Leaving 4 month old asleep on the bed

[imisschocolate]

Hi

4 month old DD has changed sleeping pattern and she is refusing to sleep in cot. (Never napped unless on me before anyway)

She will now sleep on our bed for naps and at night.

Question is, would other people leave her alone in bed? At the moment i am lying next to her but am worried that she will get too used to me being beside her as she curls in next to me. Also obviously alsi worried bout safety of this.

She is in the middle of bed with no quilt or pillows near. Just a cellular blanket over her.

Thoughts?

[BowiesJumper]

This is how my son sleeps too, I've indulged him by staying next to him during naps. If you're leaving the room I would transfer her to the cot once she's asleep if that's possible? It's what I do with my son at bedtime, I'd be worried about her rolling off the bed otherwise.

[ElspethFlashman]

Once they get a bit older they can roll with alarming speed once they spy something shiny. I would stay with her.

[MrsD79]

I did do that too as needs must etc. I would put pillows around them so they would not roll off. Or once in deep sleep i wud gently transfer back to cot as they will get used to it. I still do this at 4 yrs sometimes! I would also keep monitor on and still up to look in every half hour. Its not practical to sit next to them while they sleep. What about this www.clevamama.co.uk/mum2me-pod.html

Or a growbag?

[imisschocolate]

Tried moving. She wakes as soon as lift her. (Big problem at night as DH has been kicked onto couch)

Will leave her for minute or so to get drink, etc but am lying here hungry not wanting to leave her to go get something to eat.

Shes not fully rolling yet. Will go onto her side and get stuck there.

[kingfishergreen]

If you leave her, pop a pillow under the fitted sheet at each side of the bed, when she first starts rolling she won't be able to scale a pillow.

[silkpyjamasallday]

It's fine until they can roll. We cosleep so dd has her naps in bed too, had a snuzpod initially but dd would wake when I moved her over even though I put a hot water bottle on the cot mattress to warm it (moved out of the cot before putting dd in) so it wasn't a shock going from curled up with me to a cold cot. DP broke our bed so now we have the mattress on the floor and the bed frame forms a 3 inch high barrier all the way around. This is good as now when she wakes dd is straight into a crawling position and looking for something to pull herself up with. You could get bed guards if you don't want to have the mattress on the floor.

[FATEdestiny]

worried that she will get too used to me being beside her as she curls in next to me

You don't need to be lying right next to her. I agree that if your long term aim is independant sleep, then not getting used to having you with full-body contact at all times is a good idea. You could roll away from her when she's asleep. Stay bedshating but turned away or on the other side of the bed. You could also sit on a chair in the room. But no, I wouldn't leave baby alone on the bed until much older.

She wakes as soon as lift her

Have you got a sidecar cot? I developed a "scooting" movement.

Baby would be in a sleeping bag, so no change of bedding between my bed and the sidecar cot. Then I would place my two arms under baby at the neck area and the bum area. Leave arms flat, taking baby's weight on your forearms not your hands. Then don't lift, just slide your arms across from bed into cot, without lifting.

"Scooting" takes some practice and even when well versed in the ways of "scooting baby over into the cot", it still won't work sometimes. But sometimes it will, and that's great.

I would feed to sleep on my bed. Then scoot baby over into the sidecar cot. Then cuddle in and around baby in the cot, to fully settle to sleep, then roll away.

[Gunpowder]

I did pillows too.