want to put 5 month old in own room but...

[octopuscakes]

...he sleeps on his tummy, against the SIDS guidelines (no way around it - he flips over almost immediately though I always put him down on his back)

Also we're in a hot country and have the AC set at 79 degrees, which I think is 26 degrees centigrade, again against SIDS guidelines, though it feels cool and in fact if we set it lower DH and I get cold.

So with these two things in mind, can I really move DS to his own room? (desperate to as a the moment his dad is sleeping in the spare room!)

when did everyone move their babies out of their room?

Yes I will get flamed but dd went into her own room at 6 weeks. She has bad reflux n after a night feed that could last anything up to 90 mins we then had to keep her up for another half hr and she still took ages to settle. When she was asleep she was really grunty n sounded like she was struggling with her tummy n kept bashing the sides of the basket that woke her up. All in all we were all keeping each other up and it was a nightmare. And although nights are very disturbed still at least we can get a few hours between feeds etc.

In regards to sleeping on their front HV and community nursery nurse said try not to worry about it too much (dd doesn't roll yet she's 16wks). Still put them to sleep foot to foot n on their back. But at the age where they can roll they should have the neck strength to lie on their cheek rather than face down and just to make sure there are no cot bumpers they can roll into and smother themselves on

But at the end of the day with all the info it's a very personal choice n what will work for u and ur baby taking all the risks into consideration

Ds was in his own room at 10 weeks.

Both of us slept better.

With regards to sleeping on the tummy, this used to be the advice years and years ago, there are a fair few people still standing. Try not to worry too much :)

Both of mine were in their own rooms at 4/5 weeks..it is only across the hall though.

If you are posting about it you're obviously worried.
The advice is there for a reason. Just because other people did x, y , and z and their baby was ok doesn't mean you will be so lucky.
Keeping the baby close helps to regulate breathing. If they can't hear you breathing then it can't.
Regards temp can't you just put an extra blanket/ layer on?

The advice is to keep baby in your room until 6 months, but it sounds like you are pretty close to that. Also your baby should be strong enough to turn head etc. For peace of mind you could get a breathing monitor (we have the angelcare one), and also make sure you know what to do if, God forbid, the alarm has reason to sound.

Smoking is by far the biggest factor in SIDs despite the theories banded around online about breathing regulation (I am yet to see evidence of this, if you have some please post) The below doesn't mention the same room at all as far as my skimming can see.....

www.nhs.uk/news/2007/october/pages/smokingandriskofcotdeath.aspx

In terms of temperature 26 is baking but as long as the baby is just wearing a summer sleepsuit (short sleeves) with no covers will be fine. The important thing is they don't overheat, not the actual temp. I am a bit that you actually want it that hot tho! Are you sure its accurate?!

Your LO is close to 6 months anyway - in terms of the turning over DD1 did this from 3 months. HV said as long as they can turn over themselves they are OK to choose own position for sleeping as they can move their head to the other side. Just make ultra sure LO isn't too hot.

brettgirl I know it's weird, but basically because the AC blows cold air in it feels cold, even though the thermometer can say say 78/79/80. As soon as the AC cuts out (it's on AUTO so meant to cut in and out such that it keeps a stable temperature) it feels warmer, but certainly not baking. Funnily enough I sleep in more than DS - because of the temp guidelines he doesn't get any covers - just sleeps in a vesty thing - whereas I need a sheet or I get cold!

DS is strong and very mobile. he has a tendency to sleep face down at times but he does shuffle all round his cot, which I think is what matters.

My babies have both gone in their own room from day one . I have an apnoea monitor so I can check they are ok. I believe they are safer in there than in my bed or bedroom . ( my opinion) .

My baby went in her room just before 5 months. She was getting too big in her crib and would wake herself moving around and touching the sides. Pretty soon after moving to her own room she started rolling over.

As someone already said they have the strength to turn their head. My health visitor told me to put her down on her back but leave her if she rolls.

My girl sometimes sleeps nose down, don't know how she is comfortable but she is.

Those that use a breathing monitor should maybe know that with cot death once the baby had stopped breathing its too late.

The alarms don't sound until the breathing has stopped. If the baby was choking or suffocating the baby could possibly be revived and the alarm would alert you.
If the baby has stopped breathing due to SIDS they can't be revived

8 weeks - soon afterwards he started sleeping through 7-7 ;o)

Ours went in to own room from day 1 and I never regretted it. Worked brilliantly for us.

Those that are so militant about the 6 months rule and SIDS, do you never leave your baby to nap in another room to you??? How do you do a bedtime routine in the evening and put baby to bed? Or do you go to bed at 7 when the baby does? If they are constantly sleeping in the room with you, surely their quality of sleep suffers as they would always have lights, chatter, etc going on around them?

To balance it up DD1 15 months DD2 &3 14 months and well DS is 2 and still in with us but that's a space issue.

You can't stop the tummy flip either way and heat is being managed. Your risk would be extraordinarily low.

In answer to lala...am not militant about the six month rule but for logistical and practical reasons mine always sleep where I am and don't go up to bed until about a year old. Sleep is developmental and they grow into it even with my complete lack of routine. Mine have never napped in cots and have often been transferred to bed in outdoor clothes etc no sleep probs.

Mine went into his own room at 4 months as he grew out of his moses basket and the cot didn't fit in our room.

We had no risk factors for SIDS so it wasn't something that concerned me.

Squids where do yours sleep once they grow out of a moses basket/crib/something you can move around but before they go into your room?

Sorry. their room.

snala so SIDS isn't revivable? I assumed the alarm would sound?

When very little they would usually be in a sling for their naps then when older I would use the pram/push chair (hard floors and dogs so buggy wheels no problem). If working on computer upstairs they would sleep in my bed, toddler naps in pushchair or sofa.

If you decide to move baby into their own room, you could consider a video monitor. Mine gave me a lot of peace of mind. On full volume you could hear DS breathing so you didn't even need to go into to check. It was a Summer monitor.
We did it at 4 months. He did the flipping onto his front at 5 months which worried me at first but he had a strong neck and the HV said not to worry as he was flipping himself and could move his head from side to side easily (as mentioned by another poster).
Temperature wise, we also had to go for a bit warmer, 22-24 degrees approx or he wouldn't sleep at all.

FSIDS do recommend that they sleep in the same room as you for naps as well as night time sleep:

"A key message to keep your baby safe and healthy is that the safest place for your baby to sleep - night and day - is in a crib or cot in a room with you for the first six months."

There is no clear reason why some babies die when sleeping in their own room. So there are theories as to why (they hear your breathing and stay in a lighter sleep remembering to breath or your breathing creates tiny changes in air pressure that stimulate their lungs) but it is a fact that it is a risk factor.

(You can read loads of research via the FSIDS website)

my home is always really hot! have elderly neighbours who keep the building like a sauna! I was told to not worry about the actual temperature, just keep the air moving so that DSs skin could cool down (so we were told to use a fan, but not pointing at him, we put it just outside the door pointing into the room so that the air was moving). You're already doing that if your AC keeps the air moving!

yeah although the thermometer reads high DS never feels warm or clammy (I actually sometimes think he wakes up because he is cold! cold air blowing from AC etc).

on balance I guess DS is alone upstairs until we come to bed, which is not a lot different from being in his own room after we go to bed.

I can see how the breathing thing might apply to very small babies but surely only if they are v close to you, as in co-sleeping.

I think if you are used to it being hot you do feel cold if there's a drop even if the temp is still technically high