Is 6 weeks too soon to stop co-sleeping?

[digitalgirl]

My DS is 6 weeks and we started co-sleeping at 2 weeks when we realised we were holding him through the night longer than he was sleeping in his moses basket. I was happy with this decision during the hourly feed 'phase' as I had learnt to feed lying down and found it was the best solution for maximising sleep for all three of us.

4 weeks later and he's still waking hourly through the night (and so am I), sometimes to feed, sometimes just to suckle/snack. I'm concerned that he's not getting enough sleep as he can sense me near him. He seems to sleep a lot longer when DH or my mum takes him away for a couple of hours in the morning to sleep downstairs on his chest.

We'd like to get him back in his moses basket or cot (which we're going to buy this weekend). The HV said between 6-8 weeks they start to settle into a routine and sleep longer through the night...so should we wait till he's 8 weeks when he's supposed to be able to sleep longer. Part of me suspects this will never happen or if it does, it won't make the slightest bit of difference in the task of getting him into his basket.

Anyone had any experience of moving a baby under 3 months back to their own cot? Or should we wait till he's 3 months or older?

hi digitalgirl I remember you from the ttc threads I think

I am still cosleeping with DD3 whose 13 weeks so am of no help really, will watch this thread with interest as I would like to get DD3 sleeping in her own cot for at least part of the night.

digitalgirl, we tried at various times to get ds2 back into his cot and he still wakes hourly throughout the night.
he's nearly a year old now

some babies need to nurse frequently at night, it isn't necessarily going to change, even if you get him sleeping in the cot.

that said, no, I don't think it's too soon to stop co-sleeping if that's what you want to do. I think if you co-sleep you need to be in it for the long term, because at a later date it will be much harder on you both to get him into his own bed. if you don't think you want to do it long term then I would do it now.

just be aware that it may not have any effect on the night wakings

I started feeding DD lying down and letting her sleep in our bed as she screamed when I put her back in it.

Gradually I was able to put her back in her crib when she went down for the night after feeding her to sleep. Then recently I've been able to put her back in it after she wakes and feeds in the night.

Was a gradual thing but now she goes in her crib awake and goes to sleep amd i can put her back in it without waking her after she's fed. I think she just grew into being able to do that, she's 9 weeks and has been sleeping f/t in her crib for about a week.

I think it's a case of just trying it and seeing how it goes. DD started sleeping in her moses basket at 6 weeks. I'd feed her til she fell asleep, then put her in the moses basket. She'd wake up and I'd go downstairs. If DP was there he'd sit with her, or if not she'd be on her own. She didn't cry, otherwise I would have picked her up. I think she went to sleep then because she couldn't smell me. Before that she'd been sleeping next to me in bed.

It didn't last for us, unfortunately. She's 14 months now and I have to feed her to sleep and she comes into bed with us in the early hours. It all went wrong at the 4 month growth spurt for us and what with teething and developmental spurts and things it never went right again. But don't let that put you off, DD is the neediest clingiest baby I've ever met! Tis worth a try.