Calling all co-sleepers

[TheAccidentalParent]

Hello we currently half co-sleep with our 14 week old dd. i.e. she goes to sleep in her cot but when she wakes up in the wee hours for a feed I bring her into our bed to feed her lying down and the next thing I know she's kicking me to announce it's time to get up for the day.

I am considering full co-sleep, as wondering whether will disturb us less just to have her in the bed right from the beginning.

So, I have some questions for you co-sleepers:

1. Does your baby come to bed with you or does she go to sleep on her own and then you get in later?

2. How do you stop your baby from rolling out of the bed - do you have beds on the floor or some kind of cotsides?

3. When did your babs go into her own bed and was it a difficult transition(tbh I don't mind co-sleeping now especially when bfing but don't think I want to co-sleep with a 2 year-old!)

Hello - I've co-slept with both our DSs and am still co-sleeping with DS2, who's 2 and a half.

1. I put him to sleep in our bed - we don't have a cot (well we do, but it's in the shed waiting to be ebayed).
2. DSs sleep in the middle.
3. DS1 went into his own bed when he was about 2 and a half. We made a big fuss about letting him choose bedding, and a few bits of kids' furniture. He was fine about it.

Top tip: get a superking bed!

I love co-sleeping - it's one of my favourite things about being a parent.

In answer to your questions:

1. I get him in bed with us when he wakes at night (usually 3am)
2. sometimes I put a duvet on the floor in his room (a thick duvet so quite comfy) - he can't roll off that. If he gets in with us, he goes in the middle, or else I go in the middle but am kind of aware of his position and if he moves iyswim
3. not there yet - he's only 6 mo!

I love co-sleeping. something lovely about waking next to your baby

1. Does your baby come to bed with you or does she go to sleep on her own and then you get in later?

We did what you do now - Dc went down in Moses Basket/cot and then would come in with us when they woke for a feed at ungodly hour in the morning.

2. How do you stop your baby from rolling out of the bed - do you have beds on the floor or some kind of cotsides? We have a Kingsize bed, and DCs slept in the middle. When they were tiny we'd have our pillows at the far edges leaving a big gap in the middle and DC would be higher up so our quilt wouldn't cover them. Occasionally I'd end up with DC on an edge after I'd fall asleep mid feed, and I'd usually wake up still holding them safely but in absolute agony (not recommended!)

3. When did your babs go into her own bed and was it a difficult transition(tbh I don't mind co-sleeping now especially when bfing but don't think I want to co-sleep with a 2 year-old!) All mine went into cotbeds/junior bed at about 18 months this was so when they decided they wanted to come into bed at said ungodly hour, they come get up and come in by themselves rather than waking me up again. The DSs stopped coming in when I was pg with the next one, DD being the last means she does still turn up (but usually about 6am, and she goes straight back to sleep)

I loved cuddling up with the DCs in bed

super kingsize bed is what I have ddd sleeps in middle never had a problem getting them into own bed

she has gone to slep earlier and ith me

I love it

1. DS starts the night in his cot (I am hoping this means he retains some ability to sleep without me!)

2. Was in the middle between me & DH but this left no room (we have double bed and no space for a bigger one) so we have just bought a BabyDan portable bed rail (£19 from JojoMamanBebe). When DS decides not to settle in his cot (lately around 1-2ish) DH will go sleep on the sofa while I stay in bed with DS.

3. No idea, will cross that bridge when we come to it! Am hoping to get him in his own room when we move house (he'll be about 6 months) but wouldn't be surprised if he still ends up in with us for a while...

Hiya,

1. ds starts in his own bed and even after a feed at around the time we go to bed I try to settle him in his bed again (but he will come into our bed if it takes any effort)

2. we bought a bed guard which I put up on my side, sometimes he is in the middle

3. can't answer that one as ds is still in bed with us but I will certainly try to get him into his own bed over the summer but I am sure he'll let us know when he's ready as he has done with everything else yet

1. She goes to sleep on her own, comes ibn with us when she wakes

2. She sleeps in the middle 3. She started sleeping through (ie staying all night in her own bed) from about 12 mths - with no encouragement - would come into bed with us about 50-% of nights. Atm, she's in with us every night again (she's 15 mths) as she's had an unsettled time with holidays, but hoping she'll settle herself again soon. It is more of a hassle now, as she likes to sleep sidewise across the bed with her feet in dh's face - but we're not ready to kick her out yet!

I didn't co=sleep with ds, and intend to enjoy every moment with dd!

Well, my son is 19 months and has always slept with us since he was born. He used to just go to bed when we did, when he was younger, but now I lie down with him on our bed and bf him to sleep, then go away and leave him till I want to come to bed. Sometimes I put him in his cot and he goes to sleep on his own there, but that doesn't always work and he usually wakes up during the night and I have to get up and get him. He takes his naps in the cot, though.

At night he lies between my partner and I, so he can't roll out of bed. When he was tiny he didn't because that's not safe, but I just had some pillows on the floor. He's never rolled out of bed. When he's there on his own he's right in the middle.

Can't speak to the transition. I guess what will happen is that he'll get happier with going to sleep in his cot and will wake up less. I'm not hugely bothered, though I want him to be sleeping on his own before we have another child.

Not keen on 4 in the bed philo?

can i just clarify whether the same answers stand for a newborn?

trying to decide whether or not to co-sleep with 4 week old dd. don't know whether to have her in the middle or on my edge, and if so should i get a guard rail? sometimes if she is unsettled we put her between us early in the morning, but i can't say that i sleep v well. also i haven't yet cracked bfing lying down so will i miss out on one of the major benefits?

