When did you start putting your baby 'down'?

[blondie887]

How old was your baby when you started putting them to bed early in the evening, then just using the monitor? I.e when did they get their own bed time?

At the moment we keep our 5 week old down with us in the lounge and only put him to bed (Moses basket) next to our bed when we go to bed. Not sure when this will (should?) change!

4 weeks after he grew out of Moses basket and moved into cot. Had a bedtime around 7. Used a monitor and then I slept in DS room with him when I went to bed. 12 weeks I moved back into my room.

It’s to help them regulate their breathing, @CloudPop

As with all things, it is up to you, it is your baby, but it is a bit misleading to make out its some stupid bit of advice we are free to ignore.

I didn’t follow safe sleep guidelines to the actual letter, mostly because I suspect DS would never have slept if I had, but I must admit I do find it difficult to understand people who prioritise watching TV downstairs with a tiny baby on his own!

I don’t think anyone here is trying to make people feel guilty or scared, but it’s fair to understand that statistically, you are choosing to take a risk if you put your baby in their own room early. If there is a real reason you need to take that risk then you will weigh it up and make the choice that’s best for your family, it’s also very different putting a 5 month old or a 5 week old on their own. I think generally the thing with room sharing is it isn’t really that much of a hindrance to share a room with your baby for 6 months is it? I think that’s the reason people think well, why wouldn’t you? The poster was asking for peoples experiences and opinions and I think people have been balanced and fair (except for the poster who is accusing people of lying about being affected by SIDS)

I'm sure the OP asked for advice about when her current approach should change.

My advice is stick to the current professional advice of min 6 months, which exists for a reason.

No hidden agendas here. It's a bit like accusing people of lying about knowing someone who was drink driving with a bad outcome, the guidance for that has also changed over the years in recognition that all sorts of factors combine to make it riskier than not drinking a drop. People don't need to lie to support the current best practice. It is there in black and white.

If you mean not cuddling them to sleep - from day one. In their own room too. Different times.

@Magicalwoodlands

It’s to help them regulate their breathing, *@CloudPop*

As with all things, it is up to you, it is your baby, but it is a bit misleading to make out its some stupid bit of advice we are free to ignore.

I didn’t follow safe sleep guidelines to the actual letter, mostly because I suspect DS would never have slept if I had, but I must admit I do find it difficult to understand people who prioritise watching TV downstairs with a tiny baby on his own!

How could you possibly know this. Nobody knows if this is true or not. Its all an informed assumption, but nobody knows. So to say, inabsolute terms, that this is the reason why is unreasonable.

And yes, people ARE free to ignore advice and make informed decisions.

Straight away aka the baby whisperer. We had to plan the day like a military operation to make it happen. First feed of the day has to be early enough for second nap to be over before four (which means the middle of the night feed the night before has to be not too late and not too early...). I'm confused just remembering it but it worked.

@Whatelsecouldibecalled

Just after 6 months. The advice is same room as you fir sleep until 6 months to reduce risk of sids

This. It gets a bit harder if they grow out of whatever they've been sleeping in downstairs before then, we managed it with DD1 but DD2 is a bit bigger so might have to crack out the travel cot. But she'll be downstairs with us til around 6 months, I might trim a week or two off but I certainly wouldn't risk it with a small baby, it's 6 months for a reason.

Re sleep guidelines..I don't know about regulating breathing but our babies got overtired and fed up without some peace and quiet

I didn't RTFT before posting so didn't realise it had turned into a 'people knowing more than the researchers and clinicians that set the guidelines' thread, again 🙄 oops

@8dpwoah

I didn't RTFT before posting so didn't realise it had turned into a 'people knowing more than the researchers and clinicians that set the guidelines' thread, again 🙄 oops

I dont think its turned into that, and I think you're being unreasonable to minimise peoples posts.

Its more about informed decisions.

Possibly know what?

I think the key term there is ‘informed.’ A lot of people think that having a baby monitor in the same room as their baby is the same as their presence.

At around about four months I would put her down and then sort of come and go from the bedroom for the couple of hours before I went to bed proper. She was a deep sleeper so I could watch TV in our room or read or do whatever, but I would pop downstairs to make a cup of tea or spend 10 mins chatting to DH etc before I properly went to bed myself.

Nobody said they know more did they?

Guidance has to be a simple one size fits all easy to remember moniker, otherwise nobody would be able to follow it (just look at all the confusing Corona regs when they kept changing every five seconds).

There is a difference though between guidance and law, guidance is intended to help you make a decision, it doesn't dictate the decision that you must make. Unlike say using a car seat which is actually law.

So people discussing what they do IRL whether or not it follows guidance is a useful discussion so you can make the decision that's right for your own family.

Oh we had an Owlet too, which was a lifesaver for me in those early weeks as I was so anxious about her dying when DH and I were asleep and would wake in a panic thinking she had died and scrabble in the bedside cot to check she was breathing. I'd had a bit of a traumatic birth and I think I had some residual anxiety from that as we had almost lost her during labour. The Owlet let me get some decent sleep when she slept.

We briefly used one of those breathing pads under mattress but I kept forgetting to turn it off when I did night feeds poor DH thought it was the fire alarm the first time

Over a year old.

About six months, until then they slept where I was or - for an older baby - we had a rocking seat they slept in - but then we didn't use a monitor.

I was only asking the same question yesterday, in this house baby (2 months) only goes to bed in the bedroom when I do. Have another cot in kitchen for naps during the day / evening time. My baby sleeps through noise though so it suits us. Every family / household is different so you have to do what suits best.

I had my baby in match and we started putting upstairs withh a moniter at about 4 months. Before that we all used to go to bed together between 10pm -11pm. We noticed she started falling into a deep sleep earlier and earlier so set up her bedtime routine then. Bath at 7pm. Book and breast and she is asleep usually between half 7 and 8. she sleeps in our bed though.

From 6 weeks. I know the suds advice is 6 months but for naps and the first bit of the night I was OK with leaving them. I work in a mother and baby unit and all parents are encouraged to put their babies down for naps and at bedtime from a few weeks old so I think lots of posters take the advice more literally than most medical professionals.

I'm in no rush to change how we do things, he seems to have no trouble sleeping in a light/noisy room so just sleeps in his basket while we watch TV, have our dinner etc. He will definitely outgrow his basket well before 6 months though so not sure what we'll do when he does.