)

He slpet in a crib in our room for the first 6 months, then went into a cot in another room.

However, he did sleep thourgh from about 2 weeks - too well, as we had to wake him for a while to give hem extra feeds to encurage weight gain.

I Exclusively bfed my 2dds. DD1 slept in her own cot which had one side missing and was attached to my bed. So i basically slid her into my bed for a feed then slid her back into the cod.

With dd2 i had the same arrangement but found that she spent most of the time in my bed with me, i was majorly sleep deprived even when doing this. *and now* i sleep in her bed with her and cannot get back into my own bed she is too used to me being there. I suppose this stage will pass soon enough though and at least i will have no parenting regrets

BF exclusively for 6 months, initially DS was in his crib (most of the time) but we gradually changed over to co-sleeping permanently by the time he was about 3 months old. We started moving him back to a cot at about 7 months and he stopped co-sleeping altogether at about 9 months.

I'm still BF a couple of times a day and he's now a year old.

Coslept after first few weeks wiht both but witha cot attached to side of the bed as our bed only just fits DH and I!
Both moved into own room at 5ish months but ended up in our bed if necessary.

Excl BF first 6 months and coslept after the first 3 weeks I think. Still cosleeping and BFing now at 16 months!

I do think they two go hand in hand - it feels natural (and easier )

ex bf for 6 months, co slept for part of the night (still do from 5am onwards, and he's 10 mo now)

a friend also ex bf for 6 months and never coslept

ex bf for about 6 mths x2

never coslept, just doesn't work for me, I can't sleep with babies in the bed

in fact both of mine were in a cot in the next room from 6 weeks

DD is 18 months old. We co-sleep, she was exclusively bf to 7 months and is still bfing.

I don't co-sleep because I bfeed though. I co-sleep because it's the right thing for us.

I exclusively breastfed ds1 for 16 weeks and ds2 for 20 weeks - until they started solids.
Can't cosleep, wouldn't have slept a wink. Found it hard enough sleeping when they were in the same room - so they were both in their own rooms from a few weeks old. Of course they occasionally came into bed with me if they were unsettled (particularly ds1 who was never particularly easy, and particularly in that early morning period when its not worht trying to get them back to sleep i.e. 5am onwards) but on the whole they slept in their own moses basket or cots.

I exclusively breastfed my DS but never co-slept for a few reasons.

I always found feeding while lying down v uncomfortable (huge norks, couldn't find a position which didn't smother him).

And DH and I were terrified of crushing him in our bed which resulted on neither of us actually getting any sleep between feeds anyway.

I inherited a gliding nursery chair which was a godsend, I did all the feeding in that with a pillow and V cushion (the only really comfortable feeding position for me anyway).

20 months and we're still nursing!

I never co-slept and i breastfed until dd was 13 months. My ds is 5 months exclusively breastfed and i have never co-slept with him either, he sleeps in his cot next to me so i can easily feed him in the night and pop him back afterwards.

I'm exc bfing DS2 atm, nad we do co sleep sometimes. He starts off in the moses basket next to our bed, and most of the time I put him back in it after feeds, but if he seems unsettled or the feed is going on for ever then I bring him into bed with us.

So a bit of both.

I never co slept with DS1, but he always fed very quickly, was happy in the basket or cot, and slept through by 4 months, ( lucky me) so I never did.

I find I don't sleep very well with bsbies in the bed, so I always try to get DS2 back into his own bed if I can.

Have been excl bf DS for 12 weeks and intend to continue as it's going so well We fall into the category of sometime co-sleepers, I guess: he starts off in his moses basket by the bed, then when he wakes in the night I either wake up and feed him then put him back, wake up and feed him then bring him in for cuddles, or half-wake up and bring him in for feeds lying down so I can instantly drop off again, depending on how tired I am and how cold it is. He ends up in bed with us more often than not, but the length of time varies - last night, for example, he woke 3 times for food and went back in his basket after all but the last feed, as he was basically fast asleep and I was enjoying having free sleep.

Exc BF until 6mths, when we introduced solids but continued BF. DD is 10.5mths now, we're still BF and she wakes at least once in the night. We've never co-slept, except recently on holiday when she was poorly and it was very cold and her sleeping was all over the place. She was happy in her crib initially, and since 7mths in her cot in her own room.

