To leave 7 week old alone in bedroomwith a baby monitor?

[HollyGoLoudly1]

Wise mumsnetters, please advise - SIDS advice says if baby is sleeping that they should be in the same room as you until 6 months. I want to start a bedtime routine with baby going down in the bedroom at 8pm. Is this ok if I am listening in using a monitor? Or do they literally have to be in the same room (i.e. living room) until I go to bed?

Babycentre isn't a source of good, evidence based advice.

You can start a routine as in bath, fresh PJs, book, milk and tuck down into Moses basket or similar but I wouldn't put him in a different room.

He's so little. He's only been in the world 49 days. He will fall into a routine naturally. What's the rush?

I have a 7 week old too. Just to say I started a routine in the last week and he's in a separate room and I put him down at 7 awake and he settles to sleep really nicely. It took a few days to get into it but personally I think it's been really good for him and for me. I wake him for a dream feed at 11 to stop him going into deep sleep then and working towards him sleeping through but of course that won't happen for a while. Trust your gut and heed the advice that feels right for you. No sense putting him in a routine and in a separate room if you are going to worry about it but if you feel comfortable I personally think it can be really beneficial.

If the parent isn’t asleep the “helping to regulate breathing” part is irrelevant so not really sure how it helps to have a parent sitting in the same room as a 7 week old staring at them

Do you not breathe when you’re awake, Caprisun?

My babies slept through at 5 weeks and 7 weeks 😏. I didn’t even realise I was doing a routine! I thought we were just living life 😂. Bath, pjs, bottle and bed from early on. You can still do that and keep the baby with you in a Moses basket if you like...... that won’t stop you trying to get some sense of what you’re doing and feeling a bit more in control. Good luck 😘

Both my children had bedtime 'routines from birth. That simply meant feeding every 2 - 3 hours during day as they needed, then bath, feed and bed in darkened room with monitor at 7. Woke them to feed again when we went to bed. Feeding overnight on demand.

Both are strapping teens now and have always slept really well. Both fully breastfed.

The idea that there must be no bedtime routine til they're 1 = crazy.

The reduction in risk comes from mirroring the parents breathing whilst asleep though. In a silent room, regular, deep, sleep breathing. Not sitting in front of the TV nose breathing whilst your baby sleeps

You're getting a bit of a rough ride OP.

We did start a bedtime 'routine' at around the same age - bath, story, change babygro - but we then brought baby back into lounge with us and she would then go in her basket/Sleepyhead. She was about 16wks when we started putting her down in our room for naps and a couple hours in the evening. Own room at 6mths.

For us it was more about the repetitive process being familiar to her. We do a similar routine now she's 1 and in her own room.

I don’t think you’re right on that, Caprisun

www.lullabytrust.org.uk/ has good and trustworthy information on safe sleeping practices. I wouldn't use websites like Babycentre for stuff pertaining to the safety of young babies – stick to things like NHS guidance or organisations that specifically work in this area like the Lullaby Trust.

I would say that much as it would be great for you to establish a routine like this, at 7 weeks it's prob a bit too soon.

With all my 4 dc it was when they were 12 weeks that I could confidently put them to bed at 7 with a bedtime routine.

3/4 slept thro from 7-7 at 11 weeks and twins at 14 weeks.

Before that, just go with the flow!!

If you are happy to put the baby down for the night in the bedroom then I would personally use the Angel care monitor with a movement mat.
Every parent is different with how they raise their children, what works for one doesn't work for all.

My 7 week old both had routine and were fantastic sleepers. There are a lot of people on here projecting from there own experiences.
The SIDS advice is great and has reduced SIDS hugely but it’s not an exact science and you have to make a judgement call.

Baby is 8 months and still hasn't slept alone, still in my room at night too. I do worry about SIDs so am planning to keep him with us for at least the first year in his cot in our room, but it is up to you. I would follow NHS guidelines just to be safe?

Calm down people. So the baby at the side of you in bed are you going to watch the baby all night or are you going to sleep like a bloody log while the baby sleeps? Of course you are going to sleep. And unless you have a movement monitor you won't know until its too late if the baby is in any trouble.
I was like something possessed with first baby when it comes to sids, then second I relaxed a bit and the third I bought an Angelcare monitor and put baby to bed from 8 weeks or so, it was only for an hour or two in the evening but enabled me to spend a little time with my other two small dc and dh. Then we co slept for the rest of the night! Terrible mother.
Do what you feel is right for you op. The angelcare monitor was amazing for us.

My DS is 18 weeks. He's been sleeping 7:00-7:00 since 10 weeks, started routine around 8 weeks. Although he sleeps in our room and I'm often in with him anyway. Currently lying on the bed on my phone listening to him breathe

There's no issue with having a routine as long as you don't expect the baby to stick to or follow it! You can have a routine that's for yourself in that you do certain things before bed each day, such as the bath, changing into PJs etc - it's the expecting tiny babies to always conform to arbitrary routines and timings that generally leads to problems.

Got any links?

I would (and did) do this at that age.

I kept my baby downstairs with my until 6 months. I know the SIDS guidelines are just guidelines but I followed them by the book because if the unthinkable did happen I didn't want to be left with the 'what if i had done it right' feelings.

An angel care monitor won't help stop SIDS (I believe it helps with sleep apnea and other diagnoses). Once the child stops breathing it's too late.

I did this and DD was fine. Why should she have to sleep in a noisy living room because we were in there.

It's what a monitor is for. Just remember to go In and check every half hour or so.

Baby shouldn't be in o

I did this and DD was fine

I remember sitting in the boot of the car on a motorway journey as a child and I was fine too!

Sorry, bfing baby, finger slippage start again!