I co slept with dd until she was one, we had a mattress on the floor for a bed, still have now, I prefer sleeping closer to the floor anyway. considering it with dc3, we have moses basket next to bed on floor which he is in half the night, with us rest of.
we go to bed same time as baby

My dd is 17 months now and we've co-slept since birth. I wouldn't have missed it for the world

When she was tiny, I put her on the edge with a guard rail and mostly sat up to b/f her on my lap (still beats getting out of bed, going to another room etc). Also if you do that, both of you are likely to be more awake and therefore take longer to re-settle.

Now, she sleeps in the middle. There's a guard rail on both sides and an old duvet on the floor at the foot of the bed. This girl moves around A LOT in her sleep. I lie down with her to get her to sleep, then go away. If she needs b/f in the night, she wriggles over and both of us hardly wake up. Practising b/f lying down is definitely worth it. Especially when they get to the 'twiddling' stage. Then you can feed on your side, from the top boob and irritating little fingers can't get at the other one.

Lord knows how long we'll keep co-sleeping, but I've a friend with a two year old little girl, who has just asked for her own bed/room and is loving organising it. They've co-slept since birth too.

Hi,

I co-slept with my baby from birth until she was about 4 months old. We don't have a king-size bed and she was just getting too big and wriggly so was preventing my partner and I from getting a good night's sleep. Unfortunately when she got to 5 months old she started waking every two hours for a feed so is back in bed with us again now, but that's another story... Anyway, in answer to your questions:

1. I take my baby to bed, get her to sleep and then leave her there until I get into bed later.

2. For some reason my baby doesn't roll in bed anymore. She did go through a bit of a roly stage for a few weeks so I used to move her over to her cot once she was asleep and then bring her back into bed at my bedtime. We don't have bed guards.. v under-prepared!

3. As I said before, she has slept quite happily in her cot although I do get her to sleep in our bed and then move her over when she is unaware. I think having a cot near your bed rather than in a separate room makes a difference.

Try reading William & Martha Sears' book called The Baby Sleep Book - it's full of encouragement for co-sleeping, is very non-judgemental and flexible too.

Good luck! x

We have a superking and one side is up against the wall. LO sleeps next to the wall, then me, then DH. LO can't fall out!

bumperlicious - I co-slept with my DS from birth. Newborns can't roll over anyway (well unless they're superbabies ). I put him in the middle and sleep nearer the edge. I've only just cracked bfing lying down (and he is now 4 months) but still think it's worth doing it - you wake up a lot less in the night if you can just sit up and grab baby rather than having to get out of bed.

Now DS doesn't usually wake in the night, he doesn't co sleep with me. If he wakes really early for a feed or at an ungodly hour, I bring him into the bed.

My bed's against the wall and I also put one of those v-shaped cushions round him like an L in case he suddenly develops the ability to roll over

we have a bedside cot that I have lashed to the post of our bed and wedged it so it can't move and use cushions tho fillthe gap - this means that dd alternates between bed and cot throughout night and she has done since newborn (now she is 15m). This works well for me and dh. we all get enough sleep I am not sure when we will move dd to her own room. ds slept with us till 19m and then moved to own room and toddler bed, which he loves

hi ds is nearly 14 months, his cot is next to our bed. He starts the night by being cuddled by me till he's sleepy, then into cot. Some nights he'll sleep right through and wake us up with his babbling around 7ish and we all have family cuddles before getting up. Or if he wakes up in the night I just lift him into our bed and he usually goes pretty much straight back to sleep after a few minutes quiet humming and back rubbing. Sometimes at weekend he can be persuaded to sleep on by this method, on sunday we all got a long lie till half 8!! Don't know about transition yet, not thinking of it, love waking up with ds!!

I didn't intend to co sleep but it was nice to bring him into the bed when he woke for a late feed. This progressed to us putting him to bed in his cot then i'd take him into bed with me when i went to bed, now he sleeps on the couch until we go to bed. It's no problem, he can still sleep in the cot if we put him in and it made life so easy and pleasant. I'd reccomend the baby sleeping on the outside of the bed as they can overheat in the middle. THey don't roll out, it's the opposite, they roll in and take up half the bed if you're not careful. get a bed guard if you're worried because they're not expensive for peace of mind.

DS goes to bed in his cot, he comes in with me when he doesn't resettle (he wakes up a lot when he is on his own).

I have a bed rail, but he's never shown any sign of rolling towards the edge (only rolls towards me)

He's only 9 months so not crossed that bridge - hopefully he will go to his own bed before any siblings arrive...

Love co-sleeping, only prob is DS wont tolerate DH in the bed!

I started co sleeping when my lo was approx 5 months old. I didn't intend to but she was such a frequent waker/feeder at night it just made more sense. She's now 7 1/2 months and has just moved into her own room (an attempt to see if she would wake less without the disturbance of us) - however, that hasn't worked at all and the last couple of night I'v been going into her room when she wakes and taking her back to our bed to feed... To be honest I miss her warm snuggly body next to me at night. Dh says he doesn't miss the wriggling and hair and nose pulling in the early morning!!!! I think she'll be back in our bed permenantly be the end of the week!

I make a space between our pillows and lie her higher than us so the duvet doesn't go over her.