Co Sleeping - A minute to myself

[TheRealCinderella]

Hi All, just wondering if any co sleepers out there have a minute to them self and if so how? Do you put your LO to bed and leave them there? LO is 10 month old, naps on me during the day and we co sleep, she also BF to sleep most of the time. I can't put her down anywhere other than in my bed at night time without her instantly waking up. She will settle at night laid in bed but obviously I can't just leave her there. I want to be able to go get a bath and sort a few things round the house while she is asleep. I am alone during the week as DP works away. Returning to work in a fortnight and could really do with a few hours to myself at night to do house work, get a bath and sort things ready for the following morning. Thanks in advance for any replies

I feed to sleep in my bed then roll away and go back downstairs for the evening. I use a video monitor and keep an eye out for any wakenings. Same for naps. Been going this since 6m old.

Hi acorn, I suppose a video monitor could help, I'm just petrified she rolls or crawls out of bed, she's quite active even while asleep. How old is you LO? Have you had any close calls with falls?

Video monitor.
Toddler bed guard on one side of the bed and the other side is against the wall
Though to be honest at that age I just used to watch tv in bed

We had the cot on one side and a bed rail on the other, plus pillows on the floor in any gaps 'just in case', and a video monitor, which I watched like a hawk and used to dash up if she moved. From about 9 months.

SIL has a separate travel cot which works really well for DN (currently 8 months), but I could never get DD into a cot without waking her at that age.

Hi Foody, I have a bed guard and her cot up against one side of the bed so there's only a gap at the very end of the bed for her to get out of. Can't push the other side up against the wall at the minute. We have just moved into a new house and are renovating it. DSD bed is also in our bedroom so there's not much room for manoeuvre! I suppose I could use the bed guard at the free side though. Just so worried about her falling.

Gandalf think that's the route I may take

Video monitor, we took the side off the cotbed and bumped it up to the side of our bed. I’d feed to sleep with her in her cot and me on our bed, then leave her and go downstairs. My DH also works away so had to be able to shower etc at night.

The cotbed meant she had her own space and that she very rarely managed to roll across our bed and be near falling off. We put pillows and the duvet down the furthest away side of our bed so that they acted as a guard until we could get upstairs and move her. She slept in our room until she was over 2, and never fell out or even really got close to it.

As a bit of light, she recently went in her own room/bed which she never had slept in before. She has had no problems at all, and I’ve finally got my bedroom back!

June that's great to hear, I think LO will be in my bed until a similar age. I am going to take the side off the cot bed then move the bed guard to the other side of the bed, then get a video monitor and see how we go I think

I have no issue with co-sleeping in principal but this would kill me, never having a minute. Naps always in cot for us, co-sleeper cot until 6 months then into big cot in own room. BF first DC to age 2, this one is 1 now with no sign of stopping.

Could you maybe start to try doing some naps in cot or pram so that from time to time someone else can put the baby down?

Mine is the same age. Neither of mine have moved in their sleep though, they always moan a bit and roll a little so I can get upstairs before they fully wake up. I eventually put the mattress on the floor last time, more for naps incase I wasn't paying attention to the monitor.

Hi headin......feeing like I don't have a minute to myself is getting a bit much for me at the minute, more so because LO hasn't been feeling well for the last two weeks, she's been waking up almost hourly ....as well as not ever going down for a nap she has been really clingy while awake too, when I go back to work in a fortnight she will have to learn to nap while with my sister so hoping this helps things. I do try to put her down for a nap but she just wakes up instantly every time. I can go to the toilet with her in my arms and she will stay asleep but if I put her down she wakes up and cries it's driving me nuts!

Acorn my LO is all over in her sleep, from been on her back at first she ends up laying on her stomach horizontally across the bed most of the time she sits up as soon as she wakes too, did think of putting the mattress on the floor and getting a safety gate on the bedroom door but would need to wait u til we have finished renovating as we have bare floorboards at the minute.

Hello, I feel your pain because I've got the same situation here. My DD has been sleeping with me since birth and started to roll over at 4 months, was crawling at 6 months! I bought baby monitor because was worrying she would fall out. She is 1 now and I'm always with baby monitor warching her.
She only falls asleep with me. She wakes up up to 3-4 times on some evenings which is driving me crazy. It means I can't really do anything because I might go back to resettle her at any time. It's enough time to have a quick tea or sandwich. Quickly put my preschooler to bed. No time for a bath
I take baths or showers in the mornings. Evenings are hard.

It's difficult. But it's doable.

Hi @Mumchatting only just seen your post, I can't imagine how hard it must be with another DC, sounds like your doing a great job though and are a very caring mum. It is doable I know but would just like to be able to wash the pots and myself in peace! That's when you know your a mum....when you want to wash the pots in peace haha. I have now put the cot at one side of the bed and a toddler bed guard at the other but DO who is away Monday to Friday is telling me it's still not safe for me to leave her while I get a bath and shouldn't do it

TheRealCinderella, it's good you put a bed guard. I understand you are worrying about your child safety. I would still totally recommend you buying baby monitor! Really it will give you some peace of mind. You could take baby monitor to the bathroom and watch your LO all the time. If your LO is like mine and wakes up every 20 min during the evening, then I can only advise you to have a very quick shower and leave the longer bath for when your husband is at home.
I know it's so hard with co-sleeping, breastfed babies who only fall asleep on mummy's breast! But we mums do it because we know we are doing the right thing.
I totally feel for you. I didn't have a proper evening to myself for 1 year! My DD only started to sleep longer when she turned 1 a month ago she also started to sleep at the same time every evening, at 8 pm. That gives us a bit of routine finally. I had to change bed time routine with my DS, stopped giving evening baths. Stopped reading bedtime story too. I do story time during the day now. I never had a moment in the evenings.
But as I said DD has really improved a lot over last month. She now even sleeps for 3-4 hours without waking up! I finally start to enjoy my evenings.

I think I will invest in a video monitor and see how we go, when she wakes up she usually just sits up and cries rather than crawling about, unless I have tried my luck with her in the cot in which case she pulls her self up to standing and cries, I managed to get a bath last night while LO played in baby jail (travel cot) she shouted for a bit but gave in and played. I don't have a shower but just had a quick dip OH wasn't feeling great....half hungover half man flu he said so I was left looking after LO while he spent all evening in bed. DD must be feeling better as I also got 3 hours kip felt like a full nights sleep after the last few weeks of her been unwell. Glad to hear your evenings are improving thanks for the messages

Oh good for you, u had a bath
I'd love to have baths in the evenings rather than mornings but that's how it is. I guess this situation won't last forever and hopefully DD will be ready to sleep on her own in her bed one day.