Really silly co-sleeping question

[cloudydays]

I have the feeling that as soon as someone answers this, I'm going to feel stupid for not knowing the (undoubtedly) very obvious answer.

My dd has slept in our room since birth. She goes to bed in her cot next to the bed at around 9pm each night, usually settles fine and often sleeps through. DH and I don't generally go to bed until after midnight. If dd wakes in the night and has trouble settling, we take her into the bed and she goes back to sleep. Sometimes when we go to bed we take her out of the cot (without waking her) and bring her to bed with us just because it's so lovely to have her there.

I really like the idea of co-sleeping and to some extent we're doing it. But what I've never grasped is this: When parents say they're co-sleeping as part of an "attachment" approach to parenting, does this mean that they don't use a cot at all? Does it mean that parents go to bed at 7 or 8 when babies get tired, or that their babies stay up until 10 or 11? Or does baby fall asleep in parent's arms and stay there until parents are ready for bed?

I've just never managed to figure out how people manage to co-sleep the whole time without keeping a baby's hours! Enlighten me please? [bblush]

Not sure really cloudydays. We do the partial co-sleeping thing where DS 15 mo starts the evening in his cot in his room and then ends up in bed with us when he wakes. (in fact he now points to the door as soon as he wakes in the night).

I think some co-sleepers do go to bed at the same time as their little ones.

I don't think there really is one right answer- I think you just go with what works for you.

I would be interested to hear how people do manage to stop co-sleeping without any tears as I think we're getting to the stage where we've had enough of a wriggling, pinching, sprawling little eel in our bed! It just seems so mean to kick him out as he settles back to sleep so quickly and obviously loves being close to his parents.

Thanks for the reply :)

I agree there's no right answer and I'm happy (and DH and DD are also happy) with our routine so there's no issue, just really curious as to how other people do it.

I'm with you on your last point, too! Eventually we are going to have to move out of her room (especially if there's to be any hope of a DC2) but our two bedrooms are on different floors of the house and it seems so far away. I can't bear the thought of her feeling lonely for us while we still have each other to snuggle up to :(

We still co-sleep with our two (3 and 6).They go to bed (in the big bed) at 7p.m.I stay with them until they fall asleep and then I come down,have supper etc.I then go to bed later and creep in with them.Have never used a cot,but did use a moses basket for the first couple of weeks of each baby (had the basket in the bed)while I was dog-tired and recovering from c-section so worried about sleeping too heavily,used the moses for daytime naps too until they were too big.

Should add we put our mattress on the floor,so there is no falling out issue.

I co-sleep with my 10 month old twins. We have a double mattress on the floor, with cushions all around it, as they do sometimes crawl off the the edge in the mornings. The bed is against a wall, and I sleep on the non-wall side. They sleep in baby sleeping bags, and I use a quilt.
They tend to go to bed between 9 and 10. They either fall asleep in our arms and we carry them through, or, if they are still awake, I read them a story and wait with them till they fall asleep. Then I leave them sleeping, and go and do other stuff for a couple of hours, then climb in with them. Generally they sleep through, but if one of them does wake, I can comfort them in seconds and they almost always fall straight back to sleep. We then all wake up together around 8-ish.
I really love co-sleeping with them,it's such a lovely feeling of closeness . Plus I almost always get plenty of sleep, loads more than if I was in another room and having to traipse through every time I heard a sound on the monitor. And it's very special to wake up to 2 giggling babies poking me!

I co-sleep,reluctantly. DS will either sleep on me in the eve and come to bed with us at 9:30 or if hes sleepy enough he'll go in his cot for the eve and come into bed when he wakes up (if we're in bed by then)

I actually am trying to get him to stay in his cot all night now.

ds1 used to go to bed in his cot, and later his own room, but then up until the age of 6, would wake up at some point, usually around midnight, and come in with me, dragging with him his blanket, and his tape player which he would plug in next to the bed in order to play his 'sleepy tape' music.

then at 6 just stopped doing it completely, for no apparent reason.

ds2 and dd have no interest in co sleeping whatsoever, never wanted to, though ds2 (now 3) has just started coming in for a snuggle around 5am which is quite nice.

We have a cot as a sidecar and a young non mobile baby. Up to 6 months baby is with me until I go to bed. Now at over 6 months I put her to sleep by nursing (not working atm) and then sneak downstairs for a while.

When they get more mobile, we use a foam cushion thingy to fill the gap on the cot side of the bed and a long pillow on the open side of the bed (under the sheet), these stop baby crawling out.

Once they are big enough to clamber over the pillow, we remove it and teach them to drop tip the floor feet first.

You might all think I'm odd but I go to bed with DD! She's only 5mo and I am a LP. She sleeps v badly waking about 3 times normally. I don't go to sleep when I go to bed with her but I like to relax on my laptop or watch tv. Having this quiet time in the evening is the only way I get through the day! I do sometimes have a bath in the en-suite where I can hear her & she is surrounded by pillows!

Cloudy, no getalife emoticon needed. You are fulfilling your child's needs for safety and security, and ensuring that you are immediately on hand should she need you at night at this vulnerable age. Good on ya!

You might all think I'm odd but I go to bed with DD! She's only 5mo and I am a LP. She sleeps v badly waking about 3 times normally. I don't go to sleep when I go to bed with her but I like to relax on my laptop or watch tv. Having this quiet time in the evening is the only way I get through the day! I do sometimes have a bath in the en-suite where I can hear her & she is surrounded by pillows!