Co-sleeping to get a lie in?

[countdowntobaby2020]

I keep hearing how we're going to regret this and how baby has got us wrapped round his little finger etc (don't see how a baby can be manipulative but that's a whole other rant haha) so I'm just wondering if anyone does a similar thing?

6 month old DS has transitioned really well to cot in his own room. He goes to sleep between 6 and 6.30 with no issue at all. He wakes for a bottle at any point between 12 and 3, then again straight back to sleep in his cot. Then like clockwork he wakes between 5 and 5.30, not crying, not hungry or needing changing but just wide awake. No matter what we do he just won't resettle in his cot and it ends up with one of us giving up and accepting an early morning is all part of being a parent and just getting up and going downstairs with him. However not long later he's so grouchy! One morning I decided to bring him into our bed just while I came round myself and to my surprise he fell straight to sleep! The next night I just brought him straight in with no attempt to resettle in cot and he was out like a light within minutes. So we've now got in the pattern of him doing 6pm(ish) to 5am(ish) in his cot and then coming into our bed to co-sleep (safely) and he then wakes up at some point between 7am and 7.30. He's much happier for it, we're appreciating that extra bit of sleep and to be honest it's just really lovely waking up next to him! The only negative I'm finding in the whole situation is feeling judged for it! Yes I accept it might be something he gets used to but it's not like I'm going to have a fifteen year old climbing into my bed at 5am! Surely at some point he will just sleep through to 7am in his own room?

I ended up rambling longer than planned but basically just wanting to know if anyone else does this?

If it works for you, then do it.

Forget what anyone else thinks!

I say go for it!

With my first, I listened to all the advice from people saying not to do it etc. But it caused more stress and hassle trying to get her back to sleep in the cot.

With my 2nd, I was too tired to care if I was creating a rod for my own back. I would put my little girl in bed with me from about 4am when she woke up. She would go back to sleep and have a good hour or 2 after that. A month later, she just seems to have settled herself in to the world, she doesn't wake up early all the time and she sleeps in her cot the whole night. She no longer comes in bed with me.

I say do whatever you have to with a baby!! Your baby obviously feels lovely and safe next to you ❤️.

I used to do it with DD - in bed with me between 4-5 am and she'd nod back off till 7ish otherwise it was an incredibly early start and a miserable baby (and mum) all day.

Sounds great to me. We've co-slept with both of ours full time (and then part time later when they preferred to sleep more in their own beds) until ours were 3. It worked great. We got more sleep. When they were ready, they slept all night in their own rooms no problem. No bad habits, no downsides to any of it, but I was much better rested for work and overall much happier.

I have a 13 month old who is like this. Bed from 7pm to about 5.30am. I bring him into bed with me and we will settle back to sleep until about 7am. I’ve been doing this since he was 9 months. It works for us. I’m due back at work soon and a shift worker so it may change but that is for us to work out at a later date. He and I are happier with this routine than both being up early and both grouchy.

Plus I love the early morning snuggles with him.

I wish my DS would do this so much; it sounds lovely and so practical. Instead our bed seems to be his favourite place to play so whenever we've tried, he just throws himself around and pokes us in the face until we get up

Always done this with DD since she went in her own room, she's 4 now and I still love the cuddles when she comes and climbs in around 4.

DS is 9 months and co sleeps but from talking to mums at school, it seems most of the reception class spend at least a portion of the night in with mum and dad.

Sounds great, my DD wakes and we end up in a spare room cuddling, and both doze. Much better than being up. Cuddling our children is natural, never understand why people don't think it's a good idea, it restricts you and impacts your sleep but feels more natural to me than anything else.

I always did this too, and loved it! And as they got a little older, on weekends I would let them watch cbeebies in my bed while I dozed, I still miss those times!

Ahh this is the dream! We did this with DD1 and loved the morning cuddles and extra bit of sleep.

Sadly DD2 just won't tolerate it... once she's awake, she's awake! I wish I could settle her in with us for a bit!

Thank you so much for all the lovely comments! I know it shouldn't matter what anyone else thinks but it's nice to hear some positivity!

