I don't understand how co-sleeping works

[neepsntatties]

I would be happy to try it but I don't understand how you are not cold as I am assuming you can't have your duvet covering you. Also do you have to stay curved round the baby all the time? I have a bad back and wouldn't manage that.

I co slept from time to time when the DCs were tiny...mainly during the growth spurt periods, when it was a feeding fest anyway

Re not having your duvet covering you - I got round this by dispatching DH to the sofabed on the cosleeping nights, and basically had DS sleeping on DH's side of the bed, just on the sheet, no pillow or anything, in his growbag, whilst I had my normal pillows on my side. I'd then pull the whole duvet onto my side of the bed so that I could snuggle up as usual, and just made sure that when DS was feeding I pushed it down so he wasn't covered by it at all.

I did tend to get a bit of backache on the co-sleeping nights due to trying to sleep curled around DS, but to be honest it never became a regular 'every night' thing so it wasn't a problem.

Have co slept with all mine: still doing it with DC4. I tend to hoik the duvet between my knees and pull it over my shoulder at an angle away from DC. My pillow isn't above their heads and they sleep level to my breast.
They sleep on a towel over the bottom sheet, for puke/breast leakage purposes, in a grobag.

This is between me and the cot, which is rammed up against side of bed, like a big bedrail. I often wake up to find one or 2 kids between me and DH..silent night intruders!
Our bed is vast though..

Tis a good way for maximising sleep, and as long as you encase yourself in the duvet away from baby it's alright. All my MWs have positively encouraged it, usually tucking me and DC into bed together after the births..

I think it sounds great, I just can't sleep on my side because of my back but maybe once she is older it won't be an issue. I want more sleep!

I used to have them sleeping on the other half of my double bed. We weren't really curled up together all the time. When they started snuffling I would galumph across the bed and feed. I'd generally doze off while feeding, but 2 or 3 times a night I would notice that they were asleep and I was uncomfy and I'd galumph back to my side and snuggle up in my duvet, leaving them on their side of the bed.

me and DD sleep facing opposite sides

I have the duvet up to my waist and then a vest top and long sleeve top (the maternity ones from H&M that are nice and stretchy and long). My ds likes instant access at night so I cut slits in the tops just under the boob. The one next to him is out all night and the top one gets a breast pad to stop any leaks.

As you can imagine I look hugely glamorous

Also it is bloody cold at this time of year and my room is freezing so I have a blanket bundled up behind my back (when it gets too cold I put it over my head!)

Hmm, and yes, your hips do get quite painful - I find I have to switch sides during the night and the pain does wake me up sometimes. Also, dh often stays in the spare room to give us more space.

At the moment (ds is 17 weeks) I have to go to bed when he does, and that's about 6.30!! He doesn't accept feeding to sleep lying down so I hold him and then try to lie down when he's dropped off. In the night it's marginally more successful and he will often fall back asleep again.

However you will notice that I am writing this post at 5.30am

We are not a good advert for co-sleeping I'm afraid BUT we do it because it's the only way I get ANY BLOODY SLEEP AT ALL.

Mission for the future is to get ds to go down in his hammock for the first part of the evening. He slept in it for an hour last night :o

Hello fellow early riser! How are you this morning?

I don't normally get up this early, but I got up for the loo at 5 & couldn't get back to sleep. I suddenly remembered that I missed a medical app yesterday & that was it, my brain was switched on & wouldn't switch off. Nice to have some company! I 'm going to make a Brew soon. Do you want one?

I am a tummy sleeper but found I naturally slept half on my tummy and half on my side when co-sleeping. Have a super king size bed so no problem, by shifting down a bit, to have the duvet over all of me but well away from DS, who was under his own blanket. No problem putting DS to bed earlier - once he was mobile, we moved the mattress onto the floor for 12 months or so, just until he was safe to be up on a bed on his own. Co-sleeping allowed me to function - would have been a wreck otherwise.

I would pull DD up the bed when she wasn't feeding so her head was up near the headboard, like ours, so we could pull the duvet up. Our pillows were closer to the edge of our sides of beds too and if I needed to roll over, I just did. We also found having a king size duvet on a queen bed was good as you have duvet to tuck into for yourselves and leave baby not so under the duvet, if that makes any sense.

More duvet to tuck around yourself... I mean.

I also found co sleeping invaluable in the 1st 3 months or so with dh in the spare bed, gradually moving to having the cot with an open side right next to my side of the bed. I took similar precautions to other posters with the duvet to make sure ds didn't get too hot. I felt I got lots more rest that way. It was good to get dh back in the bed after a few months though, I missed him! But our bed isn't big enough for all of us, so we added the cot then gradually moved it away from our bed when we wanted ds to stop co-sleeping.

Nobody feeling v chatty on here then? I will find another thread then!

Sorry lyra! Assumed I would be the only one around...just off to get my second

Morning spoon. I'm on my 2nd cup now too. Started with peppermint tea & moved onto strong coffee now! Btw can you recc an educational app suitable for 5 year olds?

Also how come you're up so early?

I love co sleeping, i'd recommend it! I've only just started putting the duvet on ds (10mo). My only worry now is that he's working his way up to crawling, i don't want him falling off the bed. Any advice? Or will i have to start putting him his cot? I've got it pushed up to my bed.

Dred, just put pillows on the floor in case he falls out. Or you can use a bed guard.

I'd not use a bed guard for a baby who's pulling up, as they're not sturdy enough IMO. We put the mattress on the floor so DS hasn't got far to fall.

Bertie - you're definitely right about not having skin contact meaning you're less aware of the LO. I thought I was always quite aware of DS, but DH slept with us last night (he usually sleeps in the spare room due to insomnia). Apparently DS was making lots of noise, roaming around the bed and even poked DH in the eye while I was dead to the world.

Thanks bertie, i'll put more pillows on the floor. We.re having a night on the living room floor tonight. I've been painting the bedroom. (-:

We took the legs off the bed while dd was small; have just put them back on now that she is 4 (although we could obviously have done it earlier if we had thought of it).

My DS has slept with me most of the time and he's now 4. He's only fallen out of bed twice in that time, usually because is glued to my side. Actually if anyone is likely to fall out, it's me :o