Co-sleeping

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How exactly?

There is loads of info on what not to do but none on how to actually do it.

So, duvets and pillows are out. So do you just lie there in pyjamas and no duvet? Have no pillow and end up with a crick neck? What? Confused here.

For context, I have an eight and a half month old still waking for feeds every two hours. I'm hallucinating with exhaustion again.

I have mine on the bed with (just) me in a sleepyhead and sleeping bag. I found there was a paucity of information on how to do it, too!

Oh sorry, I have a lightweight duvet on my side of the bed and pillows on my side, too. In a kingsize there's a reasonable gap

Get a sleepyhead or 'Chico next to me' so they are next to you but safe

Swaddling is the best way to get young babies to sleep but it's difficult in this hot weather as they might get too hot

Single duvet? Do you have your partner in the bed? How do you stop the baby rolling around and getting squashed?

Don't have your partner there when so young - men don't have the same baby sense as a mum and risk squashing more !

Long sleeved top on and duvet up to your waist

He's grown too big for our Snuzpod. Been in own room for a month. Cannot fit cot in our room.

I have a bed guard on my side, then baby, me and toddler. Have a light weight thin duvet. Baby sleeps at boob height so not near pillows.

He won't accept swaddling, never would

I have a bed guard on my side of the bed, firm mattress with well fitted sheet. Baby goes next to the bed guard so can't roll off and is only next to me as not sure my husband has the same instincts as me re awareness of baby while sleeping. Baby has a blanket just for him, no pillow. I lay next to him, arm out across above his head so he can't wiggle upwards, my legs curled below him so he can't wiggle down, his head is aligned with my chest for ease of feeding. I have a pillow which I use the end of so most of pillow is behind me and away from baby and a blanket for me (although not used it recently in the heat.) Fourth baby to have co-slept with me like this.

Fleece onsie to keep arms warm while breastfeeding. Baby's head level with your boobs, not up next to your own head.

I eventually just refused to feed mine at night, and after 2 nights he stopped asking and slept much better - have you thought about night weaning? Kellymom has some good info.

I realise this isn't an option for a lot of people, but I bought a super king bed! I sleep with 1 pillow and DD is low down enough that she can't turn her face into it, as she often sleeps on her side. I also sleep with a very light duvet that is moved over so it doesn't go near DD, and I don't have it up over my shoulders. DD sleeps in her grobag.

Oh and my bed is pushed up against the wall on the baby's side, so no falling out.

I second what lovelilies says. If your arm is bent round just under the pillows, baby isn't near, you can't physically roll without dislocating your shoulder. I also had a bed guard, then baby, then me, then hubby.
King size bed. She's now 2 and has her own bed set up but still sleeps with us.
She was born in summer so we had thin blankets, I wrapped round my waist and tucked in round her bum.

Also number 4 here, breastfed and coslept x

From what age can you use bed guards? I've heard they're only from twelve months?

I think that's for use in a toddler bed or suchlike, cos they'll be getting on and out if bed. But you'll be laying right there, asleep. Or you could push your bed to the wall so baby can't fall out. Just make sure there's no gaps he/she can slip down.

Exactly the same as dottie39
Works really well for us, my DD doesn't like blankets and never has, refused to be swaddled from birth so she just has her growbag when it's cold or just sleeps without blankets completely when it's hot and I just have a duvet over the bottom half of me when it's cold or no covers when it's hot I use soft bolster like cushions for myself as they aren't as big as normal pillows!

So, you have bed guard, baby then you. Does this mean that you go to bed with the baby? As otherwise there will be nothing to stop the baby rolling over the other side and falling down the side or off. Can't push our bed against the wall.

I swear, sleep is the hardest thing about motherhood by far

My Dd was in her sleeping bag on top of my thin duvet. No pillow for her and she was level with my breasts for night time feeds. Worked well for us.

If I left Dd in bed in her own I'd put a pillow on my side of the bed to stop her rolling off, bed guard in her side.

We've left the snuzpod attached to the side of the bed now he's grown too big. one of us sleeps horizontally with their head in the snuzpod (with our pillows in the snuzpod for comfort. One sleeps in normal position with baby at 45 degrees between. He can roam to a certain extent safely without either of us being disturbed. We do use pillows but this way they are well away from him... as someone said duvet only comes to our waist and the one that's horizontal gets the best deal in terms of pillow comfort and duvet coverage.

Just make sure the snuzpod is still firmly attached to the side of the bed and it works well

DD is almost 10 months and we do bedguard, baby, me, DH (king size bed). We have a thin duvet arranged so it's up to my waist and then over DH and nowhere near DD. I have my pillow in the middle of the top of the bed so it's not near her, plus she is lower down.

If she goes to sleep before us we arrange a pillow wall down DPs side of the bed, and more pillows on the floor just in case she falls off, and we watch her on the monitor so we can run up if she looks like she's waking.

I think we're going to try attaching the big cot to the bed again though, because she likes to take up ALL the space (wish we'd got the super king now!)

Mine used to go into his own bed at bedtime at that age but after his first wake would be in with me. Until about 8m dh was in spare room most nights so he was in a bag on top of the quilt and I was the other side. Bed guard fine.

At about that age though husband came back and we just plonked him in the middle, again on top of the covers in his bag.

Did this until about 2 years when he finally started sleeping through in his cot.

If he needs to sleep in your bed before you do then you'll probably be ok with just pillows on one side and bed guard the other.

My 10 month old sleeps between me and my husband in a sleeping bag on top of the quilt. If one of us is not in the bed then we pop a pillow on that side (under the quilt so she can't get trapped under it).