Can I make a normal cot bed into a co sleeper cot? And other questions!

[haloflo]

Hi - I wondered if anyone who has tried this could help.

DD is 6 weeks and we are currently rather reluctantly co sleeping. She falls back to sleep no problems in our bed but the second I pick her up into the cot she wakes. As she feeds every 2 hours I felt sleep was too precious to miss out on cuddling a baby to sleep who quite happily sleeps with her mum and dad.

However its only a double bed. My back hurts already from 4 weeks of this. DP would like a beer every now and again and I can't help but worry the duvet/pillows will cover her.

Currently I have her on my side and the cot created a barrier so she wouldn't fall out. I cover her with a cellular blanket and and wrap the duvet round me. I've found that if I've had to feed her in the middle of the bed to drink from the left breast I can move her back to the outside of me with no problems waking her. So I thought that removing the side of the cot might be a good compromise...plus it would get her used to the cot so hopefully we won't be sharing our small bed with a bigger and bigger baby. (She already spreads out so we are on a third of the bed each!)

I have removed the side of the cot bed but there is a small gap between the cot bed and our bed towards the bottom of the bed as the end panels of the bed stick out meaning I can't push it any closer. Near the top end I can tuck the panel behind our bed reducing the gap to nothing.
Is this ok? (I hope this makes sense)

The cot bed is about an inch lower than our bed and won't go any higher. Is this ok?

If I use a sleeping bag or cellular blanket in the cot, she is ok to sleep near the top yes? Feet to foot is only to ensure covers without holes don't get on them?

And finally will this work? Or does she need the body heating up the mattress to sleep on.

Thank you so much in advance - apologies that this was a bit long.

Hiya, congratulations on your DD :) my DD is nearly 5 months and we co-sleep too (reluctantly at first).
I have her cot bed next to our bed as you have described, do you have a bed frame or a divan? I secured the cot to our bed frame with the straps you can buy to go around suitcases, then I shoved the cot mattress up against the bed mattress. This left a gap on the far side of the cot, I got two pillows and folded them in half length ways and stuffed them down the gap to keep everything wedged into place. I tend to feed her to sleep then lie her in her cot as soon as I can get away with it :) she is in a sleeping bag, and I agree she can be placed near the top of the cot, by your head, with no problems.
My cot mattress is about an inch higher than the bed one, I think it is better that your's is lower as then there is no way she can roll out, I will get round to lowering mine one day!
Hope this helps

Yep, we did the same. Couldn't get the cot mattress right against my bed so used fleece blankets rolled lengthways to fill the gap, had her in a sleeping bag and it worked fine. If you are large of nork you may find the unexpected benefit of being able to offer both sides without rolling over, like I did

I liked being able to move her out of my way so I could stretch out, because I'm an antisocial sleeper, and she got used to sleeping on her own, ish.

Thank you for your replies. Have used a fleece blanket rolled up to push the mattress firmly toward the bed. There is now no gap!

Unfortunatly its a divan bed but it doesn't feel like the 2 beds are going to separate at all.

Another question if thats ok! Do you go bed at the same time as your DC? Its not a problem not as cluster feeding in the evening means I go to bed at the same time as her but one day that will hopefully change. Is that the time to put the side back on so she is safe?

I fed her downstairs while the cluster feeding was going on, then had her in the co-sleeper at night. When the cluster feeding stopped (late for us, probably 20 weeks) I set the cotbed up properly and put her in there at bedtime.

It's a case of making it up as you go along :)

Hi we have done the same. Stuffed the gap with towels and put the mattress cover over. We have bungee roped the cot to the bed. We put DS to bed at 8pm in his grobag and put the baby monitor on the bed so we can see him. He doesn't roll yet (only 11 weeks) so this works fine.

I did the same as yourself with the cot and the mattress was also an inch lower than our bed. The little bit of height kept her in the cot. If she was to fall out, she'd have to go on some journey and do it quietly too. I found that if she woke and I want there, her first action was to cry and not move around.

So I didn't have to go to bed at the same time as her. I'd respond to any stirrings I heard immediately but she never wandered off.

Now at 15 months, she's been walking for a while and finally started wandering around the bed. We were asleep but woke to find her making a beeline for the edge. The missing side of the cot went up the next night and she didn't protest about it at all.

But your dc could be totally different in moving about in the bed. And also putting the side up earlier could work for you too when the time comes.

I have recently started putting my DD to bed, fed to sleep, and managing to go back downstairs for a few hours, she is 20 weeks. Tbh I probably could have done it earlier. The side of the cot is still off but as said above she tends to make noises or cry rather than move around if she wakes and I'm not there. It was a huge breakthrough for me to get those few hours to myself!

Thanks again. I knew I could count on MN to give me advice as I don't feel brave enough to admit to friends/family in RL that have let our DD sleep in our bed.

I think we will just see how things go - one thing at a time. Last 2 nights i've let her stay in our bed for all but the first 2/3 hours anyway as she has stirred when I tried to move out her!

Making it up as you go along seems the best way with a baby!

Hi all I know this is an old thread but wondering how I attach the cot to the bed as above? You said you used suitcase ropes? Can you explain how or any other way to do it? My babe will not sleep in his cot and thinking this might be the only way