Moving DS to his own room - how did you do it?

[BCFirstTimeMum]

Our little one will be 6 months next week and we’re hoping to move his cot into his nursery and get him sleeping in his own room but he is our first and we have no idea what to do or expect!

How old did you move your little one/s and how did you do it?

Also he has started waking frequently in the night (which I’m hoping is just a phase) from 1 night feed to 3/4 times (not always for food). Were your little one/s sleeping through when they went in their own room or not? Did it make a difference to their sleep? I wonder if we wake him up sometimes!

Any tips would be greatly appreciated!

Everyone does what they believe is best for their child and for you to suggest otherwise is incredibly rude.

Generally speaking, it’s what’s best for the parent that drives the decision, not the child.

It’s in your child’s best interest to have you in the room. The risks are indeed small, but they are increased by your absence. You see that as time to do housework/whatever. That’s fine. I wouldn’t hang you out to dry for it, but it’s not because it’s best for your baby that you do that.

Indeed, the guidelines as to sleeping with an adult at all times are a) for 1-child families only or b) require both parents not to be working.

At 3 months I remember trying to get DD to nap in my arms in front of the TV because it was xmas eve. None of that. She wouldn't have napped in a basket or whatever in that room either with the TV blaring.

Indeed, the guidelines as to sleeping with an adult at all times are a) for 1-child families only or b) require both parents not to be working.

Huh? Up to 6 months at least one parent is not working in most households in the U.K. Such is maternity leave/shared parental leave. Why would it require neither parent to be working?

At 3 months I remember trying to get DD to nap in my arms in front of the TV because it was xmas eve. None of that. She wouldn't have napped in a basket or whatever in that room either with the TV blaring.

Why did the TV need to be blaring? I don’t understand this post.

We moved DS at 7 months. We realised the only time he was waking was when we were disturbing him! We just started by putting him down for naps in his own room, so he got used to sleeping in there. The first few nights he did wake, I think due to unfamiliar surroundings but as soon as he saw either me or DH he settled down. All in all it was much easier than I thought it would be

My child will not sleep in a room unless it is quiet and dark. Forgive me for not trying to force my baby to sleep in a pram or sling.

I use the time while he sleeps to do jobs around the house/shower/eat etc so that whilst he is awake I can use my time to play with him/read with him/go for walks etc as I believe this to be much more beneficial to his development.
I would not be able to do that with him if I had to sit in a dark quiet room for 3-4 hours a day while he slept in his cot. So yes it is what is best for my son.

@BCFirstTimeMum when my DS napped I would only sit with him if he had fallen asleep where he was. Same with my DD at the moment! I don't go and sit in a dark bedroom with them for a few hours - unless I want to have a sleep as well! It's simply not possible to spend every moment with your child when they're asleep. I have other things that need doing!

It's simply not possible to spend every moment with your child when they're asleep. I have other things that need doing!

That depends entirely on your priorities. Not judging, but as DH was away for about 95% of DD’s first 18 months, I had to prioritise sleep above pretty much everything else. I wasn’t likely to crash the car or do something dangerous if my kitchen hadn’t been hoovered or clothes ironed.

My child will not sleep in a room unless it is quiet and dark.

How is anyone supposed to have known that?

Is that how he’s always been or has he been conditioned to that?

Forgive me for not trying to force my baby to sleep in a pram or sling.

Who said anything about forcing?

Interesting that you’ve introduced solids early too.....

Such a fighty, derailed thread. Unimpressed by certain other PPs.

TO ANSWER YOUR OP, we moved DS into his own room due to circumstance- visiting family who couldn’t fit a cot in their guest room for us. Baby was sleeping through sporadically by this point, but slept better once we stopped disturbing him repeatedly. Then other regressions etc came up, and it’s been a varied journey. It sounds like you’ll be fine if your DC knows the room and spends time there. I think just go for it one night, and see how you get on. Good luck! :)

You are being judgy Titty. It reeks from every post of yours. The OP asked how people moved their DC into their own room and wanted advice on how to do it. Not to have all of her parenting unpicked.

Don't understand this post...

