Moving baby into own room at 4 and a half months

[velveteenwabbit]

We are considering moving DD into her own room to sleep as she is a very noisy sleeper. DH wants to move her, I wanted to keep her with us until 6 months but we already do let her nap in a separate room to us with a video monitor on.

Has anyone else done this? I'm not sure about it as I know it's recommended they're in a room with an adult until 6 months.

@bertie thanks, interesting reading

We moved dd at about 3 months, we all slept a lot better after

SIDS risk drops sharply from 4 months of age.

The vast majority of babies who die of SIDS nowadays have more than one risk factor - e.g. exposure to second-hand smoke, living in an overcrowded home, parental substance abuse etc.

As far as I could tell when I read up on this, there's no consensus on the mechanism by which babies who sleep in the same room as Mum are protected from SIDS. There are various theories, e.g. baby sleeps more lightly, baby hears Mum's breathing, etc. But none have been firmly established. It's entirely possible that there is correlation but no causation - I.e. that the kind of parents who do other risky things also tend to put baby in their own room.

My son outgrew his Moses basket at 4.5 months so we moved him into his own room. DH and I were comfortable with that, but we're doctors so we were comfortable looking at the evidence and weighing up the risks.

Dd went into her own room when we came home from hospital as there was nowhere else to put her.
She got so comfortable with it that while she would calm down in our bed if upset in the night, she wouldn't sleep until back into her own room.

I'd move DH.

My daughter was in her own room right from the start. No problems at all. My son was in our room as I'd had a c section and it was easier, but we moved him out after a few weeks. Every time we turned over or snores, he woke up. The baby bedroom was across the landing from ours, all doors open and a baby listening monitor. I can't think why people think they will die if in their own room.

I moved DS at 10 weeks as he outgrew his crib and was a very noisy sleeper. It was a pain at first going into his room at night to bf him but I had a nice rocking chair and just got on with it. He had a monitor and was next door so I never slept through any crying. He was up 3 times a night anyway, I really don't see moving your DC at 4 months as an issue.

@TabbyMumz because your breathing regulates their breathing that's why the advice is to have them in the same room as you.

Donotdisturb......I think that's a load of nonsense. Other posters have said there is no proof or data to that, and other factors need to be taken into account. When mine were babies we were told they should be in their own room as data was coming through that cot deaths occur when sleeping near smokers. I'm not a smoker, but I still think the so called experts have no proof of anything really.

Dd went in her own room at 6 weeks. She outgrew her moses basket and was a very noisy sleeper.
It was something dh and I both agreed on though.

@TabbyMumz no need to get defensive - my daughter went into her cot in her own room at 4 months. I was just answering you as to why people believe they need to wait longer.

DD was in her own room from birth. It was what our own parents did for me and DP and our siblings and what our friends had done with their own DC. We didn't really think of doing otherwise.

Donotdisturb....not defensive at all?! Just saying what I think.

Baby in her own room by about 9 weeks. She outgrew her Moses basket and we had no room in our little bedroom for a cot.
Baby monitor. Our door open. No problem.

@TabbyMumz why are they "so called" experts? That makes it sound like the advice is just pulled out of their arses.

I can't believe you've got to 4 months and still have your baby in with you. We moved our two out when they outgrew the moses basket so at around 12 weeks. Much better for them and us 😴😴😴

I moved my DD at four and a half months when her sleep massively regressed and even turning over in bed woke her up. We are all sleeping much better as a result and I’m hoping it’ll help the transition to her cot as she’s nearly outgrown her bassinet.

BFing halves the risk of SIDS and yet most people don't do that. There are a series of risk factors, as a PP said, smoking and substance abuse and of course putting to sleep on their tummy are all bigger risk factors. Cosleeping with a sober BFer isn't dangerous, with a drunk father is. Try and reduce all the risk factors you can but don't sweat it if one doesn't work for you.

Me? DD1 lasted 3 days in our room, DD2 a few weeks (but she then shared with her DSis and was in and out of our bed all night) and DS (who was a premmie) shared a room with us for a year, we did cosleep with him though which is not recommended. All BF, no smokers in the house.

I'm not a smoker, but I still think the so called experts have no proof of anything really.

It is well documented that no one knows exactly what causes cot death. No one knows why one child dies whilst thousands of others don’t. What we do have is numbers. Statistics.

It is more likely that a child will die of cot death if they are not sleeping on their back.
It is more likely that a child will die of cot death if they are in a separate room.
It is more likely a child will die of cot death if their parents are smokers.
It is more likely a child will die of cot death if the baby is too hot.

However, even a baby sleeping on their front, in a different part of the house to their chin smoker parents who have dressed him for the Arctic when it is 25 degrees in his room is far far far more likely to not die of cot death.

What you have to decide is if you are comfortable with the increase in risk. Raising children does not happen in a vacuum. I vowed never to co-sleep until the day that I sleep walked across a busy road with dd in her prom. Then I realised that there was a lot more risk to her having a mother who was so sleep deprived she couldn’t make basic decisions about safety than there was from co-sleeping.

@TabbyMumz So called experts... Highly educated scientists who have spent years researching this... But yeah hun, mum knowz best and all that bollocks.

Number one risk factor is a smoking mother, followed by a smoking father.

Number two risk is factor is that boys make up the majority of SIDS death

Number three is being in a room alone

There are others; previous SIDS in the family, being born to a teenage mum, being placed to sleep on their front. And more.

There are a few reasons why the risk is higher when babies are left alone to sleep. They sleep too deep and forget to breathe, being one of them.

The SIDS guidelines have seen a massive drop in the number of deaths.

Don't move her yet, she's so young.
What is a noisy sleeper?

As well as the reasons given above for sleeping in the same room reducing cot death I have been told by a doctor friend that cot death is believed to not always be silent. So more chance of hearing and intervening if baby is right next to you.

My DD is just over 4 months and has started to suck her fingers when she sleeps. She is so noisy slurping away and smacking her lips that DH and I take it in turns to sleep in a different room so we can get a proper sleep

To make things worse she can now turn herself around in her cot so we are also treated to her kicking away at the sides till we turn her back round!

I wore ear plugs rather than move them before a year

If you want to keep her in your room and DH doesn't then DH can move or get earplugs. Don't let him talk you into doing it if you aren't comfortable with it. 2 months is nothing in the grand scheme of things.