11 month old bad night sleeping / safe co-sleeping?

[Unicornsandstarsxo]

Hi,

Firstly, I’m a first time mum with no other experience of babies other than my DD so please be nice! :)

My daughter is nearly 12 months old and has always been what I would consider a bit difficult with sleep (I naïvely thought babies just slept in their cot by themselves as easy as that...) up until probably about 3 or 4 months she was quite good.. she’d sleep in her cot until the morning (other than waking for a night feed etc but then she’d go back to sleep and back down) but onwards from about 3/4 months it all changed..

My daughter went into a pattern where she’d still wake for a night feed and then back to sleep in my arms as usual, but as soon as I put her back in her cot (as usual) it was a no from her! Her eyes would fling open and she’d be hysterical! I’d spend hours and hours of repeating the ‘sooth.. back in cot.. hysterical’ until around 4am I’d give in and put her in my bed because I was just pure and utterly knackered (I know most of you will be tutting around this part and probably saying “ahh well there’s your problem.. you created it.. but I’m only human and need sleep too!) my daughter then changed into a pattern around 7/8 months where she’d actually let me put her down at night (she’s still in this pattern now) but she will only sleep until around 10/11pm and then she will wake up hysterical and scream for me, but won’t let me put her back in her cot.. if I do try she’s back to the eyes flinging open and screaming so I’m still with the co-sleeping.

I have tried the cry it out method, but she will just cry and cry and cry until she’s sick everywhere.

Co-sleeping isn’t the main issue as I enjoy sleeping with my baby.. it’s more the issue of it perhaps not being too safe that I need advice with.. my bed frame broke so for now I have my double mattress on the floor until my bed is delivered but I’m finding my baby rolling out in the night and sleeping on the floor and it’s so frightening when I wake up in the night and she’s not next to me! I’m also worried that when I have a bed frame again she’s going to fall onto the floor :( does any have any advice of something I can try? Something I can buy to put next to my bed for her to sleep in/on? I think she’s rolling out in the night because there isn’t enough room in the bed with me and my partner.

Any advice will be appreciated!

Thanks! :)

When I was young my mum got a single mattress that she slept with me on my nursery floor! Could you look at doing something like that? That way you might be able to sneak out after she’s fallen asleep again?
There’s loads of “floor beds” for kids/babies you could look at as a replacement for the traditional cot.
She’s probably waking up crying because she fell asleep in your arms and then you’re not there and she’s somewhere else and will freak her out I guess! If there’s anyway for her to fall asleep in the cot that will help!

I agree. I think you have the option of a floor bed or using a bed guard or similar (but they're more for rolling toddlers rather than a baby because if baby moves around lots they'll roll of where the guard isn't whereas a toddler usually knows how to climb out backwards if that makes sense). I've used pool noodles or a rolled up towel when ice needed to do an ad hoc bed share before. Maybe try that but a floor bed is safest.

Do you have space to add a sidecar crib to your bed when you get a new one delivered? Basically you just take the side off a full size crib (make sure the brand you have is stable with one side off) and attach it to your bed, if you google you can find instructions on how to do this safely. My 8 month old had slept with me since the 4 month regression as well and this works for us, he has plenty of space (although mostly still ends up right next to me!) but if he rolls or starts crawling about when he wakes up the cot sides are there. It also means you can start to get her used to the cot environment for if ever you want to transition from co sleeping x