My DS just turned one and we have occasionally coslept since birth. I read the safety guidelines from UNICEF about this but it's always made me nervous.
We used to have a next to me bedside cot but obviously that's not suitable for him these days.
He has always woken multiple times a night and I've basically just got used to it. At the moment though there comes a point in the night - usually in the early hours - where it's impossible to get him to sleep without him being in our bed with me. At this point I kick my husband out and he goes and sleeps elsewhere as he is a very heavy sleeper who rolls around a lot and we don't feel it's safe for DS to sleep with both of us.
How can we do this safely now DS is so active (rolls, crawls, pulls to standing, cruises, etc.)?
The cot he has in his nursery doesn't have a side that lowers so we can't put that alongside our bed.
I have looked at guard rails but at least some places say there is a risk of crushing against them.
There's not space in our bedroom to move the bed so one side is against a wall.
I have suggested putting the mattress on the floor but DH isn't keen as it would mean taking the whole bed frame apart and essentially not having a bed for however long.
I thought I could put something under the sheet, like a pool noodle type thing, to create a small barrier on one side of the bed. That wouldn't stop him crawling off but he'd have to be very quiet indeed to wake up and start fully crawling around without disturbing me.
We all need sleep! He was so peaceful for 2 hours in bed with me last night but I had an odd arrangement of small pillows on the far side of the bed and kept waking up panicking.
What should we do?
And at what age might he be ready for his own bed? He is no fan of his cot.