When to put baby in own room?

[magnum]

I just wondered when it was safe to put my dd in her own room at night? She is 7 weeks old and is quite tall and won't be in her moses basket for too long which is in our bedroom. We can't fit her cot in our room as its not big enough. I've heard somewhere that babies should 'share your air' until at least six months. Does anyone know?

[kayleigh]

Both of my boys went in their cots in their own room from 6 weeks.
The first few nights i put the moses basket inside the cot so they could get used to the new environment. They then went straight into the cot with no problem and both slept through from around 8-10 weeks.
Good luck

[magnum]

thanks for the reply, my hv scared me by saying there was an increased rate in cot death for babies who didn't share their parents room for at least 6 mths. Not sure whether this is right or not.

[codswallop]

Mine were earlier all that snuffling!

[Starsky]

My dd went into her own room at just over 3 months. To be honest, I think we both slept better once she dd, she was disturbed by our noise and I was jumping awake at every little noise. As long as you follow all other guidelines on cot death I wouldn't see it as a problem. Never heard that they should sleep with you for 6 months though...

[sb34]

Message withdrawn

[emwi]

DD slept in her own room from about 2 weeks - very noisy sleeper! We had a sleep apnoea alarm which I've seen numerous negative reports about but it set our minds at rest about cot death. It was a pressure sensor under the mattress linked to the baby monitor. She has always been a fantastic sleeper by the way but doesn't like sharing a room with us when we are away because we wake her up when we come to bed.

[magnum]

Thanks to all of you for your replies. I feel a lot happier about putting her in her own room now!! It will also be much better for me and DH as we do have a rather squeaky bed!! Thanks especially to sb34 as you have explained a lot and it makes sense

[Furball]

I left Ds in a cot in our room until 6 months and he was a terrible sleeper, he didn't sleep through til 13 months! It seems the longer they are in with you, you end up with a bad sleeper. Out of all my friends with children the same age as DS, the best sleepers were but in their own room from a few weeks and DS was in our room the longest and the worst - Coincidence??

[aloha]

Magnum, there is a statistically increased risk. Basically, anything that encourages them to sleep more deeply increases the risk. However, if they are on their back, you don't smoke and, ideally, they are breastfed, the risks are tiny. My ds slept much better out of our room. So did we. he was a terrible sleeper anyway but woke up every 20mins when in with us!

[eidsvold]

dd went into her own room at about 8 months. She finally got too small for her moses basket at 6 months and although she had a cot - she was in with us. Having said that - we have a huge bedroom and so there was plenty of room. Had we lived in our old place she would probably have been in her own room way before then. She was also a brilliant sleeper so we were reluctant to move her until dh bit the bullet and moved her one day while I was out.

[mears]

There is guidance out there that suggests babies should be in the same room as their parents up to the age of 6 months to reduce the risk of cot death. As parents we have to make decisions based on our own lifestyles.

[Pancake]

I must be a very bad mum as both ds1 and ds2 went straight in their bedrooms from da 1. They are both excellent sleepers and we've never had any trouble getting them to sleep and they sleep well.

I really think you have to do what is best for you.

[fio2]

dd was in with us until about 8 months but ds went in at about 8 weeks because he was a light sleeper and we just kept waking him up. Mind you they both manage to con their way into our room occasionally

[mothernature]

I think for convenience we put ours in their own room once we had stopped the night feeds, I breast fed them only for the first few weeks and then they went onto bottle, but that's another story, hope this help's

[Lindy]

Mine went in his room at 3 weeks (no monitor either!) and is, and has always been, an excellent sleeper. Interesting reading these comments about sleeping in own room and quality of sleep - wonder if there's been any research on it?

[aloha]

There is research that babies sleep more lightly and so do parents when babies are in the room, which is why it is advised that it can help reduce the risk of cot death. This is slightly more likely when babies sleep deeply. Dummies reduce the risk and one of the reasons might be that babies are slighly aroused in sleep when the dummy slips and they have to suck furiously again. It may also keep airways more open and stop babies sliding under covers. However, if your baby is on its back, is smoke free, you don't smoke and you breastfeed I personally think the risks are very small. It's up to you whether you take them.

