Where should a newborn sleep??

[bigpreggybelly]

Does it really make any difference?

The planned child's room is just across the hall with the cot being around 5 metres (at the very most) from our room. I'd rather it got used to its own room right from the word go, but I keep reading stuff saying it should go in the parents room for the first few months, but with no proper explanation as to why.

What do/did you all do?

OK, to back up what I just said - I can't actually find the bit of research that said that. What I have is this which concludes that you should share a room (although I can't find any more detail) and this which says the room sharing thing was inconclusive because it may be due to something else but that you definately shouldn't fall asleep on the sofa with your baby and that if you smoke co-sleeping is a bad idea.

There is also a Scottish study where the majority of the cot-deaths occured in room sharing households (78% were sharers) so.....

I guess, as with any statistics, you can probably find the answer you want if you look hard enough!

I'm not a huge fan of the theorists as I feel that the advice changes depening on which medical professional you speak to. My HV is adamant that co-sleeping is a no-no and that I should not pull DD out of her moses basket and lie her next to me in bed in order to feed as sharing a bed is proven to increase the risk. However, I'm sure I remember hearing the author of the latest research say on TV that this was only the case if there were other factors involved such as drug/alcohol/tobacco use.

My reason for keeping DD in our room for the next 5 months (she is 5 weeks now) is that I intent to keep BF for the forseeable future and pulling her out of her basket and plonking her next to my boob in bed and dozing whilst she feeds is a far more agreeable way of getting through the night and getting some sleep rather than having to get up and walk to a cot in another room, feeding, settling and getting back to bed.

DS was moved into his room at about 3/4 weeks old - he was such a noisy sleeper, it was the only way I could get to sleep.

No feeding in bed for me. DS always needed winding and changing.

Will see how we get on with this little one before making a decision.

I was under the impression that a child?baby should stay in your room for the first few months as the sound of you breathing at night stimulated/reminded him to breath. Co-sleeping is perfectly safe as long as neither you nor your DP smoke,drink or do drugs. I co-slept for some of DC1, and most of DC2s first few months as it was sooooo much easier than getting out of bed at night to feed. Am planning to utterly co-sleep now with DC3. Because I am lazy..

I don't have a reference for this - only going on what my antenatal teacher said (she is very well-read and does her research though) but apparently having the baby in a separate room is more risky than safe bedsharing.

i had ds in our room i planned for him to have own room but couldn't bare it loved laying watching him and feeling his chest to make sure all ok in middle of night

he also settled better knowing i was near by when he was 8 mths he went into own room in cot and settled well from first night in there

i think each to your own but i couldn't bare to leave him out of my site i like the fact he was close by to check and listen to a few times i had to nudge him as he would forget to breathe also the demand feeding was easier to have him in same room especially sleep deprived to keep having to leave the room etc would have woke me too much from being able to settle back off