stopping co-sleeping

[fishandlilacs]

I am an accidental co-sleeper with my 5.5 mnth old ds (dc2). I have a co sleeper cot but he never uses it, prefers to be snuggled into my armpit. Even if I push him quite far away across the bed he still ends up right next to me.

I love co-sleeping with him, but it only works if dh is in the spare room and that cant go on much longer. I want to move him into his own room but i'm worried it will be too much too soon, i have started slowly trying to transfer him into the co-sleeper cot but he wakes within 10 minutes.

Has anyone any advice or experience , please?

I'm in similar situation with our youngest DD, who is nearly 6 months. She does sleep in her side cot some, but only in short spurts (1-2 hours). Nothing to add, but supportive words, and I'll be watching the thread. Hope you find a way to get DS to sleep more independently, but happily, for the well being of your whole family.

Is there an option to move a matress/bed in to his room?

I'm currently in dd's room sleeping in a double bed (we have large bedrooms) next to her cot.

I've used it as a transition to get her used to her cot on her own. So she now goes down on the bed with me or DP (finally I don't have to do all bedtimes!) and we then transfer her. Occasionally she'll go to sleep in the cot on her own. We bf / feed to sleep during the night etc.

You need to be 100% behind moving him in to his room. I was nowhere near ready at 5 months. Tried it at 7 months (half heartedly) and took the plunge to officially move her at 9.5 months only because I knew dp's snoring was waking her more than she would normally wake (and on the condition the spare double bed moved with her too!)

We did co sleeping the same as you - DP being in the spare room etc it suited us as a family to be honest - he and I both slept better and made time together more special iyswim? It was other people that made us feel it wasn't 'normal'.

I suppose I'm trying to say, 5 months is still tiny, you may find he'll get better on his own over next few weeks

To get him used to co sleeper-
Blanket or sheet that you have slept on in there (your smell, snuggle yourself on it for a few nights!)
Put him in it awake whilst you 'potter' about during the day

Good luck

Just another idea to throw into the mix from my experience - we used to settle dd into her cot at the start of the night (at that age I think she was still going to sleep at about 10pm most nights), I'd snuggle in with dp, and then from when she woke for the first time I'd go and sleep with her on a mattress on the floor in her room. It meant that dp and I got time together at the start of the night, he didn't get disturbed for the rest of the night, and dd could sleep with me for most of the night which made her happy. At about 11 months she suddenly started sleeping much longer stretches til she would just stay in her cot all night, waking at 6 or 7am.

That's more or less what we do DIY. So she slept from 6.30 till 10 last night, quick feed and then went down till 2ish. I then stopped with her the rest of the night then (in double bed) so DP had big king size bed to himself

Thank you, we are ok with it but the spare room he's using is soon to be DD ages 5 bedroom and the baby is going into her old room. I hadn't thought about it but there is an option to leave the single bed in there-it would be bloomin cramped but it could work.

it's nice to know theres others out there like us.