Mobile baby in a bedside cot - how do you keep them safe?

[MrsHulk]

So we've always used a bedside cot and as PFB has bad reflux and wind, I really want to keep this so I can just scoop him up quickly, burp and resettle him and get straight back to sleep!

But he's 7 months now, can roll from back to front and is starting to crawl. I'm worried he's going to crawl into my bed and either fall out of it or get squashed/covered in my blankets.

Would a bed guard work to stop him crawling out of his cot? Would I still be able to pick him up easily?

[FATEdestiny]

Yep, this is a 'thing' with bedside cots.

I have always used a dropside cot as a bedside cot for my children. Side off until baby starts rolling but once rolling then that signals time to put the side back on. But with it being drop-side I can have the side on, but lowered which makes just a slight barrier between bed and cot.

Then when baby is pulling to standing, lower the cot base but keep drop side lowered (so I start reaching down into the cot, rather than across).

Are you thinking of a bedguard on the side of the bed between cot and bed? In which case why not just put the cot side on?

Or were you thinking bedguard at the other side of the bed? Which won't stop a mobile, crawling baby falling off unless you barrier the bottom or your bed, top of your bed and the entire length of the other side of your bed.

The other option is to stay with baby when sleeping.

[MrsHulk]

Thanks for the reply. We actually have a troll bedside cot, so the side swings over the top and down - it's either completely blocking the side, or completely blocking the way so I can't have it a little up.

I now realise we could just have bought a drop side cot, obviously I fell for the hype!

Not sure what to do really - I suppose I could just move the side over and up/down each time, it's designed for that but it seems a lot if hassle.

[FATEdestiny]

It might be worth reposting with a thread title that attracts the co-sleepers, to ask their advise.

I often wonder how families where babies sleep in Mum & Dad's bed all night manage when the baby is mobile. I have always assumed that baby stays with parents until they go to bed, rather than baby going to bed before parents and being on the bed alone.

[HeadDreamer]

I wouldn't use a bed guard. I'm fairly sure they say 18mo or older. DD1 had one when we transition her off her cot. I can see a baby can get stuck between the guard and the mattress. They aren't fitted like a cot and mattress.

[HeadDreamer]

fate dd1 did a bit of cosleeping with us. She stayed between us. And if she started crawling out we would wake up. The key I guess is neither of us actually have a good sleep at all.

[FATEdestiny]

HeadDreamer - What would happen before you went to bed while co-sleeping? Or did you just go to bed at the same time as baby?

It is that time when baby is old enough to have a "bedtime" (say 7pm) but then parents stay up for a few hours after this - what do co-sleepers do during this evening time? Is baby just left on the bed asleep, alone?

[Ballandchainer]

Co-sleeper here...
When DC have gone to bed (I've always read a bedtime story, sang lullabies and snuggled up until they've fallen asleep, so have not left an awake baby in bed) I've stuffed pillows between the matress and the topper, so that the bed has a steep "slope" on both sides, but without having to worry about DC ending up under the pillows. Then I've had a baby monitor on, so have been alerted if/when they've woken up. Might sound faffy, but I've used those really long sausage type pillows that I slept with when pregnant, so it's literally a 2 second job... And just as easy to remove when DH and/or I have gone to bed.

[HeadDreamer]

fate she went into the cot. She was an occasional cosleeper. We only let her into our bed when she woke up during the night and won't settle again. It's the path of least resistance. We did everything settling her into the cot before we went to bed.

[Artandco]

Ours jus came to bed when we did. So at 7 months they would usually 'nap' 9-11pm in living room with us on a sheepskin rug. At 11ish I half woke them and fed them whilst they were half asleep, then carried them to bed with us. They usually then slept through until morning

[53rdAndBird]

We have a Troll bedside cot too (baby now 17mo). I was worried about this as well, but it turns out she doesn't really go too far without also waking up and yelling for us. So we have a video monitor that we keep an eye on while we're watching TV or whatever, and we've never had her get any further than my pillow.

When she was younger I also pushed the quilt right back from the cot side of the bed, and had it as a sort of barrier on the far side.

[MioNome]

I gave a bed guard for Ds2 who is 8.5mo and use a couple of rolled up towels between mattress and mesh side so there is no gap.

But he's crawling now so going to put him between DP and me now rather than me in the middle.