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Am I naive to think I can co-sleep just for a few days to get DS to settle better?

4 replies

Bartimosaurus · 18/06/2012 13:10

DS is nearly 9 months and has always been a bad sleeper.

Usually he sleeps in his cot, is BF off to sleep and wakes 4/5 times a night each time needing to be BF off to sleep.

The last few weeks have been awful as he's been ill and teething and I'm on my knees with tiredness. So this weekend we put a mattress in DS' room. He's put to bed in his cot, but in the night if I'm having difficulty getting him back to sleep I've moved into his room and he's slept on the mattress with me.

The first night was fairly awful (for me) as he was rolling all over the place but he was able to go back to sleep without BF (a miracle and really good as I'm trying to cut down his night feeds). The second night (last night) he slept a lot better but did wake twice and I had to BF him back to sleep and he wouldn't settle with just shushing and patting.

As he seems to sleep better when co-sleeping and need less BF, I was thinking of carrying on with this, say for a week or so whilst he breaks the habit of waking every few hours and needing BF, then stay sleeping in his room but with him in the cot and then eventually moving out of his room.

Is this naive? I was amazed at the difference sleeping with me made (we've tried co-sleeping a few times in the past and it's never worked) but I don't want to co-sleep for very long if possible. I just want to break the habit of waking up and needing BF back off to sleep.

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Are your children’s vaccines up to date?
worldgonecrazy · 18/06/2012 13:17

Yes you are naive because you will wake up one of the mornings feeling all lovely and rested, your LO will open their eyes at the same time and smile at you and have a snuggle and you will think "Wow!"

Incidentally my DD didn't stop night feeds until about 10-11 months, we just offered water at night for a few nights and she didn't wake again for a breastfeed after that.

Bartimosaurus · 18/06/2012 13:29
Grin

I admit it has been a lot nicer co-sleeping now than when we tried a few months ago. Now DS snuggles into me and it's lovely I just wish he'd stop kicking and wriggling

Did your DD cry/scream when offered water? I've tried not BF DS but he just screams hysterically Sad

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worldgonecrazy · 18/06/2012 13:32

No, she was fine, but she's a placid child and it was obvious that she wasn't feeding during the night, she was just latching on for a few seconds comfort then dropping off. That's how I knew she would be okay to night wean. I was lucky, I have heard that some bf babies don't night wean until a little older.

Bartimosaurus · 18/06/2012 14:59

4 times out of 5 he just latches on for comfort. But then sometimes he will properly drink so it's hard to tell. He shouldn't need the feeds as he eats quite a lot during the day but he is greedy.

He is also not at all a placid baby so maybe it won't work.

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