Question for co-sleepers: does your LO cry in the night?

[AngelDog]

I've just finished reading Three in a Bed by Deborah Jackson and I was intrigued by her saying that none of her three (co-sleeping) children ever cried in the night unless they were ill or in pain.

Is that other people's experience of co-sleeping?

My 10.5 m.o. sleeps on a mattress next to mine from the first waking after I go to bed, so sort-of co-sleeping. He cries every time he wakes (at the end of most sleep cycles) - not screaming, but the same grizzly way he cries when he wakes in his cot.

No, but they were right next to me. They did wake up and make wingy noises though then would start to feed by themselves.

My lo only cries if her less noisy attempts to get my attention are ignored or if I have the audacity to get up for a wee when she's wanting a feed. Then she roars and wakens the house!

Yup, no crying unless in pain or ill.

There's no need! They have what they need right next to them.

In fact my second never cried for the first six months, day or night - only twice when he was inconsoleable for about 15-20 minutes, think he had tummy ache?

Co sleeping is brilliant.

Are you winding him btw? The cry you mention sounds like maybe a bit of wind.

I think it depends on your definition of "crying" - DS didn't end up full on screaming or sobbing because he'd wake up, and whimper or do his "hungry" cry (laaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaair) once or twice before I came to enough to latch him on.

When you're used to this it's extremely disconcerting when they are ill or in pain etc and suddenly feeding them doesn't work instantly! I still feel a bit and panicky when my 2yo wakes up and feeding doesn't immediately calm him.

So for me it's not that DS never cried but that I was able to immediately stop him crying by feeding him. I read somewhere that if you wake for less than 7 seconds you don't register it at all as that's how long it takes your conscious brain to kick in (or something).

Ds2 cries. Even when I am holding him at times! It is like you say AD, when he comes to the end of a sleep cycle and is going into the next. First half of the night he is great, second half not somuch. In a cot he doesn't sleep at all and neither do I!

Hmm, that's really interesting. I was wondering whether it was because DS sleeps further away from me, but, nicky, it sounds as if some babies do just cry a bit. Between cycles of his long lunchtime nap he cries differently (or just wakes and shuffles around).

Last night I cuddled him all night (he was unsettled in the late evening) and although he started to cry a couple of times, it only lasted about 1 second before a cuddle settled him. He was lying on his back/side, though. Normally he lies on his stomach, so I normally have to roll him over before feeding him.

I think the cry is a 'I want to get back to sleep but I need some help, please' - he does it usually around 5 times between going to bed and waking for the day. If it's before I've gone to bed and it takes me a minute or two to get to him, it does escalate. It's not just about wanting bf, as he'll often be happily rocked back to sleep instead. It does sound like a windy grizzle, Ennis, but I don't think that's the problem.

Sometimes when he wakes and grizzles, I'll feed him and he'll eventually come off and start grizzling again. If I pick him up and rock him then he'll go back off - unless he doesn't want to be put back down, when he starts again as soon as he touches the bed.

I might try more nights of sleeping holding him to see if it reduces the crying. It'd be nice for DH to be able to join us, but he'd be too disturbed by DS as he is now (DH suffers from insomnia).

Bertie, IIRC, Deborah Jackson agreed - I think she said that for less than 15 seconds awake you don't remember.

Ennis, wow, that's amazing about your DS not crying. DS cried LOTS in the first 4 months, but he was colicky and overtired for most of that time.

nicky, love the name! They all have their quirks, don't they - DS is better in the second half of the night and usually goes through one cycle change without waking then.

Aye, Angel. Guess we just have to take the sleep where we can get it, eh?!

You said it! A bit easier for me, with just the one DS - if only I could get myself to bed earlier!