[aloha]

There is research that babies sleep more lightly and so do parents when babies are in the room, which is why it is advised that it can help reduce the risk of cot death. This is slightly more likely when babies sleep deeply. Dummies reduce the risk and one of the reasons might be that babies are slighly aroused in sleep when the dummy slips and they have to suck furiously again. It may also keep airways more open and stop babies sliding under covers. However, if your baby is on its back, is smoke free, you don't smoke and you breastfeed I personally think the risks are very small. It's up to you whether you take them.

[Teletubby]

I have to say that i put both of my children into their own bedrooms literally straight away. My husband at the time worked erratic hours and use to wake them up when he came in plus i found them terribly noisey with endless grunting etc - i never slept a wink. I also found with my first that i would pick her up and feed her at the first whimper which she learnt to rather like! so with the second i avoided this at all costs and she has been a much better sleeper for it, i just use the baby monitor now.

[Claireandrich]

Well, DD is 15 months old and she is still in our room, but not from choice. I would have liked to move her to her own room at 6 months but until our move happens she stays put I am afraid. So, hopefully next week the 'new, big girl's room' will happen.

We are lucky as we all sleep well in the same room and don't often disturb each other.If anything we disturb her when we come into to go to bed. She is a really quiet sleeper.

[magnum]

My dd has just slept through all night for the first time!! She is only 7 weeks so we are delighted. She is a good sleeper anyway so I think the transition to her own room won't be too traumatic. I am tempted after reading all your replies to move her as her nursery has been ready since I was five months pregnant and it seems such a shame she is not enjoying her cot mobile and musical night light. Might try her next week if I'm feeling brave!!

[runragged]

ds was 8 weeks when I put him in his own room because he was such a noisy sleeper! Still is, tried to share a room with him on holiday and he was tossing and turning all night, he's nearly 2.

[steppemum]

Sorry I haven't read all the messages, but the advice about babies sharing your room for 6 months is from the World Health Organisation and is because they think it is one of the factors that helps reduce cot death. I know that lots of parents do move their babies into their own room for lots of reasons, but personally I didn't want to take the risk, despite a big strong healthy baby. So my ds slept in our room until last week, when he was 7 months. the transition to his own room has been completely painless. To be honest, I don't understand why everyone is so keen to follow all the other cot death advice, but not this one. That's not intended as a dig, it's just that i don't get it.

[steppemum]

I've just re-read that and it sounds as if I am condeming anyone who puts their baby in their own room, sorry, not my intention. I am just genuinly curious as to why we follow some "expert advice" and not others. May be I should start a new thread on that.

By the way, I disagree with the link between good sleepers and their own room. My ds is an excellent sleeper (slept through the night at 5 weeks) and he has always shared with us. Since we moved him last week, there has been no change. My god daughter is a good sleeper too, and she shared mum and dads room until 6 months as they lived in a 1 bed flat. (she's now 4)

[aloha]

Steppemum, probably because none of the rest of the advice means you never sleep yourself! My ds went into another room at around 4months because I simply couldn't sleep with him in the room (his movements and snuffling kept me awake) and vice versa. He was an appalling sleeper anyay, but even worse in our room. Even now, at two, he sleeps more restlessly if we have to share a room. I felt that as he was on his back, breastfed, in a smoke free environment, that I had never smoked when pregnant and he large and healthy our risk was extremely tiny. Oh, and he used a dummy - something else that reduces the risk! There are risks in parenting and you can't eliminate them all.

[runragged]

steppemum, dd slept in our room until she was six months but ds was so noisy I just couldn't get any rest. You can hear every noise in my house, he wasn't in a room with door closed or anything like that it just cut out the snuffles and tossing and turning, also, every time I had to get up for dd it disturbed him and I ended up getting up to him more often than I should.