4 months too early to put ds in own room?

[Lizbiz89]

My 4 month ds has become a very light sleeper. That coupled with a loud snoring dh, a loud snoring dog, and 2 older children who occasionally wake up in the night sleep has become none existent. I'm seriously considering putting him in his own room now so there's more of a chance for all of us to sleep. Is 4 months too early though? Has anyone else transitioned this early? My only concern is he's ebf so still has one night feed a night when he's not disturbed.

Could you sleep in there with him for a couple of months? The guidance is from 6 months they can sleep alone I think.

The guidance is 6 months, but it's guidance. Both my DC moved to their rooms around 3 months as no-one was sleeping properly, and was getting dangerous.
Both slept a lot better after that - though it was more of a faff to get up & go in their room to feed, calm them etc, we weren't waking each other up.

The guidance says from 6 months as that can reduce the risk of SIDS so I really wouldn’t. Could you and baby stay together but away from snoring husband and dog?

I would move the snorer before the baby.

2-4 months is peak risk for SIDS isn't it? ...I do feel your pain though, sleep deprivation is just awful.

I'd move into the room with the baby until you reach the 6 months mark, and ask the older children to wake DH if they need anything in the night. I'm pretty risk adverse though.

Yes I know friends who did it from 10 weeks. If you have a healthy baby why not? My DS had all his naps in his own room from about 8 weeks and just slept with DH at night. I couldn't get any sleep with them both snoring and grunting so slept elsewhere.

SIDS is/was mostly caused by smoking in the home and lying babies on their front and has reduced vastly since most people no longer smoke and babies sleep on backs now. I looked and couldn't find any evidence for why being in same room as baby would reduce Sids. Its just general guidance. Go with what is right for you and your individual family.

Another one who slept in babies’ rooms until 6 months.

They advise at least 6 months for good reason. It reduces the SIDS risk. I agree that I’d move the snorer first if possible before I’d ignore safe sleeping guidelines.

https://www.basisonline.org.uk/room-sharing/
there is evidence about room sharing being safer

@Givemepickles "Yes I know friends who did it from 10 weeks. If you have a healthy baby why not?"

Because it increases the chance of SIDS. HTH.

I would wait until the 6 month mark. When we first had our DC (last year) the HV was really pushing this as there'd a been a few cases of SIDS in the locality in under 6 month olds.
If possible, maybe your DH and dog could move...think that would be safer all round tbh. Or you go and sleep in yoir baby's room. I just don't feel it's worth the risk.

Yeah he'll be 6 months in 6 weeks so I may leave it until then. We only have a cot in the spare room so moving dh would be tricky and he has a very stressful job so it wouldn't be fair to make him suffer the sleep deprivation. My ds is such a light sleeper as well. As little as a duvet shake and he's awake. I did have the white noise app on my phone on loudly last night which really helped until my phone decided to update at 1.30am which turned it off!! Then my ds was pretty much awake from then onwards 😫😴

Literally no need to be sarky and unpleasant.

If room sharing decreases the risk of SIDS why is that? I haven't found it anywhere and looked into it a lot. Is it a correlation or a causation? If everyone is asleep with white noise on then parents aren't responding to a baby stopping breathing, they're asleep. Baby does not hear parents breathing either as that is so quiet and white noise is on. So what's the reason it's better?

I don’t understand the SIDS and room sharing thing at all. I know studies have shown higher numbers of cases when sleeping alone but does anyone have any idea why that is? It can’t be about hearing you breathe, because then there would be guidance about not playing white noise, not having the TV on, how close they have to be to your bed. It can’t be about what you’re breathing out because that’s got to be so variable based on where the cot is in the room, if the windows are open, air conditioning or a fan running. In addition, nordic countries have some of the lowest SIDS cases and they’re really big on babies sleeping out in prams in all weathers, on their own, to the point where they even leave them outside shops. Higher breastfeeding rates there though vs. the UK so maybe that’s more of a protective factor, along with sleeping on their back and not smoking, than the room sharing is IDK. I’m no expert, these are just my rambling thoughts so I’d be happy to be told I’m wrong!

FWIW mine were in their own rooms at 4 months old with an Owlet monitor. Like you no one was sleeping well with us all sharing and it was the right decision for our family. With DD1 she also outgrew the moses basket and we were extremely tight on space so couldn’t even fit a travel cot, and with all the doors open she was only 6ft away even in her own room. If the white noise is helping though maybe stick with that and get a machine rather than doing it through your phone? Less that can go wrong there. Although personally I’d be keen for any excuse to kick snoring DH out to the spare room as I’d much rather be sharing with baby than an adult snorer!

I wouldn't personally. Could you use white noise on an Alexa or similar to avoid issues with your phone?

@Allthingsdecember I don't have an Alexa. I usually use a fan as white noise and turn it around but because it's been so cold at night I've stopped putting on as it was making the room really chilli for ds. I did think of buying a white noise machine but I wouldn't have the first clue what to buy tbh. Trying to make these decisions with sleep deprivation is so hard 😫🤣

If room sharing decreases the risk of SIDS why is that? I haven't found it anywhere and looked into it a lot. Is it a correlation or a causation?

Does the why matter though? Scientists are working on that. In the meantime, that fact that there is a link should be enough to motivate any parent to do it.

@Lizbiz89 Goid decision to keep him in with you until at least 6 months.

you might find a white noise solution that means you sleep better & can keep him with you for longer.

just because some people 'can't find' the evidence doesn't mean it's not there.

it IS safer. God forbid anything should happen if you were to move him to his own room sooner, you'd never forgive yourself for having done so to sleep better.

people that have are NO proof it's ok. That's like saying I drive & am alive, so driving is safe. (Let's just ignore other drivers who have died)

@Givemepickles "Literally no need to be sarky and unpleasant."

I have no problem with being sarky and unpleasant to someone recommending going against one of the guidelines that have reduced deaths from SIDS by more than 50% over the last 20 years. No problem at all.

Sleeping better is exactly what makes it a SIDS risk. Babies sleep more deeply on their fronts, that’s why it’s safer to put them to sleep on their backs.