We exc BF until 6 months, and co-slept a bit, most nights during growth spurt time as she could just pop on and off boob whenever she liked. Last time we co-slept was 4 months, she is 7 months now.

I tried very hard not to co sleep with my DD, only taking her into bed for her 6am feed.

She feed 7pm, 11pm, 3am for the whole 6 months till we started weaning. I was on my knees as I came up to the six month mark, but was totally obsessed with reaching it, being unable to think straight will have had something to do with that.

DS is 15 weeks, and co-sleeps about half the night - from the early hours feed 2/3am onward. It is enabling me to do more than just survive the days, I enjoy it as he sleeps blissfully well, and it means that DH who is very very busy with work, gets sleep.

But I feel guilty, because I didn't do this with DD, and I have a lot of hip pain from lying on the same side all the time, I am worried that actually having him in with me is teaching him to not self settle, and to snack, and part of me wants to stop. But in the middle of the night I have no resolve. I am vaguely hoping that he will become more settled spontaneously, and soon he will manage the whole night in his cot. He has to be in our room at the moment, but I want him to share with DD by the time I go back to work, 5.5 months to crack it.

never co-slept.

DS's were both exc bf
we swaddled ds1 and he liked lying on his side not on his back so he was swaddled like a maggot and then on his side in the carry cot next to the bed.
He got into feeding every 2 ish hours within the first couple of weeks and so I would pick him up and get back into bed, feed him - then put him back into his carry cot.

DS2 didn't like being swaddled at all! but like DS1 within a couple of weeks was into more of a 2 hour tick so we did the same.

I was very anxious about co-sleeping and with hindsight it worked well for us that although we had a couple of weeks of me being a walking zombie through exhaustion we got undisturbed sleep quite early.

Breastfed excl for 13 months and DD never co-slept. Was in her own room from 6 weeks...

DS was exBF (and still BF at nearly 3 1/2) and we didn't co-sleep. Once he was a few months old and we'd sussed feeding lying down, he would stay in bed with us after a feed for an hour or so until he started fidgeting too much, and then we'd put him back in his cot.

He comes into our bed most mornings for a cuddle and milk, and sometimes we'll all doze together - he's much more pleasant to share a bed with now!

Same as OP here - DD was a rubbish sleeper and always woke after a minute or two if I put her down. Co-slept out of desperation, and bf her to sleep every night until she was about 28 months. Sometimes I still join her in her single bed in the middle of the night if she's having those vivid 2 yr old dreams that freak her out.

I used to feel like I was making her that way, but I've since accepted she is just a milky child and needs reassurance at night. I have friends who have not co-slept and tried to persist with sleeping routines, etc, and they are always knackered and up several times a night. All children are different, and I believe you should do whatever makes it most painless for parents and children.

Ex bf both dds. The cot was pushed up next to our bed, but in practise we usually co-slept for most, if not all of the night. We co-slept with both right through until they stopped bf - dd1 at 2y and dd2 at 3y6m. This meant a long period of 4 in a bed! I also think that the two go together, co-sleeping certainly enables ex bf in my view.

( Did someone say that co-sleeping is going to be banned?? How, exactly? Don't the gvt look at the research before they come out with these moronic pronouncements?
<you must not drink any alcohol when pg> Oh, that's right, they don't. )

I exclusively fed 3 dds. All were mostly cosleeping with us, but we intended that from the start.

One of them was a far more restless sleeper and she was in a separate cot more, and younger, because we all slept better that way. It didn't affect the breastfeeding. So we coslept more with the two good sleepers and less with the poor sleeper.

I have Exc bf 2 babies and both started off in their cot but ended up in bed with me. Dd did this until 11 months when she started sleeping through and ds still does it most nights at 9 months.

never co-slept, moses basket next to bed and then cot. was in the main a good sleeper (at nights) though as would wake up to feed a couple of times and then always go straight back down.

Aitch if you are still there, I just want to say that 12 weeks with a premmie is real good going. x

co-slept w/dd1 some of the time. when i actually needed to sleep we'd put her in her car seat (yeah yeah i know) so dp could rock her back to sleep when she woke every 45 mins. she'd sleep slightly longer chunks when co-sleeping but i often wouldn't.

dd2 slept in an amby-alike hammock. for hours at a time

Bf DS and DD1 for a year, and have exclusively bf DD2 for 6 months and intend to carry on until at least 12 months, and have never had any of them in my bed.

