Tips for moving baby to own room?

[WH52]

Hi all, my DD is 6 months old and almost outgrown her next to me crib in our room so within the next couple of weeks we’ll probably be moving her into her big cot in her own room - eeek! Any tips for making the transition easy as possible for her? She currently stirs a few times during the night and seems to be soothed by seeing us and having me put her dummy back in if she wants it, and she usually will properly wake up for a bottle around 3am too. I’m scared I won’t hear her even though her room is opposite ours, doors will be open and we have a video monitor! Some people have told me their babies slept better when moved to their own room - has this been anyone else’s experience? Unfortunately we don’t have the option to have her cot in our room for a while as there isn’t the space for it.

Put the cot in your room to start with.

I dreaded the transition and waited until DS was 9 months because I kept putting it off. He didn't even notice!

@KangarooKenny unfortunately we can’t as there isn’t room for it in our room

Will the crib go in the cot ? If so, put it in there for naps.

She actually already has some daytime naps in the big cot in her room to get her used to it. My concern is mainly night wakings, hoping she won’t feel frightened when she wakes in the night and we aren’t in the room!

Why would you assume she’d be frightened? If she wakes at night and needs something, crying is her sole means of communication, it doesn’t mean she’s scared at all. I’d start working on the dummy replace though. DS could do it for 6.5 months and most babies can by 7 months. They are rubbish at finding them though so if you don’t already have loads, now is the time to buy about 12. I never sent DS to bed with less than 10! I started by putting it in his hands and guiding his hand to his mouth, every single time. And fed a lot of finger foods as early weaning since it’s the same skill set. He got it pretty quickly!

@FlounderingFruitcake Good tip re the dummy thanks, will start on that and have a few lying in the crib so she can always find one.

I was going to say keep the cot in your room, is it possible if you pushed furniture against wall or anything? I didn't realise until I came across it by accident if possible it's better for them to sleep in your room until a year..

...it literally says right there in the OP that there isn't room. Honestly, why bother commenting if you're not going to read the post?

Don't overthink - just do it. I put my boy in his own room as soon as 6 months hit, fully prepared for a rough night, and he was totally fine! At 6 mo they don't really care where they sleep.

Honestly don't over think it - the little noises they make, you respond to them because they're in your room. When they're in they're own room you won't hear every little thing and they'll probably be just fine. If they need you they'll cry and I guarantee you'll hear it! No need to leave the door open imo.

Re. Dummies, put several in the cot and they'll soon learn to grab around for one and put it in

Don't overthink it. Keep as much of her current sleep routine as you can - so keep her in the same sleeping bags, move the white noise machine, whatever you're using. Odds are it'll be fine - you will definitely hear her if she properly wakes.

My first was an appalling sleeper in our room, the first night in her own she slept 11 hours in one go. It was transformational.

Second was a decent sleeper in our room and stayed about the same or got very slightly worse when we moved. They were both fine with things, especially as they'd been napping in their own rooms for a few weeks.

Like everyone said, don't overthink it. My daughter just went into her new cot and didn't even noticed. Slept like she always did. I slept in her room for the first week so I was near her in case she stirred and needed me - nope! I would just try and see how it goes, you may be surprised

Thanks everyone, this sounds reassuring! Going to zip up the side of her next to me for the next few nights and move it slightly away from the side of our bed (I’m talking inches before it’s at the wall lol our bedroom is tiny) to hopefully get us all used to not being right next to each other

I generally had no idea there was supposed to be a transition?!

our near 1 year old was moved to her own room at 5 months, no issues.

my husband and I ended up moving to the spare room and leaving daughter in our room for a few weeks at 6 months because when she woke and saw me she wanted to get up 🙈 so I’d start the night there with her have to resettle her then sneak out then sneak back in so I eventually stopped going back in getting in the bed with husband and then she slept way better so we then swapped rooms eventually and there never really was a transition she just went

Put baby into cot, leave and shut the door. Works a treat.

I was planning all sorts of things to ease the transition - cot in our room for a while (realised we’d have to disassemble the cot to move it between rooms so ruled that out!), putting him in his own room for naps first to get used to it, sleeping in there with him. In the end we got back from 2 weeks holiday where he’d been sleeping in different places (although always in with us) and decided to put him straight in his own room and he was fine. I did sleep in with him for one night but probably didn’t need to.

Echo what others have said about not over thinking it.

Ours had been sleeping in the next to me zipped up and away from our bed for a little while though so it sounds sensible that you’re going to do that first.

I was so delighted to have our room back! But weirdly now that it’s getting colder and darker I’m feeling sad about him being all on his own even though he’s been happily there for about 3 months 😆

Agree with Toot ... you are seriously over thinking this, your anxiety will probably rub off on your DD. Just do it ... we did at a lot younger age than your DD and our DS slept much better.

Agree with the not overthinking. When you see your DC fall asleep literally anywhere (whilst in their high chair and on their push along trike!) you realise they don't care as long as they're comfortable.

I moved DS1 at 3 months and DS2 at about 9 months. Different circumstances each time. It didn't impact on their sleep at all and I was still able to hear them in the night.

Also agree with putting 5 million dummies in the bed for them to find. You can actually get glow in the dark ones.