9mo fell out of bed whilst co-sleeping

[MrsB902]

I’ve been co-sleeping with my 9mo since she was around 6m as she wakes so frequently when in her cot / own room. This had been working perfectly well until last night when I woke to her crying and found her on the floor - luckily I’d put cushions there so they broke her fall and she wasn’t hurt or upset.

I’m just wondering if anyone has any suggestions how to prevent this from happening again - my husband is in a camp bed on the floor as often goes to join our 4yo during the night, I know bed guards aren’t recommended at this age and due to the set up of our bedroom it’s not possible to move the bed so one side is against the wall. Does anyone have any suggestions? Thanks in advance.

Yes. I find it madness that parents would put a tiny baby to sleep, on it's own, in a separate bedroom.

You're just making things harder for yourself the longer you co-sleep.
I know a couple who kept putting it off putting their child in to its own cot, the longer they left it, everytime they tried the child would go hysterical. The child ended up sleeping with her parents until she was 12! Absolutely ridiculous.
And I'm sorry, it's awful your poor husband is sleeping on a camp bed.
Put your child into a cot for goodness sake.
We all have sleepless nights with babies, having to frequently get up. It's not just you I'm afraid....

I don’t think I said it was just me did I? Also just FYI my poor husband is perfectly happy in his camp bed and feels he gets a better sleep in there rather than being kicked in the ribs all night.

Again, thank you so much to those of you who have replied with solidarity or helpful suggestions. I will definitely look into some of these.

I also just want to say at no point did I ask for anyone’s opinion on co-sleeping - not everyone will agree with it and some may think it’s bonkers which is fine, but it currently works for us as a family. Not that I have to justify it to anyone, least of all judgemental strangers on the internet 😂 if you don’t have anything helpful to suggest maybe just scroll past?

Could you get a cot and take the side off and have it right next to the bed? I would use a bed guard at that age or put a bolster cushion behind DC.

Absolutely do what works for you as a family, and keeps your baby safe.

Ironic that you say “just parent your children” whilst putting a completely dependent baby with zero ability to regulate their emotions in a room by themselves!

Fine to sleep separately from your baby if you choose to, not fair to criticise others for doing something that’s completely biologically natural.

We didn’t co sleep for 6 months, but good lord it changed my life when we started!

I used a next to me cot (but had the baby in bed). It meant if she rolled off she would just me in an enclosed space. Could even move her over if I was lucky

Exactly this!

Cot for her, next to your side of the bed. Your husband back in his own bed.

Buy a pool noodle, they should be in shops since it’s close to summer. Put it along the edge of the bed, with the fitted sheet over it. It will block her falling out and doesn’t take up too much space. Stays in place too.

We have a co-sleeper crib at the side of our bed and although the baby doesn’t sleep in it he sleeps on the mattress beside it so it extends the bed a bit and if he rolls he will roll into it and not fall out of the bed. Chicco next to me do quite long cribs that go beyond 6 months. Good luck!

Spot the ‘it’s changed since I did it so it’s automatically wrong’ brigade’!

Co-sleeping is the norm in lots of parts of the world and a total life, health and mental health saver for those of us with terrible sleepers. It’s for such a short time- we just do what works best and means everyone gets the most amount of good quality sleep.

DD is 15mo and has collet full time since around 10 months (she does go down in the travel cot in our room at bedtime for a few hours) we decided to use bed guards once the next 2 me wasn’t an option. We just stuffed the gap tightly with a rolled up towel. I would never leave her unattended in bed as the guards aren’t super high if she pulled to stand but they stop her rolling out.

I honestly love cosleeping. I sleep so well with her there and it means when she does wake (2-3 times) I’m often not even aware as I just pat her back to sleep without opening my eyes or sitting up!

Imagine the horror of the sleep trainers when they find out she’s still breastfeeding too!

At 9 months I would use a bed guard and pack the gap with blankets so baby cant get wedged

Babies sleeping in their own beds is a result of identifying that it’s the safest was for them to sleep.

Well when you are old and grey you can look back and say to yourself 'thank god I didn't cuddle those kids in bed when they were little'

Stop acting like co sleeping is the worst thing in the world.

Aww it feels awful when they fall out. I got a side rail thing. I'm not sure at what age though.

Floor bed or work on getting baby back
in the cot

I co slept with DD1 until DD2 arrived, so she was 3.5ish. She’s 7 now and sleeps just fine in her own bed, she just went to a friend’s for a sleepover, zero issues with her at bedtimes. I loved that time cosleeping, and I do miss it. DD2 was happier in her own bed, after the first six months, but I think back really fondly on those cosleeping days with DD1.

We had one of those under-sheet long sloped cushion things and a bed guard.

We had a bedside cot with a drop-side. I don't know how anyone manages to co-sleep without!

Of course I cuddled my children when they were little, in the mornings they would get in to our bed for a cuddle, I just wasn't silly enough to let them sleep all night in my bed - they had their own cot/bed.
In my opinion it's not safe to co-sleep with babies, hence why the advice is not to, it's not recommended.

Solidarity with you, OP. My husband slept on the couch for several months because his mere presence in the room would keep me from falling back asleep after my toddler son would wake me.

Sometimes it's just all about survival and making sure everyone can get as much sleep as possible. Ignore the stick-up-the-bum critics.

That's what we did. And just stuffed rolled towels down the slight gap with the sheet over the mattress and them. It worked brilliantly once she had outgrown the next to me.

My daughter is one and hates sleeping alone. When we put her in the cot in her own room she would wake up extremely frequently too. Now, we have a single floor bed in her room which she starts the night in and when she wakes up in the early hours, she and her dad swap beds and she comes in with me. We have a wide bed guard attached to our mattress from argos that can flip or or down when needed.

Eta - the floor bed is a mattress raised up on slats so it can breath and is supported.

Can you remove the legs of the bed? I did this with mine so it’s virtually a floor bed but a little bit higher and comfier. Then also added bed rails and we’ve had no issues.

Co sleeping solidarity ✌️

We got a floor bed for in the baby’s room and I slept on there too - we had space for a double but a single would also work fine I guess. Then you are able to slowly transition away from Cosleeping if/ when you’d like, and baby gets used to their own bedroom :)