Let me explain:

If one adult has to be (sitting) with the sleeping baby, they are practically barred from watching other children in the family. Let's face it, past 6 weeks (when babies become more aware of their surroundings) a baby will not relish any extra excitement while trying to drift off or sleep. So allowing the other children to be in the same room as the napping baby so you can watch them is a bad idea.
And during that time, said adult is practically stuck doing nothing. How does the housework get done? When the baby is awake, for about a quarter of an hour until they get bored and start crying. That was at least my reality, with the difference that I worked during naps rather than did hoovering or whatever (I am not in the UK and even if I was, a year's mat leave would have killed my business).

The TV was on. Not overly loud, but still loud enough for DD to give me a WTF face about it. For the record, she is a champ sleeper and has been since the start of her life (1 now). I think it is always best to let baby guide the process rather than well-meaning guidelines.

I don’t see how it’s interesting that I’ve introduced solids. It has nothing to do with my original question.

He has always slept in a quiet dark room to ensure his sleep is not disturbed. I didn’t expect you to know that as again it wasn’t relevant to my original question.

My OH works away a lot as well but I don’t use that as an excuse.
Some might not call it prioritising. Some might call it lazy.

I don’t find your comments helpful but I do hope they make you feel better about yourself.

I’m going to go get my little one up from his nap (yes we have a routine and I let him sleep for set times to ensure his bedtime is consistent) and we are going to go for a walk along the beach.

Thanks to everyone who gave some useful and helpful tips.

Have a nice day!

titty Fine you did everything you were advised to do, and it worked for you. Congratulations. The rest of us make our own decisions based on current advice, and what suits us and our lifestyles. I put my babies in to their own room at two weeks, because they disturbed us and we disturbed them, and put them outside for hours in their prams in the fresh air. They slept beautifully and plentifully. We were all happy and content. Congratulations to me too.

We moved DD at 6 months on the dot- there were a few nights we were in and out two or three times to help find a dummy or whatever but over all it was fairly seamless.

At the time I was wanting to keep her in with us a bit longer, but in the end felt that it was now or never (or at least, a long time!).

It was weird for the first few nights not hearing her rustling and banging about like Jumanji right beside me, but she was happy enough.

So any older siblings can just look after themselves for 6 months while mum sits next to the sleeping baby?

And we’re back to parental choice. Space your kids out enough (or stick to one) and yes, you give yourself more options.

Sorry but the idea that the only people who deserve to have more than one child with a reasonable age gap are those who can afford nannies is barking.

Who said anything about nannies?

@TittyGolightly when DS was asleep i either slept or did other things round the house if I wasn't tired. Now I have DD as well, I have to look after DS as they aren't always asleep at the same time, so I simply can't lie next to DD every single moment when she's asleep! Plus I can't expect DS to sit silently in a room whilst DD is asleep just so I can be next to her.

If you are going to have an adult supervising the napping baby and an adult supervising the other children you would need an extra adult, either a relative or hired help. Mum cant be in two places at once.

@TittyGolightly congratulations for following every piece of SIDS advice there is. I didn't follow every piece of advice. But I have two healthy, happy children who have a wonderful life and didn't die of SIDS so I will keep doing what I'm doing thank you!

And shock horror... I want a third too! And I probably will only wait one or two years for my third. So even less time to spend lying silently by my child as they sleep.

We moved our pair out at 4 months, there was no guidance about six months in the same room at that time. They were used to napping in the room, without supervision as that also wasn't an issue, and settled after a couple of days. Making sure the temperature was the same as our bedroom and the light levels were similar helped.
I am truly struggling to see how SAHP's are meant to supervise their dc sleeping 24/7. I also cannot see the additional safety of being in the same room but asleep as compared to being awake and doing chores with a baby monitor on. These guidelines really don't seem to have been written by people living in the real world.

Sorry Titty but you're starting to sound a bit bonkers not just judgy. Are you seriously suggesting that people time the gaps of their children so that they are able to sit in a dark room with a napping baby for however long is required?! My son was like other PP's babies-completely unable to switch off and slee after about six weeks unless in a dark quiet room. And no, I didn't condition him that way, I started off doing the whole 'keep the house noisy' thing and it made no difference. Because shock horror, babies have their own personalities and aren't robots that you can programme. That wasn't a problem with a first child but clearly for subsequent babies, sitting with them in a dark room for hours isn't feasible. And even if it was realistic is it going to benefit the parent's mental health. I don't think so.

Do what you think is best for your family but maybe just wind in some of your smug judgemental attitude as no one appreciates it and it just makes you look silly.