Need to sleep train but currently co-sleeping

[GracesMaMa]

Hi parents!

I realised last night that my 4 month old DD1 needs to go in her own cot. I've noticed the last week that co-sleeping worked for us before (and I know it's not recommended but it worked for us) but now we are disturbing each other's sleep! I really need to try and get her into her cot before I set up bad habits.

What do you suggest? Are there any websites/books you recommend on how to start this transition? How long will it take?

I tried putting her down in there a couple of times this week whilst sleepy but awake. I gave up after she cried a lot. I know I need to be stricter but I'm not sure how to go about it being a new mum.

Thanks in advance for any advice/recommendations :)

My primary recommendation if you want to get baby sleeping independantly without crying is to introduce a dummy.

Secondly, I'd is set up a sidecar cot. This involves removing one side off a standard cot and wedging it up to your bed. You can get mattress joiners to connect the cot mattress to yours.

This is a gentle introduction to independant sleep since the sidecar cot allows for close contact cuddling while being able to extract yourself into your own space afterwards. Then the dummy allows for independant comfort sucking.