I just couldn't sleep with a baby in the bed - much too scared about rolling on them/them overheating. I would rather sleep well when they're asleep and have the hassle of having to get up to feed them. I know I'm in the minority, but all of mine have slept happily in moses baskets/cots.

Exclusive bf two, always coslept with both.

Co-sleeping does make things enormously easier - especially in the early weeks/months but it depends on priorities - if sleeping alone matters more to her than sleeping more then getting up and feeding is perfectly doable. just more tiring.

Ds was exclusively bf until weaning and didn't co-sleep - dh very heavy sleeper and I get squashed sometimes - wouldn't have been able to sleep with both in bed for the worry.

We had moses basket by the bed replaced by cot with the side off when he grew out of basket. He moved into cot in his own room at 5.5mo.

Continued feeding to 22 months...

From reading this thread, its whatever works for you. Not co-sleeping doesn't mean that you won't be able to exclusively bf, but it can make it easier if it is convenient/possible.

Exclusively bf DD.

Intended to co-sleep and did til she was 18mths.

Exclusively bf both DDs.

With DD1 I was paranoid about co-sleeping (she was prem) and tried not to, but would fall asleep while feeding and then wake up in a panic feeling about for her .

With DD2 I was much more relaxed, and although I didn't deliberately set out to co-sleep, I did always night feed lying down, and of course there were times when we ended up co-sleeping. The moses basket was by the bed though, and if I was awake enough I would pop her in it and hold her hand over the side (DD2 always settled better in the moses basket than DD1). By 4-ish months she had stopped night feeds and went into her own room in her cot.

So I'd say that exclusive bf is certainly possible without co-sleeping, but that you get more sleep if you can master feeding lying down and take a reasonably relaxed attitude to falling asleep. Because I had read about co-sleeping I knew what to do in terms of lying on side, duvet pushed right down, blanket over me and DD, and so I wasn't so worried about it. For me one of the HUGE benefits of bf over ff is that you can do it in your sleep !

DS - had no intention of co-sleeping, but often ended up doing so (because I fell asleep).

DD - knew what was coming, so booted DH to spare room and co-slept (DD spent about half the night in Moses basket/cot, half in our bed!)

DD still comes in for a morning feed (14 months) and a sleep

I exclusively bf to 6 months and ocassionally co-slept because I fell asleep in bed while feeding!!

Exclusively bf for 6 months (bf to over 2 years in the end) and never co-slept. Not DS's thing it would seem. He just won't settle and is generally far to busy tweaking my nose. Maybe different is we'd started early on, but he slept fine in his moses basket so we didn't consider it.

Oh and exclusively fed dd until 4 months when introduced solids, but still breastfed her until she was about 14 months.

With ds, exclusively breast fed till 6 months and then breastfed until about 12months (his choice).

With dd, we co-slept occasionally but I did try and put her in her cot after feeds. Tried a moses basket but she hated it.

With ds, after dd's mnths of non-sleeping, bought a bedside crib which was bloody fantastic. So semi-co-slept in that the crib added extra area to the bed, and he was right there next to me.

When he grew out of the crib, he slept in his cot. He certainly co=slept in the sense of with me for the first 2 weeks. After 2 weeks dh moved back into our room and that was when the crib was used.

He slept brilliantly. But is odd, because he cannot sleep with us now - if he is ill or whatever, he just writhes and wriggles in our bed (is 3). Whereas dd (5) is quite a regular visitor in the middle of the night. Comes up to our bedroom saying that she has had a dreadful dream, while carrying her teddy, her drinks and whatever else paraphernalia she fancies. Have huge bed now so no matter. I rather like it!

with ds1 I co slept
But not with the next 2.
Their choice not mine!
I had comfy chair in their room after 6-7 mths
But fed sitting up in bed using bedside crib and cot

I did both co-cleeping and them in their crib next to me, and I exBF the three girls for 6mths.

the boys were mixed fed from 2mths, exBF before then, and they also co-slept/slept in crib.

I think for me it depended on how I was feeling and how the older children were as they all climbed (still climb in the case of DS2) into our bed in the middle of the night if they were/are ill.

DD2 co-slept the most tho.......I always remember her being 6wks and DH berating me one morning for falling asleep while feeding her....."I could have squashed her don;t you know!" (in a very stern and shocked voice).

His face when I told him that she had slept with us from the first night home as she fed all night long and it was my only way of being able to sleep and keep sane.....!!

