Cosleeping to cot transition ... how do I do it?

[NorwNewCat]

My 5mo LO is in a great sleep pattern , sleeps 7pm to 6am ish. He’s EBF and wakes a fair few times to feed normally - every 2-3 hours overnight.

He’s cosleeping in my bed ( I do have a SnuzPod which he used to sleep in but won’t entertain for the last 3 months) .

I was thinking I need to move him into his own bed - maybe SnuzPod to start them own room and cot.

He’s my PFB and I can’t bear him crying ( I know) , so I want the transition to be as painless for both of us as possible .

So just looking for peoples experience of moving them from cosleeping to cot,

1. how old
2. breast or bottle fed
3. how did you do it?
4. how long did it take to work?
5. did you have to CIO

Thanks , as a first time mum I just feel so clueless

Up to 18 months I've put them to bed at 6:30/7pm in our bed, with baby monitor.
After roughly 18 months do the same bf to sleep at 6:30/7pm routine but in own room, in junior bed with guard rail (and baby monitor in there now).
tea

In our bed, bed cleared of bedding, foam wedges under the sheet to stop rolling off and a video monitor on. I would run up at the slightest stir.

Obviously there are safety concerns but with two DC, neither of them have ever fallen off the bed. Well not at bedtime anyway. Middle of the day when you turn your back for 2 seconds is of course the time to crawl off DS!

Still trying to figure this out and my little boy is 2.5
We did try when he was about 18 months and I had an air bed on the floor but I just couldn't do it and gave up!
Next baby is due in June so have to get him in his own bed soon!
Ahhhh

Mother and tea - great this is so helpful, I’m going to give that a try , I think it’s my best bet of at least getting 3 hours in the evening without the TV so low I need subtitles!

Where do you get these foam wedges from?

I got mine from purple daisies and I think they're on amazon. Not sure they fit with SIDS guidelines but I only used them with mine after they could roll so I knew they could move their heads off them if they needed. DS ignores his but knows they're his marker, DD still has one on her bed and snuggles into it!

user What bed is he in and are you still BF? I'd go for a full size single, cosleep in that to start off with and gradually wean him off it. Or send in DH/P if you can.

This sounds just like me a week ago exactly the same situation apart from my baby being formula fed! We just moved our son straight over into his cot bed and since he has been in his own bed he has settled better and even done a 5 and a half hours straight last night he is also 5 months, his cotbed is still in our room though,Good luck x

I’m just worried about how he will sleep if I ever need to leave him overnight.

• DH and I alternate sleeping in the spare room or with the toddler. One night with toddler each and then one night in the spare room so we each get a good night sleep every other night and she is happy with either parent.

Also DH wants adult time

• we have a floor bed (mattress on the floor) and put the toddler to bed and then can leave her with the monitor on. Adult time happens in the spare room.

My DD is 16 months and we have just started cosleeping again as Christmas destroyed her sleeping and routine and I was on my knees with exhaustion. She was initially in a Snuzpod but we soon started cosleeping as she woke if her hands touched the sides, she hated being enclosed in the cot when we tried and I couldn't bear to hear her crying.

I moved her into her own room at 13 months, into a full size single bed with a foam thing under the sheet to stop her rolling out. She was walking at 11 months and capable of climbing in and out by herself safely, we practiced lots in the daytime beforehand. The cot mattress is on the floor next to the bed should she fall out for some reason as she would not entertain the cot at all, the rage at being put in it was astounding! I also still breastfeed her to sleep, so getting her into the cot asleep without waking her was impossible.

Before Christmas ruined everything having her in a proper bed in her own room was great, I could still breastfeed her back to sleep lying down as we had done when cosleeping and it was easy to roll away and creep out of the room. I have a video monitor so I can see and hear her. She started waking only once a night, and this continued up until her routine was disturbed.

I did all naps in her bedroom too, and we did lots of playing in there during the day to get used to it before being alone there in the night. The first night on her own she was quite distressed the first time she woke but after that she was fine once she knew I would always come. She was being disturbed less by DP and I and we were all sleeping better, it was bliss!

