Parents who keep their babies downstairs in the evening...

[Germantree]

...And take them up when you're ready to go to bed - how do you manage it? If your baby is already asleep downstairs does moving them not wake them so much that they then can't settle quickly upstairs? Do they wake more frequently in the night after having their sleep interrupted? Do you change them when you go up or feed them? Tempted to try with dd who is 8weeks tonight in the hope that shell either sleep for a bit longer (11 to 2 maybe?!) or at least ill be tired enough to actually sleep when she is rather than tossing and turning for an hour and a half but im a bit terrified I'll do it wrong and end up with a horrible night of constant waking after disrupting her initial sleep. At the moment she goes roughly from 9 to 12 upstairs (having been put down at 8), then 2, 4 and 6 for feeds which last about 45 mins to an hour.

The Guidelines state that the baby should sleep in the same room you are in, whatever time of day or night, for optimal safety. If they are used to sleeping near you, then noise and movement won't wake them.

Mine tended to want a feed around 10-11pm so we would move upstairs then.

Mine tended to want a feed around 10-11pm so we would move upstairs then

Same here -

and I liked to put mine down awake - not feed to sleep, so I'd wake them up, take them up feed, put down and tidy round for a bit whilst they drifted off. Both my DDs were identical in that respect.

DD slept in her noses basket downstairs where we were at that age. When we went to bed we just carefully carried the noses basket upstairs and popped it on the stand. She usually slept through the transfer, then waited till we hit a nice deep sleep before screaming and waking us up 😀

Mine slept on the sofa next to me in the evenings (safely), until he was about 7 months old. At about 10pm I'd get a feed ready, sort myself out and then take him up to bed. He'd stir just enough for a dream feed and then I'd put him down in his cot in my room. He'd then sleep until 3am or so.

He was very swaddled until at least 5 months though, so that probably made it much easier to move him

Baby shouldn't be sleeping away from you before at least 6m. I've always kept mine downstairs sleeping until well over 12m and they get used to noises and being moved when asleep, if you are too quiet around sleeping babies they tend to wake with every little noise, I always hoover etc around mine and they don't wake. Bum changed if needed before going up and fed when upstairs.

Mine sleeps through being taken upstairs at 7 weeks. I asked my health visitor when I can leave her upstairs as she’s whispers sleeping through she said it’s fine with a video monitor and the door open on an evening so as of tomorrow she’s upstairs from her 8pm feed. I think it just creates good sleep habits.

Thank you for all your responses. Sorry I wasn't clear - Dd will be with me at all times, asleep downstairs with me in the evening while I watch tv/eat dinner and then into the same room when I'm ready to go to bed myself. I was just worried that moving her if she's asleep when I'm ready to go up would disrupt her sleep to the extent that she's then up all night. But it seems like it's something she'll get used to? I do keep day time very bright and plenty of noise and night time dark so hopefully she won't mix them up, and her day naps there's always background noise so she's not used to sleeping in silent conditions

I used to just sleep on the sofa until DS woke up and then take him upstairs

I only did this while ds needed a dream feed at about 11pm so would take him up then.

From about 4/5 months they were upstairs in the cot in their own room. We had an angelcare movement monitor which helped the anxiety somewhat.

When he was very little and in his crib, we had two stands for the crib - one in the bedroom and one in the living room. He'd fall asleep in his crib in the living room and then we'd just lift the whole crib into the bedroom when we were ready to go to bed. It didn't disturb him at all. As he became too large for a crib, we used a Sleepyhead. He'd fall asleep in that on the sofa and we'd just lift the whole thing and pop it in the cot at bedtime. Again, didn't disturb him at all.

Did it with Dd when she was tiny: she slept in her pram carrycot (safe for overnight) so I just carried it up with me when I went to bed.

Either you put them down in something you can move wholesale, as per PPs, or you wait till a likely dreamfeed/last feed moment and take them up then, settling you both at that point. I think we used to do the latter - and often I’d go to bed at 8 upstairs and get a sleep in for a few hours uninterrupted, then get DH to bring the baby up at 11 ish for a feed when he was coming up.

I don't think moving upstairs ever disturbed mine- she'd sleep through it pretty much. Although I think perhaps she spent a lot of the evening asleep on me so I guess it wasn't a huge disturbance when I carried her up.

Although I agree that sometimes there were opportune times - so if she naturally woke for a feed roughly when I wanted to go to bed, I'd take the opportunity to go upstairs then and feed her in the bedroom.

At that age I also did the move upstairs to coincide with the dreamfeed at 10-11pm. I didn’t make it to 6 months like that though, by 4 months their sleep changes a lot and DD made it very appearent she wanted to go to bed upstairs at 7pm, in her cot where it was dark and quiet.

Goodness how things have changed! My youngest of 3 is 9. First few weeks downstairs because no-one knows which way is up but after 2-3 weeks (ish) she'd be in my room even if only for an hour or two just so I had some space. Did used to take her to my choir practice every Wednesday though because she was ebf. But sod having them downstairs for that long! That's what baby monitors are for!!!

It's nothing to do with not being able to hear them, it's to lower the risk of SIDS. It's now known that babies regulate their breathing to the same rhythm as people nearby in the room, they also sleep lighter which lowers SIDS risk.

I only kept baby downstairs with me for first couple of weeks then started putting her to bed upstairs awake so she could drift off herself. 4months old now and sleeping through the night most nights. If she does wake up only feeds for 10mins then back to sleep

Can I ask a question to all of you who kept them downstairs for a long time - what did they sleep in?

Ds2 is now 6 weeks old but is already getting very big in his moses basket. We have a snuzpod (crib attached to bed) and a cot upstairs but can't being either down.
Will I need to buy something else for after the moses basket?
Thanks :)

My daughter is 17mths. We still keep her downstairs. She sleeps fine! We now keep her on sofa as she is bigger then carry her up when we go up. She sometimes wakes but she knows routine and just rolls over and goes to sleep!

Mine slept on my chest, evening baby cuddles are the best, especially when you have other children its lovely to have a quiet snuggle in the evening. They started sleeping in our room in the evening once they got to six months.

I would watch t.v/read in bed... now at almost 5 months he goes in his cot at 7 and sleeps until around 4. I need to clean when he's asleep (Have a toddler too) and also I need adult time. He gets disturbed downstairs. Usually hubby is upstairs with him playing on the computer.

I put mine in her cot upstairs from 3 months. How can a baby sleep properly with the TV blaring, the lights on and people talking? During the day I put her in our library in her pram with the door closed so we didn't wake her up. Worked like a dream.

Guidance is all well and good, but some babies can't sleep with a racket going on.

I keep my baby (6 weeks) downstairs with me until 10 where I feed him and get him changed into a bedtime baby grow.

I try and keep him awake between 8 and 10 - is that wrong??

'Can I ask a question to all of you who kept them downstairs for a long time - what did they sleep in?'

Mine didn't sleep in anything. Either on me, or on the floor, wriggling until just dropped off.

When took up, co-slept.

The only time I didn't get enough sleep was with my first child when I tried to interfere/regulate his sleep and create a routine - caused anxiety and sleepless nights overall. Just being guided by the baby worked much better.