To ask when you put your baby in their own room & why

[vampirina]

I know the guidelines are 6 months but don't know anyone in real life who moved them at precisely 6 months. We are at 5 and DD has started waking up (she's slept from 7-7 since she was 8w of her own accord) when we go to bed or move around. I'm wondering if she would sleep better in her own room soon, or if it would be more hassle for me as id have to get up and go to her rather than reach across.

So I'm curious, when did yours make the move and what was the catalyst?

We moved DS at 6 months as that's when the SIDS risk drops off considerably. I wouldn't advocate moving much before that but you're probably fine at 5 months if you want to, it's the first few months when the risk is particularly high.

I don't understand the 'same room guidance' for all naps, if it's based on them being able to hear your breathing, to regulate their own. How many people sit in silence next to their child during naps? The reality is, the TV will be on, you may be out, in the car the washing machine whirring, radio - we even encourage white noise. All of which will drown out your baby's ability to hear you breathe. I'm not sure the people who come up with the guidance have thought this one through fully.

Both DSs were in their own room from the day we came home from hospital.

DS was about 3.5/4 months old. He outgrew his Moses basket and we didn't have another option for him. We had a video monitor attached to the cot so we could still see/hear him and he'd been sleeping upstairs on his own for a bit before we went to bed for a while.

sloth it's only recommended to room-share at night - during the day there's generally enough background noise to prevent the baby sleeping too deeply and forgetting to breath.

*breathe

Moved all four at around the 8 week mark, once they slept mostly from 11-7. We definitely disturbed one another in the same room. I've no idea when the advice came in but my eldest is early twenties and I had no sense that I was going against advice. Youngest are now early teens and if the guidance was there then, I either didn't know or didn't care!

The thing is, SIDS, whilst tragic is extremely rare, and for me the benefit of undisturbed sleep would probably outweigh the tiny increased risk.

It always amazes me how nowadays people on here are so pro co-sleeping (which used to be seen as a big SIDS risk) but anti putting a child to sleep in their own room "against the guidelines ".

9 months. I’d have happily kept him with us longer but he outgrew his next to me cot and we couldn’t fit a bigger one in our room. It has gone well so far though and he seems to sleep better and we are not creeping around as much

8 weeks old ten years ago. She didn't fit her Moses basket any more (long baby) and it's not like we live in a big house so she wasn't far away. Baby monitor and our door open. She slept better.
I recognise the guidelines have changed. I guess I'd do it differently now.

@Ladyoftherings

Bedsharing presents a suffocation risk but not a SIDS risk.

It comes with guidelines too. Healthy term baby, exclusively breastfed on demand both day and night, no duvet, non smoking parents, no alcohol, firm sleeping surface, no drowsy medications, 16-20 degree temperature in room, baby beside mother.

3 or 4 months. I woke at the slightest noise and would get a bottle ready, realised they would never self settle if I did this. Everybody slept far better after.

DS was 8 months as we moved to a house that actually had central heating. It was cheaper for him to stay in our room with us so we only had to put one heater on!

Attempted 7 months with DD as she was sleeping through but that didn't last as she wouldn't sleep.. I assume she didn't like being alone. She coslept with us until a few months ago and she'll be 5 in July.

Both slept through from 7 weeks, DS kept up with the sleeping through and it a fantastic sleeper now. He's 6.

ds (dc2) ended up being bang on 6 months to the day because that happened to be the day we had time to move the cot etc

Dd (dc1) was on her own from about 10 weeks. Sounds awful but before that id been sleeping in her room because of a damp patch in ours (rented flat), she had been ill and after we got back from hospital I couldnt bear being back in the little single bed in.her.room, plus I didn't sleep deeply with her next to me and I was exhausted.

(Disclaimer- her dad is exh now partly because he was very selfish over sleep with both of them!)

First 5 months and slept much better afterwards, our noises were clearly a disturbance.

Second is 4 months old now and I think we can get to 6 months as she sleeps much more deeply. Also her room is currently the guest room as we live overseas and have had relatives visiting every month since she was born! Last wave leaves when she's 5 months and then we have to change furniture and rearrange anyway.

Just under 5 months.
She was too big for Moses basket and we couldn't fit the cot in our bedroom.
I was worried at first and thought it was too early and that we would give it a try and it wouldn't work so we'd have to find another solution.
But she slept so much better as did we so it worked out alright in the end.

4 months - like Lou we were waking each other up all the time! He's never had a problem sleeping in his own room.

Following As dd is 8 months currently and still waking once or twice through the night... I'm undecided on what to do as I don't want to make my life harder by having to get up (she's currently in a next to me cot)... any advice from anyone? Will she sleep better on her own?

“It always amazes me how nowadays people on here are so pro co-sleeping (which used to be seen as a big SIDS risk) but anti putting a child to sleep in their own room "against the guidelines ".”

This is because the guidelines is based on research which has increased our understanding of in what circumstances SIDS is more likely.

Thing is, the risk of SIDS is less than 1 per 1000 across all babies. Other risk factors play a part -low birth weight, maternal age, parents who smoke etc etc. If I were looking after babies again today I wouldn't do anything different as my own personal risk would be even lower than 1 in a 1000, regardless of where my babies slept.

It always amazes me how nowadays people on here are so pro co-sleeping (which used to be seen as a big SIDS risk) but anti putting a child to sleep in their own room "against the guidelines

Honestly there are so many factors. Formula increases risk of SIDS compared to breastfeeding. Dummy decreases the risk of SIDS. So if you have a cosleeping breastfed baby who sleeps with a dummy there's no way to calculate exactly what the risk is. Everyone has to make choices at some point. No one follows the guidance exactly!

7 months, he got too big for the side sleeper and we were all waking each other up. He wasn’t sleeping through which was a pain but we all got a better nights sleep just from not being on top of each other.

4 1/2 months.

She was so noisy and I would wake at the slightest sound from her, and also she was fast outgrowing her Moses basket and the cotbed was too big to fit in my bedroom. I put the Moses basket in the cotbed for a while because she seemed just so tiny.

I went to check on her about 20 times a night to start off with. She seemed fine with the change, but I was a wreck for weeks

10 weeks. DS was always on the move, constant rustling noise of his nappy kept us awake. We all slept better when we moved him.

DH persuaded me to move DS at 6 months. With the benefit of hindsight I wish I'd sent DH to the spare room instead!

We were told we could he was 6 months corrected (so 8 months) and paeds were confident he didn't need us quite so close to help regulate his breathing. But waited for a bit longer anyway as it was easier for me to roll over and feed rather than get up.