Co-sleeping for 6 months then own room. Tips on transition?

[Sandrine1982]

Hi. When our baby's born, we would like to attach her cot (without one side) to our double bed for the first few months. But after this initial period we would definitely like to put the cot in her own room so that she can sleep alone. Have any of you done this and can you share tips for a smoother transition? Thanks in advance. x

My cosleeping baby is now a cosleeping seven year old so all I can say is good luck!

We moved our baby when he was 7 months, he was still waking throughout the night and I was so sleep deprived I couldn't function properly so we got a sleep consultant lady to help us - she came for one session and he was in his new room and cot from that night with no problems. Definitely get black out blinds! Good luck!

@YippeeKayakOtherBuckets - Oh OK, wow! :-)

@LeafyGreen333 - Interesting! What did the sleep consultant do??

We gradually moved ours further away. So in bed with us, then in own cot next to us (and coming in for feeds and cuddles), cot on other side of room, then moved them out at around 9 months.
They still used to come in at some point during the night, but that naturally reduced. They would come in for a morning cuddle or if they were scared until they were 3 or 4.
All three now sleep in their own beds all night, so it worked for us!

I tried to move DS to a cot at 6 months and failed miserably. We co-slept until he was 3 then I'd just stay to get him to sleep. He comes in with me sometimes now but not very often. Now he's 4 I find him too big and wriggley to sleep next too. I'd just go with the flow. I was NEVER going to co-sleep, thought anyone who did was nuts but pretty quickly changed to anything for an easy life and extra sleep!

You could be over thinking this?
Keep baby next to you for six months, then move cot into another room, get up a lot.

I used a sleepyhead for my two, they were good sleepers (only up a few times a night), and didn’t notice whether I was there or not.

If you definitely only want to cosleep for 6 months it might be worth getting one of those specific co-sleeper cots as well as a standard cot. Put standard cot in nursery from day one. Then you have a back up option in your room for when you're transitioning as it usually is a bit of a process, not a one night thing.

Personally (especiall if you're converting a cot) I'd plan to partially co-sleep for about the first year, because the first year is so back and forth for sleep. When baby gets mobile introduce a travel cot in your room for evenings to avoid the safety issue of them rolling/crawling on your bed unsupervised. But keep side cot as a bed guard. Once sleep becomes more linear in development (ie long stretches stay long) - usually after walking - move cot to baby's room.

Or use cot as co-sleeper until 5 months, put third side back on, at 6 months move cot to own room.

Or just wait until the baby is here and work it out then? You'll know his/her temperament and sleep habits better.

Sleep consultants usually do controlled crying.

Mine went from a side car cot to a mattress on the floor in the other room. I join them, or not, depending on what they need. My Co sleeping first baby is now an independently sleeping 5 year old who sleeps a solid 12 hours, nothing will wake her.

We did it, it was fine. Baby slept in a next 2 me crib and then went into a cot bed at 6 months. We used a sleepyhead in the next2me and then the cot which maybe helped the transition but it was fine.

@Sandrine1982 she came round to ours at bedtime to see how I did the bedtime routine, and then made suggestions, i.e. I had been feeding him to sleep, she recommended doing the bedtime feed with the light on so he was awake when I put him down, so he learnt to put himself to sleep. There was an element of controlled crying, because I left him for 1, 2, 5 mins etc, then when into comfort him. I know not everyone approves of this approach, but it worked for us and we are all so much happier now he's sleeping 12 hours a night - particularly the baby who is well rested rather than cranky during the day. And I feel human again!

We did it without any real problems but the transition was at more like 14 or 15 months. DC's sleep deteriorated so badly due to teething between about 6 and about 14 months cosleeping was the only way we survived.

We started putting DC down at bedtime in their own room from about 7 months. At first wake up, we collected him and brought him back to our room. He had a cot in his room and then one with the side off next to our bed. As the wake ups decreased, he spent more and more time in his own room and once he started sleeping through he stopped coming in with us.

We did it at 6 months exactly, not by plan but because we were really waking each other loads by that point. He slept like a baby on first night (Mary have helped going to lovely luxury cot from slightly hard next2me crib) .... I may have slept less well on night one and cried a little!

Read loads of tips on transition but ultimately did it with no fuss

My babies have always been next to me on my side for at least the first six months. Second until we moved from a flat at 18months.

I just moved the cot away from my bed a bit at a time. So moved it to the wall next to my bed so they could see me but not touch me, then moved it other side of the room nearer the door then after a week or so moved into own room. All three have transitioned like that just fine.

Thanks so much for your useful suggestions. I'm keeping an open mind :-)

With both DC, we just moved them. One night they were in the bedside crib, next night they were in a cot in their own room. We noticed no difference in sleep. Maybe we were just lucky but just see what happens.

All three of mine have co slept for 18 months ish. Was the source of considerable angst first time around.... I now have a perfectly sleeping 2 6 and 8 year old without ever having had to resort to controlled crying. 12 hours a night unless they're very poorly....