You know how some babies sleep in cots? So, how does that happen then? I seriously need to know.

[AliceTheCamelHasGotTheHump]

Ds is 9 months old.

He has always slept in my bed, with me at night time and by himself for daytime naps.

He has just started to roll so I can't leave him to nap by himself any more. Also, just generally, I think it would be a good thing if he were to move in to a cot.

He still has 3 milk feeds a night. Does a 9-month-old really need three milk feeds a night?

He always feeds to sleep, lying down. He's not a particularly heavy sleeper (so moving him tends to wake him up).

We've just moved house. He and his sister have a lovely new room. I've bought him a cot and assembled it last night. And...

... err ...

... so, how do I get him to sleep in it? Exactly? I mean, I really need precice instructions. A step-by-step guide would be nice.

And by 'precice' I meant precise, obviously.

I've never co-slept so no personal experience. Can you put cot up against your bed, take a side off and start him off like that, so you can hug/feed him to sleep and gently roll him away but if he wakes or is unsettled you're still right there for him?

Alice

This article was recommended to me by people on mumsnet

www.drjaygordon.com/development/ap/sleep.asp

I found it increadibly helpful, used it when DS was 8 months old, and it got him out of our bed, into a cot in his own room, and he hasn't looked back since!

The three feeds a night thing?

IMO if feeding and sleeping are very strongly linked (ie can't fall asleep unless sucking) then it is possible that your ds cannot doze off without them.

But nutrition/calorie-wise...I doubt if 3 FEEDS (as opposed to 3 comfy snuggles!) are needed for his growth and energy levels.

I probably don't have much help in terms of the bed vs. cot thing, as we didn't co-sleep so I think that must make quite a difference.

But re the feeds, I don't think babies really need any night feeds at 9 months at least from the nutrition p.o.v (rather than for comfort/getting to sleep). I think we had stopped all night feeds except dream feed by about 4 months, and we definitely stopped the dream feed before 7 months.

Although we never co-slept my DS sometimes feeds to sleep, so when it was time to move him into his own cot in his own room I tried to replicate his routine as much as possible.

So, I put him in a gro bag so you dont have to mess around with blankets and he stays snug throughout the night. I turn the lights way down and give him his evening feed sitting close to the bed so moving him is kept to a minimum.

He slept through the first night and never had any problems.

Things that helped graduate my DS to his cot (quite a bit younger though) were (i) hot water bottle in cot first to warm it up (so not lying him on cold surface), (ii) swaddling (though your DS is probably too old for that) - grobag is also good, (iii) a favourite toy/blanket in the cot, (iv) tucking him in tightly under a sheet and having rolled up blankets to the side of him (so he didnt get scared by all the free space around him).

Well things have been brought to a temporary halt by his sister insisting on having her nap in the new cot yesterday and peeing all over the new matress.

Here's our current system:

1. Feed ds to sleep near the cot.
2. Wait for perfect moment.
3. Gently lift ds into the cot.
4. Ds wakes up and either plays happily or screams furiously.
5. After an appropriate amount of time, nap time is abandoned.

I can't put the cot next to my bed (no space). I could awkwardly feed him to sleep in the cot I suppose, and then clamber out. That would at least mean he was sleeping in the cot... would that be madness?

Angua I'm going to have a proper read of that artical.

A is a fair bit younger, but transferring him from cosleeping/moses basket on my bed to sleeping in a cot next door went roughly "attach lots of toys and mobiles to cot. Get him to enjoy playing in it over a few days and sometimes dozing off. Then feed grobag-clad baby, and once dopey with fullness, drop in cot (trying to avoid hitting wretched mobile!). Put familiar blanket in baby's hands. Retreat."

The cot is next to my computer so it's really useful to have him enjoy playing in it.

That's my sort of approach NotCitrus. Once the wee has dried I'll get him used to playing in it. I do wish he had an attachment object. My dd was desparately attached to her blankie from an early age and it's so useful. I think I'm ds's attachment object.