If you co-sleep, what do you do about travel?

[marzipanned]

DD is 4 weeks and we co-sleep. We bought an Arm's Reach before she was born but she won't sleep in it; however, because it's attached to our bed I know she can't roll out (she sleeps between me and the Arm's Reach).

We have a few trips coming up, the first of which when she'll be 2.5 months. It's possible that she'll have magically taken to sleeping in her own space by then but I'm not counting on it :)

So I was just wondering how you make hotel beds etc safe for co-sleeping when you travel? At home I know she can't wriggle out because the AR is there, but obviously wouldn't have that reassurance on the road... (I wouldn't feel happy putting her between me and DH because he's a very deep sleeper)

I just put a pillow on her side of the bed and it does the job.

Dd is 18mo now and we still co-sleep, hope you have better luck getting your dd to sleep on her own!

I would use one of those lindam bed guards to make sure she doesn't fall out.

Hotel beds are normally big so he sleeps with a gap between him and the edge of the bed.

mummycat ssh don't tell my DH, I've promised him that co-sleeping babies all transition into their own beds really easily.

Thanks for the bed guard recommendation Kat I didn't know those existed. Our main holiday this year will be with relatives so normal size bed so I will definitely pick one of those up.

Never worried because DD slept on the outside edge of out bed at home with no precautions.

Worried far more once she was in a separate bed.

Why? Because she co sleeps beautifully and never wriggles at all, but falls out of every bed you put her in on her own.

She's 13 - she falls out of her own double bed, hotel beds on to tilled floors, caravan beds into tiny gaps and sleeps on top of her poor sister in tents.

She has never been allowed in a bunk bed

Request a travel cot and place the mattress on the floor next to the bed - but at 2.5mo she won't be rolling so she's very unlikely to go anywhere!

Nocomet

Frumious true! Though we are staying with relatives overseas this summer and I guess she will be rolling by then. She is definitely a wriggler - somehow got herself onto her front last night.

You could sleep sideways with baby against headboard? Not that a 2.5m old would go anywhere

Put the bed against the wall or put the mattress on the floor.

Try rolling a towel into a sausage and tuck it under the sheet on the edge of the bed. It creates a little barrier that a wee one shouldn't be able to roll over.

Lindam bed guard or a pool noodle thingy underneath the sheet to create a bumper that she can't roll over.

Was about to suggest exactly what EmmaL says ^

Worked really well with DS2 who is 3 and still can't /won't sleep a whole night in his own bed when he was little but able to roll / wriggle

I think it is quite normal for very little ones to co sleep ( I think most people do this but few admit to it!!) but are able to move to Moses basket or cot a few months in. For my DS he settled fine in his co sleeper cot at 8 weeks (this was almost over night!).

So when we went to a wedding when he was 10 weeks he slept in his carry cot on his pram no probs. if not, a bed guard if you must but putting LO between you should work!

I got some bed bumpers in the end, but spare towels/pillows propped under the sheet at the edge of the bed worked well before she got too mobile.
If it helps she transferred to her own bed at 12 months without any drama. Suspect she would have been fine sooner, but I was in no rush to stop the extra cuddles co-sleeping brought.

Depending on the situation, I have:

Used bed rail
Pushed bed against the wall and put baby between me and wall
Used high-backed kitchen chairs in a row as a makeshift bedrail
Slept sideways with baby between head board and me
Wedged a travel cot next to bed as a makeshift bed rail

Good luck with the travelling :) And don't worry about the transition to own bed. We've just stopped cosleeping and both twins have been fine though they are 3.5 years, and do get in our bed in the early hours of the morning.

Thanks so much for all these suggestions. I'm not in any hurry to move her out of our bed but suspect DH will be ready for it before I will!