I had a baby waking 4-8 mes a night and I had to night wean and get strict at not bringing him into bed to bring this down. It doesn't sound like an issue for you but if you notice her waking earlier and earlier to come to bed with you that might be a sign it's an unhelpful sleep association. I do miss the snuggles though!

@mynameiscalypso

I wish my DS would do this so much; it sounds lovely and so practical. Instead our bed seems to be his favourite place to play so whenever we've tried, he just throws himself around and pokes us in the face until we get up

Same! My dd just sees us as extra fun climbing frames and is a dab hand at dropping a sharp elbow in my face or boobs. Bringing her in with us is always truly a last resort. All the books said my presence would be soothing and comforting. It's not 😂

I actually miss cosleeping with DS now.

Don't get me wrong, I am glad he's sleeping well as it was a long time coming and was actually killing my back but the cuddles were nice. We tend to just have a waking up together snuggle now. He's 3!

If he will sleep in your bed at 5:30 DO IT. Mine would just mess around.

@pjani oh I'm just the same! Had to night wean because of multiple wakings, worked a treat but I so miss the early morning baby snuggles when I used to bring her into my bed! I'd almost take the multiple wakings again for those couple of hours of cuddles (almost, but not quite 😉)

Hi OP - I co - slept with all three of my kids. They were breastfed so when they first woke around midnight for a feed I’d go in with them and sleep in a single bed with them - they’d latch on and fall off themselves when full and go back to sleep possibly waking again for another feed - I only stirred if I had to change a nappy - we cuddled together til morning, slept wonderfully , all three of my kids were just happy to be close to mum - I think it’s totally natural , we are all mammals, enjoy.
My youngest DD, now 9, still spends the majority of her nights in my bed even now (I’m a single mum). Her choice - just often around 2am she’ll come in.

I co-slept. Got loads of sleep, especially when she figured out dream feeding while we were both pretty much still asleep. Glorious.

Went into her own room absolutely fine and is now ten and a brilliant sleeper. If it works for you, do it.

We were having a nightmare with out little boy when he was a newborn, falling asleep feeding and then screaming when we tried to put him in his bed. Tried everything to not let him fall Asleep in our bed that actually turned out to be more dangerous! (Sofa etc). In desperation called the feeding team who asked what was wrong with bed sharing. Sent us info on how to do it safely and hey presto we all slept! We had the same warnings from family and friends but we've now hit the point where he's ready to go in his cot and all is good. Everything is a phase for the first year we've been told lol.

It won't be forever but right now this is what you both need. As long as you're safe, do it! I can guarantee you'll never look back and regret those mornings snuggled next to your little one, I'm already looking back fondly

I did this with my baby for a few weeks; it was kind of a no brainer for me and then he started sleeping in his cot again over time as his sleep got better.
I also did it with my older DD from the age of 12 months for well over a year (maybe even closer to 2 years) as she was an overtired grump if she got up at 5am (I was too to be fair) and would sleep until 7 in our bed but just couldn’t resettle in hers from 5am. She’s 3 now and has stopped but I’d still do it again if she started getting up early.

my 2 year old dd always wakes up anywhere between half 5 and half 6 in the morning, and being 36 weeks pregnant I am not up for the early mornings atm so I always bring her into bed with us in the hope that she will go back to sleep. So.etimes she does, sometimes she doesn't. She still goes off to sleep fine e by herself in her own room tho so it doesn't seem to be causing any issues. I say carry on if you're both happy

Full bed-sharer here. Have been with all three of mine and no regrets. Have never bothered with a cot. It's the biological norm ateotd. Just look at nature

keep hearing how we're going to regret this

People have very odd opinions about what is acceptable to others.

I co slept with my youngest and didn't regret it, it lasted 7 bloody years but I was happy for that to happen.

There is an assumption when people say you will regret it that you don't want to co sleep so you will regret creating that routine. For me I loved every single night of sleeping with her close beside me. It was what she needed to feel secure and sleep well so it's what we did.

Carry on and don't bother telling anyone, just give vague responses. Between 4 and 10 months DS co-slept from his first feed (around 10pm) and woke every 2 hours or so. From about 13m he was sleeping 11 hours straight most nights in his cot. All this rod for your back stuff annoys me. Do what works now and change it when it stops working.