to say that newborns have not read the safer sleep guidelines?

Someone mentioned it up thread but I would seriously look into whether there is a physical reason. My baby would only chest sleep, couldn't be put on his back at all. We had his tongue tie cut and he slept soundly on his back that night. The tension was making it uncomfortable. But yes look up safe chest sleeping. Midwives and health visitors both told me to be pragmatic and consider what the safest thing in that moment was. Falling asleep holding baby v sleepyhead v chest sleeping. None recommended but you have to do the safest thing that works

Ack, this resonates so well!! I genuinely thought mine had broken the mould as she was exactly the same! The only advice I can give is hang in there, it does get better, even though you won't feel like it now x

Oh - I also found if I put my baby down on his side, kept hold of him and then gently rolled him onto his back and stayed holding for a while before releasing that helped the transition.
I also let him sleep on his side way earlier than I should have done. For sanity.

How can you say this so confidently when you don't have the issue OP is posting about?

@Lultasway please do have a look at the co-sleeping resources shared upthread. They do address what you're describing. Have you got a sling for naps? Could you place the cot mattress on your mattress, next to you, and try transferring baby to that after falling asleep on you? That way it's a firm flat surface but less severe transition than a cot.
Do you have anyone who can help for an hour or two in the daytime so you can have a nap?

Look up chest to chest cosleeping. I spent much of the night asleep on my back with my baby on top of me on his tummy during the newborn period. He never rolled off me and if he ever did start to slip a bit I would always wake up and correct his position.

Solidarity OP - I am currently awake with my 5monh old who simply will not stay asleep in the cot. She's got a bit better at it but we are still a very very long way off "sleeping through the night" Every baby is different, this is my third and the sleep deprivation this time around is honestly so horrible.

My ds would only sleep in his bouncy chair, on me or between me & exh in bed. We ended up putting his bouncy chair in his cot at night or putting him on a firm foam pillow between our pillows in bed so he didn't get covered up by the duvet. He never slept a full night until he was 3, diagnosed with Autism age 9.

I coslept with mine from day 1.

You don't see apes in the wild putting their babies in cribs. Always attached.

We're carrying animals.

My youngest was a tummy sleeper. We went with it as she was a nightmare sleeper so we decided to just roll with what worked. We went and got one of those monitors with the pad for under the mattress to pick up if she stopped breathing.

Only time it went off was when we'd moved her from the moses basket to the cot and forgot to switch the sensitivity setting. Oh my goodness!

Mine did this too. All you can do is take it in turns to sleep while your partner holds the baby. Took about 6 months before we got to the point where we could slide her into her cot without waking her up.

Just here to offer my sympathy! Mine only slept on me too - those sleepless nights are how I discovered Mumsnet!

My DC is better at sleeping in the cotbed now aged 1 but is still probably more clingy then they would be if I had properlt tried to sleep train them from 6 months.

I'm convinced my eldest slept so well because she was, and still is a back sleeper.

The youngest, however, was a different story. She would sleep on me, in a sling or pushchair. DH spent many an evening pushing her to sleep.

It's only a no go after they can roll...fine for newborns

You just need to make your own risk assessments and do what you feel comfortable with.

Mine do sleep on their backs in their own cots but they are also in their own room before 6 months because we all sleep better that way. I’m happy with my risk assessment.

I meant the co-sleeping

I put my 2 youngest in proper beds at the age of 1 and slept next to them rather that put them in my bed. It was "safe" in my book

I've seen online that people get a yoga mat to put on top to make it safe to Co sleep on

I agree that the reason it's 'safer' for them to 'sleep' on their own on their back in a cot is because most of them don't actually sleep there.

For the first few weeks I did a combination of whatever worked. I tried things like lying them on their side first and then trying to gently tip them onto their back, heating up the mattress, feeding lying down and then moving away, and on the nights when nothing else worked I followed the safer chest sleeping guidelines on the cosleepy Instagram page that others have mentioned above. For many weeks I spent the second half of every night doing this. I figured if it is going to happen anyway, I might as well try and do it as safely as possible rather than fall asleep holding them on the sofa, and those guidelines are from la leche league.

I ended up chest sleeping propped up with cushions to each side of me. It only worked as im a light sleeper and if he moved, I woke up.

Happycosleeper on Instagram has loads of advice on safe chest sleeping.

Obviously it's not ideal and it would be lovely if they'd sleep soundly in the cot but you all need as much rest as possible right now so best to make sure you're doing it as safely as possible

The 0.2 tog Love to Dream ones are very lightweight and can be used up to around 27 degrees so OK in most houses except in a real heatwave.

Tonight may be the first night this summer where it it more than 27 degrees overnight in my house. My toddler still has the 0.2 tog sleeping bags which are great for summer.

That’s genuinely true - and it’s part of why it’s safer - they don’t enter such a deep sleep that they forget to breathe

Another recommendation to search safe chest-sleeping, cosleepy on Instagram has some resources. I didn't do it until she was older, around six months, but it's been one of the only ways I could get any sleep this year, until she got too big and it hurt my back. She still now sleeps the last part of most nights lying on her dad's chest and she's one.

Surely during the summer swaddling might cause the baby to overheat 🤔