Talk to me about co sleeping please.....sounds silly but I'm not sure what to do and whether it is safe!

[McDreamy]

DD is only 11 days old and we are getting no sleep at night. As I have 2 other children I don't get much chance to catch up in the day.

So my questions about co sleeping are

1. Is it considered a safe option?

1. Where should I put her? In between DH and I?

1. Do you cover them with their own blanket as surely your duvet is too warm/heavy?

1. How long do you tend to co sleep for? Until they sleep through?

1. Is it difficult putting them in their own bed when the time comes?

Thank you

1. Yes, as long as you follow safe co-sleeping practices: I think the main ones are never do it if you have drunk alcohol/smoked, are on medication or exceptionally tired, and do not allow them to overheat, become covered by pillows/duvet or fall down a crack between bed and eg wall.

1. It's not considered as safe to have them between you and DH as men don't have the same instinctive awareness of where the baby is. Safest is between you and the edge of the bed, with a bed guard (BabyDan portable one is good).

1. We had DS in a grobag on top of our duvet.

1. We co-slept on and off until 9mo, some do it for much shorter or longer, whatever works for you!

1. We didn't have much of a problem with this, we did controlled crying at 9mo which took two nights and he slept through after that. But others' experiences will vary...

Unicef produce a leaflet on safe co-sleeping here

Hmm, have just seen on this thread that some people don't reckon using a bed rail is safe. I've never heard that before but wanted to share the opposing view!

Thank you

Have you tried taking one side off the cot and putting it right up against the side of your bed? It worked well for us - sort of co-sleeping without baby actually being in the bed.