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Original poster

What age did you leave your baby to sleep in cot in bedroom and then return downstairs?

26 replies

pearl297 · 09/08/2011 14:49

My baby is 6 weeks old and has decided that her newly discovered surrounding are far more exciting than sleep. Shes gone from being able to sleep through anything to the smallest noise or light waking her up after spending an eternity to get her to sleep.

Is 6 weeks too early to put her to sleep in her cot in our room and then come down stairs? we have a movement sensor and monitor of course?

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Portofino · 09/08/2011 14:51

We did this from the day we brought dd home from the hospital. With a monitor and regular checks.

IQuiteLikeVodka · 09/08/2011 14:51

I did it from around 7 weeks

SenoritaViva · 09/08/2011 14:54

As with Portofino (although to be fair we didn't have a downstairs - living in hot country with houses that generally are all on one floor).

Don't beat yourself up, it will be fine Smile

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AnyFucker · 09/08/2011 14:56

the day we brought her home

naturalbaby · 09/08/2011 14:57

can't remember but it was within a few weeks and i don't use monitors. my 3rd baby was so happy to have a bit of peace and quiet he used to lay in the moses basket for ages cooing to himself when i though he was having a nice long sleep!

garliclover · 09/08/2011 15:11

I don't think 6 weeks is too early if going downstairs means there's less chance of her waking up...

WanderingSheep · 09/08/2011 15:15

Did it from birth with both my DDs, as long as you've followed FSID guidelines they should be perfectly safe in the cot - with regular checks of course

IAmTheCookieMonster · 09/08/2011 15:16

I did this pretty much straight away, everyone took the piss out of me for my sound check "wah wah, can you hear me? wah"

carpetlover · 09/08/2011 15:17

About 6wks with DC1. From birth with the others.

Mimmee · 09/08/2011 15:20

We did this from about 6-8 weeks (although we live in a flat) but found it much better for DD to give her some peace and quiet. As others have said baby monitor and check regularly. Our HV actually told us to do this at about 10 days as it would get baby used to being in own room and let me and DP spend some time together. That was a bit soon for me though...

Sleepglorioussleep · 09/08/2011 15:45

Dd is five weeks old and we do. She is number three and it means I can either spend time with the others or get stuff done without worrying that the other two are lovingly waking her up Grin. She settles much better upstairs too. Win all round I think. I don't know what the SIDS people think, but I am not asleep at the time during the day (I wish Wink) and check her frequently.

Original poster
pearl297 · 10/08/2011 14:45

thanks everyone, tried it out last night, i will say one thing i'm certain to shift this baby weight with the amount of times i was up and down those stairs checking Hmm. I'm sure i'll be able to chill out a bit more tonight tho once i get used to it Smile.

OP posts:
Tootingbec · 10/08/2011 14:50

It will be fine - nothing (and I mean nothing!) is going to happen to your baby because you are downstairs. Just check now and again and make sure you don't have any stuff (toys/cot bumpers etc) in the cot.

We live in an upstairs flat and I would leave both my two our downstairs hallway if they fell asleep in the pram. I am aware that sadly babies can die of SIDS but surely this has nothing to do with whether the parents are physically in the room with them, but down to other factors such as smoking?

Please correct me if I am wrong!

marge2 · 10/08/2011 14:53

2 weeks with DS1. Birth with DS2. Baby listener on full volume of course.

thesurgeonsmate · 10/08/2011 15:04

Another flat here. So next door in our room not upstairs. As soon as she would wear it, which probably was around six weeks. We used to fight for the chance to tiptoe in and have a peek. "I'm going to check the baby," "No, I'll go," "You got to go last time." I miss it, she'd wake up if I tiptoed in for a peek these days.

sprinkles77 · 10/08/2011 16:16

from birth, followed all the cot death guidelines, no bumpers pillows or soft toys, kept the room cool, had a (basic) baby monitor. From 8 weeks DS slept on his front.

pozzled · 10/08/2011 16:20

Not till a couple of months with DD1, but would certainly be in another room while she was asleep, just not a different floor.

Just starting to do it with DD2 at 8 weeks, but only because she's not a great sleeper and up till now has mostly slept in the sling. I would have done it before now if she'd let me.

Catslikehats · 10/08/2011 16:27

DC is 5mths and is still downstairs in the evening. Our house is such that we can't use a monitor and I wont risk her waking and crying in between checks.

colditz · 10/08/2011 16:29

I was in a flat, but it was from 3 days old with Ds1 as he wouldn't settle until he was alone, and in a darkened room!!!

Ds2 was about 5 months old, but that was because his brother didn't settle well and I knew he would be my last baby

Albrecht · 10/08/2011 16:55

FSIDS recommendations are that baby sleeps in the same room as you for day and night sleeps. Not sure why they don't push this more than the alleged dangers of co-sleeping.

From what I have read they aren't sure why there is a risk associated with sleeping on their own. Perhaps tiny changes in air pressure from your breathing stimulates their lungs or the sound of you breathing and moving around keeps them in a light sleep so they don't "forget" to breath. Of course SIDS is less common now so it is only a small risk (I think mainly due to the changes in attitudes to smoking and the back to sleep message?).

As I understand a monitor doesn't stop anything bad happening just tells you if it does.

StrandedBear · 10/08/2011 17:38

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

carpetlover · 10/08/2011 17:41

Stranded, we put DC1 to sleep in the moses basket in the same room as (lounge) then took him upstairs when we went to bed. We didn't necessarily watch him sleep but he wasn't in a separate room. The other two went straight in the cot.

superjobee · 10/08/2011 17:46

PFB from birth, she went to bed when we did till she was 4 months then went from 9-9 pretty much ever after..

thesurgeonsmate · 11/08/2011 15:36

Albrecht I agree that I didn't understand that to be the message. If I had picked that up, I might have bought a moses basket rather than a crib. I was sure as hell clear that they didn't want me co-sleeping, though. If I thought there was a risk we might drop off during a daytime feed in the first couple of weeks, I had my mother supervising us!

Clueless79 · 13/08/2011 16:47

I am currently pondering this issue myself - ds is 15 weeks and I can't bring myself to let him sleep in another room (not that I watch him constantly when he's sleeping in the same room as me) because of the guidance that Albrecht has mentioned. I believe it's to do with parents' breathing/movement keeping young babies in a light enough sleep.

For the issue of LO waking and crying the monitor is fine but if it's SIDS we're worried about then I can't see how a monitor makes any difference?

Currently ds falls asleep downstairs and I go up to bed with him shortly afterwards. It's ok most nights as I'm shattered but is a bit tying having to do this every night and getting no down time with dh - which we could really do with. Seems I'll be doing this till he's 6 months when guidelines say it's ok to be in separate rooms as I just feel as if they must be giving us this advice for good reason.

Plenty of people do their own thing - as others have said, this particular guideline doesn't appear to get as much coverage as others such as 'back to sleep'/no-smoking. Hmm...

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