How do people manage to put their 6 month old in their own room?

[merrynelly]

My baby wakes numerous times throughout the night and will only settle when having his dummy put in by myself. So if I was to put him in his own room, I would have to constantly go in and out the room to do this for him.

For those who have put their 6 month old in their own room, do they really sleep the whole night without needing any assistance, or do you keep going in and out?

This is really interesting. Has guidance changed? Ds is 12 and I did everything 'properly ' (bf on demand, no solids until 6 months etc), but he was def in his own room before 3 months. Mainly because he was too big for his basket and we all kept waking each other up. I had a rocking chair I used to use to feed him in. I remember him sleeping 11-6 at 8 weeks.... then everything going tits up at 4 months.

Well, some people do, and plenty of people leave baby alone for a few hours before going to bed themselves.

I think if that’s the decision you’ve made that’s fine but it does worry me how many people don’t seem to know the ‘official’ guidelines on safe sleep!

We combined sleep training and own room at 5 months. Luckily it took and we killed two birds with one stone, in fact it almost certainly wouldn’t have worked if we hadn’t.

@TheMoth

This is really interesting. Has guidance changed? Ds is 12 and I did everything 'properly ' (bf on demand, no solids until 6 months etc), but he was def in his own room before 3 months. Mainly because he was too big for his basket and we all kept waking each other up. I had a rocking chair I used to use to feed him in. I remember him sleeping 11-6 at 8 weeks.... then everything going tits up at 4 months.

Guidance was definitely room sharing until 6 months when I had DS1 and he is 12 too! I know because I worked for a company making health related graphics when I was pregnant and I did the safe sleep one by FSID (as it was then) and they advised 6 months in a cot in your room.

However lots of people moved them earlier.

@MuckyPlucky

Wow, genuinely surprised by the responses above. Didn’t occur to me to not put my babies in their own rooms once they were pretty much sleeping through (I used to do a dream feed before I went to bed about 11pm, then they’d sleep through until 6ish). We all slept really well as a result. I think I must’ve been fortunate; but also we’re pretty routine-based as a family (although fairly laid-back) so we just slotted into this as a routine and the kids took to it.

I think the point is that most of us who didn't move them around/before 6 months didn't have babies who were sleeping through at that age!

If they'd started sleeping I prob would have moved them, as the main reason I wanted them in with me was easy access for night feeds! Couldn't be arsed wandering around the house in the middle of the night.

I assume people that do either sleep train or have unicorn sleepers to begin with so it isn't an issue.

I put my DS in his own room from 6 months - by which point he was (usually) sleeping through from 7-7. I’ve never sleep trained but I’ve been lucky in that he is naturally a good sleeper.

I’ve never used a dummy either though and this IMO is one reason why they’re a bad idea. The NHS recommends weaning babies off dummies between the age of 6-12 months, so I would try that OP.

Just made the move last week (5.5 months) as his next to me crib was too narrow for his wandering arms and he realised he could make the whole thing move if he slammed his legs hard enough resulting in him spending most nights between us in our bed. Sleep has still been crap since and it feels worse having to keep getting up and going into his room to feed and settle etc but it does feel like we have a little bit of freedom in our own room since making the move and I’m hoping he will gradually just get increasingly accustomed to his own room so we aren’t having to have worse battles when he’s a toddler or can fight back. That being said, he still ends up in our bed from about 4am when we’ve had enough of trying to resettle him standing over his cot. It’s either that or our bed as our room isn’t really big enough to put the cot in here. Anyway no tips for it, sleep still crap, bedroom looks nicer again now though

My first wouldn't sleep and by 6 months I was a zombie. I put him to bed and spent the night listening to him cry. The second night he cried for a few hours then went to sleep. The third night he slept through, and did every night for the rest of his childhood. He's 27 now and a fully functioning, well-adjusted adult.

Put your baby to bed in his/her own room and leave him/her be. They'll learn to sleep. Sounds harsh, but it's the kindest thing for baby and mom in the long run. Your baby won't die if you're not running in every five minutes to put the pacifier back in.

Btw, my second child slept through the night beginning at 3 weeks.

It’s hard @merrynelly - my little one is nearly 2 and still wakes at night for no reason! Just need to get up and settle her down otherwise she keeps crying then everyone gets disturbed x

It’s safest for the baby to be in with you until 1.

God, PP with friend who left babies to cry until they vomited... that’s barbaric and abusive.