Can my newborn just sleep in bed with me?

[CursiveLetters]

First time pregnant mum, excuse the clueless question! I'm assuming my newborn will be in the bed with us while he'll need to feed through the night while he's tiny. Then we'd like to sleep train between 3 and 6 months so he can sleep in his own crib.

Do I need a moses basket/cosleeper/whatever for the newborn? Or can I just stick him in the bed?

Co-sleeping can make life lots easier but please do lots of research on how to do it safely. There is some mumsnet info here to start you off: www.mumsnet.com/babies/cosleeping
Personally I think you need to be very sure that neither you nor your other half are likely to roll over in your sleep.
And if you don't want to do it for more than a couple of months you might find its easier to get in the habit of going in the cot straight away, rather than introducing a whole new way of doing things at 3-6 months. They are all different though!

Fantastic evidence -based resource on all aspects of infant sleep

Caring for your baby at night UNICEF leaflet

Lullaby Trust info on bedsharing and safety -they are a cot death charity, formerly known as the Foundation for the Stidy of Infant Deaths (FSID)

We have with DD2. We replaced the duvet with a sheet and king size cellular blankets. We have a co-sleeper crib attached to my side of the bed. No alcohol. Room between 16 and 20 degrees. Baby is dressed in just a nappy and a bundler - no vest. She is 3 weeks old.

Where's he going to sleep in the daytime? Is your bedroom upstairs? They shouldn't sleep alone when tiny so if you don't have a basket or crib you can bring downstairs they'll have to nap on you or in a sling which can make it hard to get meals for you or a shower.

I started out with a Moses basket, then realised my ds wouldn't sleep unless I was touching him. I was paranoid bringing him in bed with me when he was really little, so I got a bedside crib which was fab. When he was older I felt more confident and he shared my bed till he was 1 when I turfed him out I don't have a partner though so there wasn't as much of a worry about someone else squishing him.

Oh that's a good point, I never had alcohol and slept with a single sized blanket over me on the double bed. Ds still went down into his cot / Moses basket at his bedtime so he got used to going down alone - but then when he had his 11pm feed id keep him in with me till morning.

Side car cot is good advice. We used an ikea cot with the side off and adapted it by making the mattress level with bed and securing it.

You can google and people have instructions

Or you can just buy a specially made one like the nct one (we already had the cot so used that)

Agree Moses basket still useful to take around with you in the day etc

We waited until the peak incidence of sids was well past (till about 9monts) to cosleep but we had a risk factor (low birth weight) plus I didn't really know about it (or much else) to start with

How about a bedside crib? Nct bednest can be rented or you can buy something similiar . I have the chicco next 2 me crib so I can have my baby right beside me but without the safety worries of having her in my bed.

Waxy's links are good

Also you could get the new LLL book Sweet sleep, it's really good.

I had a Moses basket downstairs for day time naps and a bedside cot upstairs for the night. Baby had their own safe sleeping space, I could reach out and touch him and - bliss - I had my duvet. Now I have a toddler who insists on climbing into bed with me and hogging the covers!

its not official advice to do so but I did and most of the mums I know in RL do. some babies just don't settle without being cuddled in no matter how hard you try and its better to get some sleep rather than none but do look at doing it safe ie, no medication or drink, not likely to roll over etc

Thanks everyone, really useful info here! We will of course make sure we'll following best practices for cosleeping, thank you for the links :)

Yeah our bedroom is upstairs, so I think moses basket for downstairs naps makes sense.

I sleep so lightly if my daughter is in the bed I don't feel rested. The bed nest works for us. She is right there but with no danger of squashing or suffocation.

We used the pram carrycot for naps downstairs with DD1. DD2 is generally in the sling.

What do you mean by sleep training from 3-6 months by the way? Not being snarky, just wondering, because actual sleep training methods aren't advisable with babies that young, but if you just mean moving the baby to its own cot gradually during that period it's fine.

I have a small crib for my baby right next to the bed which I can lean over and pick him up out of without having to get out of bed myself. It's perfect for me because I wanted that closeness but I was scared of rolling over and squishing him! I would definitely not trust my OH sleeping in the same bed as a baby because he rolls over and squishes me in the night already!

I would have gotten a co sleeper crib if I had had the choice, but the crib was a gift.