To chuck DH out for co-sleeping on the sofa?

[StuntNun]

Okay I'm probably not actually going to LTB but I just found DH co-sleeping with our 16-week-old son on the sofa and I'm furious. He pooh-poohed my saying it's a risk for SIDS and reckons he wouldn't have let the baby fall on to the floor.

[WorraLiberty]

I did exactly the same thing when my kids were small

I took sleep where I could grab it.

[EMUZ]

Sorry but I would go mad. Having heard someone trying to resuscitate their month old child after doing just that. Never ever ever

[dadinthehat]

It's lovely to doze on the sofa with your little one. You have every right to voice your concerns, but its lovely that your DH was able to spend that snugly time with your DS.

[IneedAsockamnesty]

Have you told him why its a risk?

I could be wrong but it is my understanding that its due to the suffocation risk.and its more dangerous than many of the other things listed as SIDS risks.

Tell him that's is all fine and well rubbishing the risks until your child becomes a statistic.( harsh I know but may work)

Don't LTB that is probably an over reaction but do take the baby up to bed with you when you go

[BrittaPerry]

Tell him to co sleep in a bed like a normal person. I'm shocked that he thinks the main risk is dropping the child.

[WickWackThurso]

Yabu - did he mean to do it. Does he know how unsafe it is? Yes, it's a well documented SIDS risk, but surely something you can discuss rationally (ds is ok this time, but please don't do it again)? Unless there are other relationship issues, or concerns about you dh's ability to care for your child, I would be tempted to advise you not to over react.

[TheDetective]

Stunt he is being an arse. Yasnbu.

I'd go with scare tactics. Show him the stories, for there are many out there, of babies dying from sleeping with someone on the sofa.

It's just not worth the risk. If he thinks it's okay, fine. But you do not, and he needs to listen to you and not do something you consider dangerous. I'm sure if he thought you were doing something to put his son at risk he would want you to stop, yes? So it works two ways.

Baby comes first. He isn't putting him first by taking big risks.

Can your mum tell him? Or will he not listen to her either?

[chipmonkey]

As someone who lost a baby to SIDS, tell him from me that co-sleeping on a sofa is statistically a higher risk than sleeping with a baby in a bed. My dd died after I nodded off while she was in bed with me. She was prem and I had never intended to co-sleep with her even though I had done it with all my boys.
I have to live with the what-ifs and the grief every day for the rest of my life. She should be nineteen months old now. She's the first thing I think of every morning when I wake up and I'll never get over losing her.

[Monty27]

Chip me too, in bed while bfing

Mine would have been 21 last year. I still find it difficult, every single day.

[IsThatTrue]

chipmonkey I'm so so sorry that you lost your little girl. :(

Op YANBU safe co sleeping in bed, ok. But on a sofa, no no no. Will facts and figures stop your DH poo poohing your feelings about this?

[honeytea]

Chip and Monty I am so sorry for the loss of your babies :(

Op I had exactly the same problem with my dp recently, my initial reaction was to take the baby, tell him he could never be alone with ds. Dp was defensive until he looked up the reasons and statistics himself.

Now when dp gets up with ds in the mornings he sits on a hard chair with no blanket, also he makes Breakfast/cup of tea and watches tv so he is much less likely to fall asleep.

[Kytti]

It's hard, isn't it? I never co-slept but am guilty of falling asleep on the reclining sofa with a dt on my chest and dh with the other. We were simply, utterly exhausted all the time in the early stages. It's not something that should be done though. Sadly, it's not always alright.

[runningforme]

Sorry for your losses chipmonkey and monty

I co-slept with all my 3 DC's, both in bed and on the sofa. Maybe some would think me careless. I did what felt most natural to me - co sleeping is far more common in cultures all over the globe than not. If you are uncomfortable with it though, then he should respect that

[StuntNun]

I'm so sorry for your losses Chipmonkey and Monty. It brings it home that with SIDS you may never know the cause so if something did happen to our LO we would find it hard not to blame ourselves. Thank you for replying.

I don't think my DH is aware of the risks so I have sent him a leaflet to read. Hopefully my reaction (utter shock and telling him you can't sleep on the sofa with a baby) will have given him pause for thought. We have a perfectly good cot with a movement monitor in. I think he thought it would be easier to settle the baby like that but it set off alarm bells for me. It makes me wonder how many times he has done it before. And apart from the SIDS risk, DH had a few glasses of wine last night plus hasn't slept well for the last, oh about 16 weeks, so I would say the risk of him dropping our baby was pretty high too.

I'm so cross right now. I don't think I should have to protect my son from his daddy.

[Beamur]

It is incredibly dangerous - a relative of mine (male) did this with his baby and the child was smothered and died. He had been drinking too.
Without being too dramatic, your DH really must not do this again.
I co-slept with my DD and done 'right' it is safe - but an intoxicated, tired, non bf parent on a sofa is not.
My heart goes out to you monty & chipmunk.

[zippey]

I wouldnt go on about it, I think your dissaproval after this incident is enough. He wasnt aware of the risks, he has now been educated, so you should trust hm to do the correct thing.

He also should not cosleep with alchohol in his system.

[thistlelicker]

Co sleeping increases the risk of SIDS no matter where u sleep! Why do people
Do it ??? If u tell me it's to increase sleep hours, then why have children? I don't think it's warranted to chuck him out but certainly a word spoken to him and information around SIDS!

[BerthaKitt]

thistlelicker you are wrong. There is no link between planned co-sleeping in a safely set up bed with a sober parent, and SIDS. In our case DS wouldn't sleep unless I was holding him and I can't survive on no sleep at all so co-sleeping was infinitely safer than me accidentally falling asleep while sitting up holding him.

But what the OP's DH did is very dangerous, with at least three risk factors - on the sofa, having consumed alcohol, and not being a bf mother. He needs to acknowledge this OP.

[KatieLily12]

No thistlelicker it does not increase the risk as long as golden rules are observed, the same as they must be for a cot.

People do it to support attachment and breast feeding, not just get more sleep.

On a sofa is a big no no. In fact one of the unhelpful side effects of insisting co sleeping is dangerous is tired parents 'just resting' on the sofa because they think the bed is a risk. Making the bed safe and planning for it just in case is far safer.

[Jaynebxl]

I actually think YABU. Not to belittle the concerns about co-sleeping on a sofa but because of how you reacted to DH. You are supposed to be partners working on the same side in the parenting game. Firstly it is lovely that he is so hands on, and wanted to sleep with baby. Secondly I would guess he didn't have your extensive wisdom on the subject so it would have been much kinder to go in saying sweetheart, it is lovely you want to sleep cuddling baby but actually it is really dangerous. It isn't like he was setting out to commit child abuse so while I would say YANBU in terms of your concerns, YABU in your reaction to DH. If your parenting partnership is going to work you really need to be on the same side as each other.

[Jaynebxl]

"with at least three risk factors - on the sofa, having consumed alcohol, and not being a bf mother"

Bertha I'm not sure the last one counts ... Does this mean dads can never co-sleep?

[AThingInYourLife]

"reckons he wouldn't have let the baby fall on to the floor."



Yeah, because all the parents whose babies die because they are smothered on sofas intended to drop them on the floor.

If he'd been drinking wine he shouldn't have been co-sleeping at all.

What a complete idiot.