Moving prem baby into own room?

[laughingeyes2013]

I am not comfortable placing my prem baby in his own room at 5.5 months old.

I know the recommended SIDS guidelines are for this to be safe at 6 months, but I can't find any information about prem babies.

He has many risk factors, premature, male, accustomed to sleeping prone (due to severe reflux) and currently being treated with steroids for croup.

My husband, on the other hand, believes that baby will sleep through if he's in a room on his own!

So I am doing my research to see if there are any different guidelines in relation to prem babies. And if I'm honest, looking for a reason to keep him in the same room as me for a little longer!

Hi laughingeyes! Me and my husband are constantly having the same debate!

I'm not aware of any formal guidelines, but I found two studies that suggested that preterm babies remains at risk of SIDS for longer:

www.annalsofepidemiology.org/article/S1047-2797%2805%2900385-6/abstract

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7586906

The findings of the first article are summarised here:
www.webmd.com/parenting/baby/news/20060207/longer-sids-risk-premature-babies

Thanks very much for that!

I would say to continue as if its 6 months from birth. So if they were 6 weeks early, keep in with you for at least 7.5 months.. If that makes sense?

It does.

That's my plan.

Thanks

We left it till 6 months corrected age. I wouldn't do it if he was poorly either, even if he had reached the "right age".

Was was his gestating when born ?

Oh x post. I really missed it when they went in to their own bedroom. I loved hearing their snuffley bedtime noises. I even considered sleeping in their room but dp did this and I realised that I may have been a bit Tottenham.

Tottenham ? Good one auto correct. I meant ott

He was only 5 weeks early but he's late own milestones such as smiling at 10 weeks instead of 6 weeks etc. so it's logical (to me) to do the SIDS thing on the corrected age too.

Your right. I did the same. Hope he gets better soon.

My non prem twins (14 month old) still sleep in our room! And we plan to do the same with our new twins, keep them for as long as possible. They'll share a snuggle nest & then co-sleeper. And hopefully share a cot, so we don't have to have 3 cots in our room!

Honestly, in my opinion, it's safer to have them closer, you can get to them quicker and become accustom to their sleeping/breathing patterns quicker and able to notice if something is wrong before the monitors.

If you do end up moving him, have you thought of using Angel Monitors?

I have actually got an Angelcare movement monitor but the research seems to say apnea monitors don't actually prevent SIDS. Obviously they bring some (limited) peace of mind that you'd be alerted in the event of stopping breathing, which I felt the need to do since we front-lie him.

do whatever feels right. for us that was moving (non preemie) to own room at 6 week, others prefer to follow 6 month guideline [i would struggle with that as wasnt raised on farm and unused to sleeping with pig in room!!]

My baby was born at 32 weeks and come home on oxygen also as with most prem babies has reflux , now 1 year is still in my room and will b untill im ready to put her in her room 2 nights ago was sick in her sleep I wouldnt of heard her if she wasnot in my room you have to do what you feel comfatable with if you move ur baby to soon you will not sleep and will be stressed which your baby will feel , when YOUR ready mum good luck

We moved DD at six months corrected. We also have an Angelcare monitor

I've no expertise on prem babies, but if it makes you feel any better about how you feel, my 18 month old is still in my room. I like him there, I'd worry otherwise, and its a lot easier if he wakes as I don't have to get up. So there's nothing outlandish about going beyond 6 months. To my mind its a minimum not a target.

I'd keep him w you. Prems have double the sids risk which is doubled again w reflux. My blood still runs cold when I think of the number of times it went quiet in dds bednest so I'd take a big loud breath and she'd hear me and do the same. Her brain wouldnt always remember to keep breathing and she needed that cue!

I slept in my son's room until he was 6 months corrected, and I still do it now, at 8 months corrected, when he's unsettled.

I have moved my prem baby over at 4.5 months corrected (he was 6 weeks early), but he is in a room with his two sisters, both of whom snore like trains.

If he sleeps on his tummy I would definitely err on the side of caution.