We have co slept once in my DS's life of 3.4 years. Bf until 14months. He was in Moses basket at the side of my bed until 8 weeks until he got too big, then went into cot in own room (all doors open between us and whole upstairs was the size of some people's bedrooms - but still felt bad that he was not in our room).
We were v lucky in that he was a really good eater during the day and rarely woke for a feed during the night after about 3 months. Oh, until 5 month hell of teething and growth spurt, which was the one night we co slept and then introduced dream feed which kept us going through that patch.
I think the time of year helped - when I was getting up in the night on a regular basis it was September/October and I didn't get too cold getting up and got back to sleep v easily. In the colder months, I can see the attraction of not getting out of bed!

Dd 12 mo, still bfing, bf exclusively for 6 months. Never co-slept. Just sure dh or I would squish her! They put her in my bed one night in hospital and I barely slept, I was so aware of her there.

Was just lucky she slept in moses basket (till 7 wks) then cot and seemed happy to go to sleep in there.

The term co sleeping infers that it's a planned thing, whereas my experience is that it's haphazzard.

DD slept with me off and on until she was about a year, and then moved into her own cot.

DS (9 months) starts in his crib, and ends up in bed with me. He does nap in his own crib though

But I was very paranoid about cot death as I had a sister who died of cot death so even when mine woke up for a feed in the night I would feed lying down but set an alarm to put them back in bed if I fell asleep. They also had aponea alarms.

Daughter slept in moses basket by our bed the first four weeks. Then co slept.

I don't think not co sleeping would have stopped me from exclusively breastfeeding for 6 months, but it would have certainly made it a lot more tiring, and I probably wouldn't have enjoyed it as much.

Not sure what counts as co-sleeping ... DD has a cot next to our bed, where she usually sleeps. I have always done night feeds in bed. In the first few weeks, I would quite often fall asleep mid-feed and wake up an hour or so later to find her still on my chest, then put her down - so accidental co-sleeping. She also quite often comes into our bed for an hour or so in the morning.

The only other people whose sleeping and feeding arrangements I know about are my mum and my cousin, who both exclusively bf and both had their babies in a different room (for their first babies at any rate, not sure about the rest. Pretty sure my mum didn't co-sleep with any of us as babies though).

DD was exclusively fed till 6 months then I carried on feeding till 13 months, we never co slept. Is that unusual? In fact have never had either of DC's in bed with us all night.

DD Currently 27 months still nursing. Occasionaly Co-sleeping.

DS Currently 3 months still nursing. Regularly Co-sleeping.

Only occassionally with DD as the layout in the bedroom meant the cot was several steps away from our bed and I was a nervous first time mum. Now our bedroom allows a bedside 3 sided cot on my side of the bed and we co-sleep most nights.

Co-slept for first 3 months.
Now in cot v close to bed and co-sleeps when dthe weather or when we fall asleep together in that milky snuzzly slumber.

I never coslept and I breast fed for 12 months.

They started out in a carry cot by our bed - sometimes migrated to DH's chest for a few hours in the night. And after a few weeks moved to a cot in the room and after about 4 months to a room of their own (mine made so much noise I wasn't getting any good sleep so they were evicted !).

What works for some doesn't for other - but the best thing is to be flexible and try different things until something works for you.

DS1 - co-slept out of desperation: hated crib/cot/wherever.
DS2 - co-slept from start. Got straight into bed after a HB and went from there.
DC3(due feb) - intend to co-lseep from word go.

I exclusively BF both my boys and intend to with the next. 17 month gap so DS1 still not porperly sleeping through and without co-sleeping(and the advantage that you end up Bf without waking properly) I would have been a sleep deprived zombie.

DD (nearly 9 months) starts in her cot, next to us, and if (ha ha when) she wakes at 4ish or whatever I feed her in bed and she tends to stay there because I fall asleep, I guess that is co-sleeping. I sort of mean to put her back but don't . Big secret from parents and ILs though, couldn't be doing with the 'thin end of the wedge' comments!

I only co-slept very occasionally--if it was freezing, and when they were tiny. I think it sets up longer-term problems.

