6mo won't sleep properly in cot - help!

[BexusSugarush]

That sounds ridiculous; babies are often nightmare sleepers anyways.

Basically my 6mo dd, even when she is both the perfect temperature, well fed, dry and the right amount of exhausted from the day, can't sleep properly in her cot. She sleeps so restlessly, waking a few times every hour, and often screaming because she hates lying down there.

We have tried raising the cot at the head in, as she isn't usually a fan of sleeping on her back, it doesn't seem to make a difference whether she has a dummy or not, the sleep aids seem to do more for my partner and I than for her.. it's exhausting.

The ridiculous thing is that the last few nights one of us has slept with her on the sofa (yes I'm aware of the SIDS danger but we couldn't BE more careful with how we do this) and she has slept absolutely perfectly, nestled between our body and the sofa back, lying on her back. She'll sleep right through for 8-9 hours on these nights. But we can't always sleep on the sofa; we need her to sleep in her cot!

She absolutely loves burying her face into things, so can also sleep on a pillow, with her head on a cushion or buried into clothing etc. But obviously at night we can't have those things in her cot, although they seem to be the only way to get her to sleep well.

Up until about 5 months she slept okay, waking once every few hours, but now it's just so often. Has anyone else experienced this and have any tips/reassuring words?

[FuzzyOwl]

How about trying her in something like a sleepyhead so she still feels snuggled in?

[Caterina99]

I think it depends on your child and how much they move about and can roll and your stress levels etc, but if she likes having her head on something then how about getting her a comforter of some kind? We introduced a Muslin as a comfort blanket quite early on as I was scared about DS suffocating, and he often sleeps with it over his face. I'd think by 6 months they are able to move themselves enough, but obviously you need to make that decision.

[milpool]

If she'll sleep with you on the sofa could you co-sleep in bed instead? Much much safer than the sofa if done right. This page has useful info www.isisonline.org.uk/where_babies_sleep/parents_bed/

[BexusSugarush]

Good suggestion about the Sleepyhead; I did look into it but they're SO expensive and only suggested up until about 8 months. We can't afford £100+ for 2 month's use unfortunately.

I really don't know what it is that wakes her so often, but she must like to feel snug. She was the same as a newborn; wouldn't sleep in her (larger than average) Moses basket because it was too big but was perfectly happy in the carry cot for her pram.

I've always been anxious about co-sleeping in the bed to be honest. Not because of me; I wake up if she so much as sniffs and I know I'm so aware of her that I couldn't roll onto her or anything.. but my partner is a whole other matter :(

[ZZZZ1111]

There shouldn't be any danger of your partner rolling into her, as part of safe co-sleeping would involve you being between your husband and her.

Here are some guidelines-

kellymom.com/parenting/nighttime/cosleeping/

[T0ddlerSlave]

Could you get an angel monitor and put her to sleep on her front? What about a swimming noodle under the sheet to add some sense of coziness?

[doesntmatterwhoyouare]

I put mine dc like that in their pram carry cot and put that into the cot. I think she came out of it around 8 months. It looked uncomfy but it was the only way she slept through.

[doesntmatterwhoyouare]

I put mine dc like that in their pram carry cot and put that into the cot. I think she came out of it around 8 months. It looked uncomfy but it was the only way she slept through.

[Bryna]

I've co-slept with all of mine, put a cot along side our bed(on my side) with the side off and put a large sheet across both mattresses so there is no gap to slide into, I found that they would spend some time snuggled in and some time in the cot. It might be worth a try if you have room?

[Toofondofcake]

We co-sleep with our DD2 and did for a while with DD1 too and I found the best combo was with baby on the outside of the bed with a pool noodle under the sheet to stop her rolling out and me in the middle so my DH isn't really much of a factor. If you're confident you could sleep next to her without worrying then go for it there are lots of safe ways to do it. Alternative might be a cot with a removable side to put next to your bed so she is kind of co-sleeping. IKEA do a good one for about £50 and she'd get longer than 2 months out of a cot.
Good luck!

[BexusSugarush]

Is there not a risk of dd rolling off of the bed then? can't sleep with one side of my face always on the pillow; I have to turn over constantly. Would co-sleeping require me to always be sleeping with a hand on my baby?

dd doesn't fit in her carry cot anymore unfortunately :(

Can't afford an angelcare monitor

Sorry if I'm shooting down your ideas; I do really appreciate all of your help x

[Toofondofcake]

Nah not if you use either a bed guard rail (usually with a towel to plug any gaps between it and the mattress) or a pool noodle underneath your bed sheet as that will stop your baby rolling out of bed.
And I generally alternate between my side and by back but don't have enough room in our bed to turn the opposite way - but that would make it more likely you'd roll back onto your baby so not a great idea anyway.

Co-sleeper cot is a good happy medium and they range from very cheap (IKEA) to more expensive (chicco etc).
Only do what you're comfy with.

I just do anything for a good nights sleep and an easy life!

[thereareworsethingsicoulddo]

I cosleep with 9mo DS- we have a kingsize bed and a bedrail so he can't roll out (£20approx). I am free to toss and turn in the middle, don't have to hold him all night although I enjoy the cuddle too much not to. DH gets the edge of the bed!

[AliceInHinterland]

If one of you is sleeping on the sofa anyway, could your partner move there for a while and you have the baby in the bed?

[AliceInHinterland]

Then you could switch sides and always have the baby in front of you, but never between you and your partner.

[FuzzyOwl]

Bexus my DD has the sleepyhead grand and it is designed to be used until the child is three years old.

[ODog]

I have coslept in bed with both DCs from birth. Very safe if done correctly and no-one has ever fallen out (we used a bed rail). All good suggestions above. Go for it if you think it will help and you want to. Or if you can afford a sleepy head, roll up a towel into a sausage, form the shape of a sleepyhead, put it in cot and cover with a sheet. That's what they do in hospitals and it does help DD to sleep independently when I need her to, although nothing helped DS he was a devil baby

[Sparrowlegs248]

Ds sleep improved hugely when he started sleeping on his front. Can she roll over? If so, maybe consider putting her down on her front (ds did it himself around 5 months)

He starts the night in the cot then comes into bed with us around 1/2 am. He sleeps between me and dh, neither of us smoke drink or are heavy sleepers. Stops him falling out (I hate bedrails, I can't get out properly) and he snuggles into one of us.

[BexusSugarush]

When we put her down on her front she just tries to roll over, ditto her back. I know part of this is her fighting sleep but it's so frustrating when she's clearly tired. We're going to buy a bed guard and try co-sleeping, to see if that helps. Thank you all for your help!

[Dixiechick17]

We have the sleepyhead grande which goes up to three years. My friend used a rolled up blanket under the sheet to create the same effect. We had to cosleep for a month or so when our DD and was six months, she was commando crawling at this time, but I found just lining up pillows on the edge of the bed on her side stopped her rolling out, although she didn't actually move much when in the bed with me. If guard sounds like a good shout though. Hopefully it's just a phase, we gave in and got the bigger sleepyhead in the end as she had the first one up until she grew out of it at five and a half months.