We are moving soon but I'm going to repeat the same technique again. We have a superking sized bed and it's still not big enough for the three of us!

Just to add couple of things I'd forgotten when writing my original post, might answer some concerns!

At 6 Months we would leave him sleeping upstairs with a monitor for the first part of the night, to get him used to sleeping alone (if he even did notice!). A very complicated arrangement of cushions and pillows around the edge of the bed and on the floor in case he rolled...

And around this time, I consciously encouraged some time in the Snuzpod overnight, so he would get used to not having my boob as a pillow . He took to it better than expected -
Sometimes he would even roll in there himself!

Both of these things made the transition easier.

My biggest concern would be that he would be frightened and cry in the night (he'd also never cried at night, presumably because of instant boob access!). But he has still never cried - he just sleepily calls out for me.

Like I said, I think we've been lucky. I knew he was ready, and you'll know when your little one is too.

If its for you though - don't change it in a hurry, wait until it feels right.

**silkpyjamasallday - yeah my LO is the same in the SnuzPod, when his arms touch the sides he has a meltdown! So I really can’t imagine he’d be better in a cot, I think after what everyone is saying I’ll defintley keep him in my bed for a bit but try to leave him with the monitor early eve and then maybe once he’s waking less through the night for feeds try a bed in his room!

Lucky I was too lazy to get a mattress for his cot! Saved myself some money!

Shame I wasted so much money on the stupid but pretty SnuzPod !!

I’m glad I’m not the only person who’s in this situation, my SIL and MIL think I’m mental , nephew was sleep trained in his cot within weeks of being born ! I’m just a wimp and cannot bear the idea of CIO!

You're not a wimp, you're simply responding to your child's needs in a way that feels natural and right to you. You're doing great!

Hahahaha yes at least the Snuzpod looked nice...!

Not mental at all OP. Around the world, most babies probably co-sleep out of necessity (it's only in rich countries where babies are expected to be in their own rooms and beds - because people have those facilities). You have to do what's right for you and your baby, but imo, little babies shouldn't be expected to sleep all alone. They need the comfort of a parent nearby.

Amelie - thanks .. a few months ago I could never have imagined something as simple as where the baby sleeps would be such an issue!

Mother- yeah my hairdresser is from South Africa and said the same thing and quite honestly it feels lovely having my LO in bed with me

1. how old
2. breast or bottle fed
3. how did you do it?
4. how long did it take to work?
5. did you have to CIO

My DD coslept from birth and is EBF
She was 9mo when I put her in her cot in her own room but I coslept with her for a week in her room so she got used to it then I bit the bullet and put her in the cot
I followed the Ferber method and read his book before hand. I saw improvement after 1 day but she never just 'slept through' even after weeks but she can self sooth now in minutes unless there is something wrong (teething etc) I have my bed back and I go in and feed her once a night. She is 11mo now and this works for both of us and come 5am-6am she wakes up and I bring her in with me for snuggles and a bit extra sleep. I found that I took a method and over time tweeted it to work for me. Dr Ferber would not approve of bringing her in or the night feed! Lol. The first night was roughly 40 mins off and on crying then less than 10 the second night. I keep a log of all her times and wake ups to look back on. Just remember every baby is different and you will find your own way but when you start ST I would stick to it as much as possible to start. Good luck xxx

Perfectly fine to cosleep/keep baby in your room for as long as you like! Especially at a time when you will be expecting night wakings. However it is also perfectly fine to not want to co sleep for years, I love my son and spend loads of but I am glad he goes into his own room now, it’s good to have a place for YOURSELF! I’m planning on keeping DC2 in my room for up to a year and move them into own room then. For what its worth a younger child might not mind moving as much, DS was fine in his own room when he went into it at 9 months, and honestly never had to ‘get used’ to it or the cot, he just went to sleep in it. He did still wake at nights but never in distress at being ‘alone’ and would wake up and chat to himself for ages in the mornings. However now at age 3 (started ages 2 and a half) he is so much more resistant to change in his life! And more likely to want me to lie in his bed with him so he’s not ‘lonely’. I think babies are more adaptable than toddlers in lots of ways. So I wouldn’t worry too much as you may find it’s very easy.