I breastfed mine exclusively for four months and carried on until eight months.

vlc, there's some good research on this, by Dr Helen Ball (google her). While just about everyone co-sleeps at some point in infancy/toddlerhood, breastfeeders are far more likely to co-sleep more often - it might not be the breastfeeding 'causing' the co-sleeping, but rather that co-sleeping 'enables' the bf, or even a mix of the two. It's certainly the case that a 'ban' on co-sleeping (such as we have at present in the UK, in effect) is likely to lead to a curtailment of bf.

I don't think she has separated out the excl bf mothers from the non-excl, though.

I'm bfing dd2, she sleeps in a moses basket next to my bed, as did dd1. She moved into cot at about 4/5 months and dd2 will too.

Im bfing dd4 and she sleeps in a crib in our room, it's no trouble to sit up in bed and feed her, then i change her nappy and she goes straight back in her crib and drops back off.
The first few days home from hospital i co slept with her as she would only sleep in my arms but she started to sleep in her pram during the day alone and so i tried her in the crib and fingers crossed she self settles lovely!

Mostly they started off in their own cot or basket, and ended up in ours. My husband used to get up to fetch them in the night, the dear man, as I couldn't get back to sleep after getting up in the night. I would half wake, take charge of the baby, and slumber feed them, whence they'd usually stay the rest of the night.

I've exclusively bf 4 babies, and never co slept. I had them all in moses basket by bed for 1 month or so, then by 5 weeks all 4 have been in big cot in own room. They're all good feeders and sleepers.

DS1 & 2 only co slept from some point in the night when I was too tired to do anything other than sleep lying down. They were in a moses basket in my room and then a cot in the nursery.

DD Co slept but only because there was space for her and she was a cr*p sleeper. Once she started rolling she went into her cot in my room.

All exclusively breastfed.

As an aside, DD is by far the worst sleeper of the lot of them and she's the only one I co-slept at all with Not a good advert for it!

I exclusively bf three children with no problems and didn't co sleep.

When my ds was born, I believed all the "rod for your own back" stuff .

I sat up for hours at night feeding him and then pacing the floor with him to try to get him to settle in the carry cot in the corner of the bedroom.

After a couple of weeks of this, he came into bed with me which was great. I don't remember how old he was when we put him in his own room, but I would start in my own bed and then go to ds if he woke and the two of us would co sleep in the spare bed in his room. I still do this now, and he is three. It gives me the best of both worlds I guess. The first part of the night in my own bed with DH and then a few hours in with DS until the morning.

Re bf, I managed exclusively until 6months, and we are still feeding now aged three.

I feel sad about the early days when DS cried so much because I believed the crap about babies being in their own beds. If i have another, it will be in bed with me from day 1.

Good luck to your friend.

will comeback later
just postingto mrk it in my threads i am on

Exclusive bf-ing DS with a bit of BLW now he is 8mths. Have not co-slept except for a handful of occasions when he wouldn't settle and we tried to get him to doze off with us, co-napping really. He slept in a basinette right next to us, one of the see-through hospital style ones with wheels which he had been in for his first week when we were hospital. Only one of the many midwives on the ward encouraged me to co-sleep on one bad night when my milk came in & that was off-record. I wish I had used a sling for him when small for sleeping in the day but was too worried he would fall out so only used a wrap type rarely.
Not sure proper co-sleeping would have worked as I have to wear some type of sleep bra for large norks & also needed both hands & to be conscious for ensuring decent latch.
We are also part-time ECers so we would do changing & pottying at the time of a feed too. I got to like the night feeds (when they didn't last 2 hrs) as it was so peaceful watching him & satisfying to put him back all cosy & milked up. Ater the very early chaotic weeks DP would always get DS up & ready to hand over to me for the night feeds, the logic being I would be up for at least 45mins whereas it only took him 5-10mins.

Ds1 was FF and we co-slept (DH did lots of night feeds tho)
Ds2 was exclusivly BF and we co-slept
Dd1 was exclusivly BF and we co-slept
Dd2 was exclusivly BF and we co-slept

All 3 BF babes bf through the night so we co-slept till they stopped BF. IIRC ds2 was 3ish, dd1 was nearly 2 and dd2 has stopped BF altogether but we are still co-sleeping.

She is our last and neither of us are fussed about hurrying her out the bed. She was 2 in August.

I bf exclusively for 6 months, stopped bf-ing at about 19 months, dd is 2 and still co-sleeping.
I wouldn't try to convince your friend, though - just let her know it's an option, show her that UNICEF baby-friendly thing about how it's safe, and leave her to figure out what works for her when the time comes

I exclusively breastfed 2 dcs for 6 months (then continued for another 2 years or so). They slept in a moses basket next to me for however long they fitted in it, then in a cot in our room. When they needed feeding in the night I used to bring them into bed and doze off while feeding, then put them back in their bed when I woke up again. I wouldn't have called it co-sleeping though, I would not have slept at all well if I'd had them in bed with me all night.

DS is 9 months, not really interested in food, so pretty much exclusively breast-fed... and... surprise, surprise... we co-sleep! I'm a lazy mummy, I would hate to have to get up in the middle of the chilly night to nurse. Much better and cuddlier this way. Tell your friend to spend her money on good nursing bras instead (www.bravado.com, for example).
Great idea for a poll, BTW.

sorry to hijack your thread vlc but dd's weight gain no good and after 12 weeks the whole palaver isn't getting much better. remind me how you managed to keep going, again. (and she was pretty much exc until tonight when she's had three oz of formula and has conked out FINALLY).

My ds was breast-fed exclusively for the first six months and co-slept with us then. When he was six months we moved him into a baby hammock (borrowed from a friend) and introduced solids alongside bf. At nine months he was too big for hammock so we moved him into a cot (again lent to us) in his own room. He still comes in for cuddles in the mornings and is still breast-fed at 13months. I had no intention of co-sleeping but when I brought home couldn't bring myself to put him in his carrycot which we did buy as part of his bugaboo and which ended up only being used for naps. In hindsight, I should have introduced him to hammock earlier as I didn't sleep very well with him in the bed but he was such a bad sleeper. Good luck for your friend!

Both DS and DD slept in a moses basket next to my bed for 3 months then moved to their cot.

Co sleeping was easy with DS but he was very happy in his own company, in his cot and could self soothe and do nights very early on, so it was short lived.

DD can not co-sleep. she wiggles and wakes up constantly looking for the breast and will not settle unless it's in her mouth. And if she goes to sleep being fed then that's it we'll be at it all night. No one will rest.

currently still Bfeeding her, she's 7 months. She goes to sleep in her cot after her last feed at 6:30.
I pick her up, feed her and back to her cot when she wakes.
I only bring her to our bed in the early hours if she won't go back to sleep and feed her to sleep.

So I would say occasional co-sleeper. Whatever works.

I had exactly the same experience, co-slept with ds out of desperation. Exclusively bf for the recommended 6 months and weaned him off breast at 14 months - loved it and had no problems after the initial two weeks of struggling with settling after night feeds.

Didn't even bother sourcing a crib/moses basket when pregnant with dd and we have been happily and successfully co-sleeping and bfing for 3 months now.

Only problem is our bed is getting a bit crowded now as 2.5yo ds is still sharing with me and dp. There were 4 in the bed......

exclusively bf for 6m and still bf'ing now at nearly 1yo - couldn't have done it without co-sleeping as DS had a dreadfu latch to start with, cos of tongue-tie. Had it snipped at ~2weeks but by then he had to re-learn how to feed and was still taking ages (up to 2hours at a time) - couldn't have coped with sitting up in the middle of the night feeding for that length of time, so co-sleeping was essential.

Had no probs with DS in the bed as he didn't move much until about 1 week ago (he has been in his cot since 6mo for most of the night but if he won't settle in the early hours, he ends up back in my bed) when he started to try and crawl off the bed at about 3am. Not good. But he was getting over jetlag so possibly not representative!

All 3 of mine were ex bf, and all 3 co-slept. It was possiably [sp?] the only way to keep sane. plus, no cold feet in the middle of the night. I have learnt from experiance and dd2's cot is beside the bed. It makes getting into bed a pita, but she has a short drop and a soft landing

A dear friend of mine is expecting her first baby soon. She is very committed to exclusive breastfeeding. She (as I did) bought a cot, moses basket, carrycot etc in the very reasonable expectation that the baby will sleep peacefully in one of them.

My own experience is that after only a few days of concerted effort trying and failing to persuade dd to sleep in her amby hammock, I gave in and co-slept out of desperation, and never looked back. I personally would not have succeeded in excl bf for 6 months if I has persevered in seperate sleeping arrangements. For me, the one enabled the other.

I was just wondering, though, what the MN experience has been. If you successfully bf exclusively, did you co-sleep occasionally, regularly, or never?

Just curious, really!