If you co-slept, when did you stop, how and why?

[swingsandroundabouts]

We've co-slept since birth. dd is now 21 months and we are expecting no. 2. We've bought her a toddler bed and are thinking of making the move, but i feel in two minds really. Just interested to hear other experiences. Anyone carry on co-sleeping with more than one dc?

Only til 3.5 months, and only when DS started to go to sleep in his moses basket. Started doing part of the night, then he magically started to sleep through. Loved co-sleeping, but also loved having my bed back!

Well sort of - DH is co sleeping with DS1 who is 2.8 and I am co sleeping with DS2 who is 3 months. Hopefully I will get DS2 into his crib soon and I can co sleep with my DH again We only slept with DS1 because he was such an awful, awful sleeper but he should be fine by himself now and DS2 is a much better sleeper. I have loved it with DS2 but I am looking forward to sleeping in whatever position I choose again.

That's interesting TheProvincialLady. So were the three of you co-sleeping till DS2 came along and then did you split into two groups because of space or because DS2 was waking DS1? Do you think DS1 will mind moving into own room and will both boys be together? Sorry so many questions!

Yes we were all together until I was 7 months pregnant. We bought a new bed for our room and moved our old double that DS1 was used to into his new room and decorated etc. Then we all moved there for a couple of weeks until he was used to it, then I moved out into our new bed but DH stayed with DS1. I didn't want to co sleep with the new baby and DS1 because I felt it would be unsafe and too disturbing to everybody.

DS2 is a different sort of sleeper than DS1 ever was and I think he will adapt to sleeping in a cot or crib. He will probably stay in the same room as us for at least a year and when he is ready for a bed he will share with DS1 as we only have 2 bedrooms. He may even share the double bed for a while.

Hope that covers it - it's very complicated

Thank you. We're in process of trying dd in her toddler bed. She slept last night till 4am, so not bad. Think it is going to be easier to get her settled in own room before new one comes along, but also feels a bit sad

We're still co-sleeping at 23 months. We did put dd into her bed for a few nights and said she could come in with us on first waking. I felt desperately sad and lay there staring at the ceiling waiting for her to wake and come for a cuddle. After 3 nights, DH whispered "can I just go and get her, I can't sleep?" She's back in with us now.

I want her to want to go to sleep in her bed, not to have to convince her. Her room's all set up and if she wants to sleep in there she can. I might push the idea when she's bigger or if we decide to have another but for now I shamelessly admit I like having her with us.

When they wanted to. Which was about 3. DS#1 and DD sometime go to sleep in our beds still if they are ill or worried about something but are happy to be moved later. DS#2 still sleeps with use from time to time, but even he gets tucked back in his own bed happily enough.

SoH I relate to that and so would DH. There is something very wonderful about snuggling up together. But there is also something very wonderful about stretching out in the bed and not having the pillow hogged by a toddler who thinks he is king of the bed! So I am in two minds with DS2. I don't think the bed we have now is easy to make safe once he is rolling and crawling so that decides it really.

We invested in a brand new, firm mattress (enormous) and FIL has built us a lovely bed so it's good sense to prolong the co-sleeping.

I do relish early mornings when dh gets up with dd and I stretch out in whichever position I want. Bliss!

We bought a super kingsize bed to prepare! I think it helped dd enormously to adjust to life with her new family to co-sleep for the first few months. We moved her back into her own bed when ds was 4 or 5 months, though we are v casual about it. She often usually comes in to us at some point in the night. She LOVES sleeping near to ds too (we sleep dh/dd/me/ds next to wall). They love each other to bits and we have had no jealousy issues so far...

SoH, I totally relate. I sleep much, much better next to both my children - and dh has grown to love it too.

ProvincialLady, ds keeps crawling off our (very low) bed... he doesn't cry when he wakes up, so we don't hear him, only babbling/crying for us on the floor

all of ours have always started the night in their own cot/bed and migrated in at some point so as they started to sleep longer at night they gradually grew out of co-sleeping, for dd and ds1 this was at well over a year old (and they both still come in lots of mornings) ds2 is only 2 months but already sleeping for a good stretch at the start of the night by himself which i'm a bit sad about tbh as he's my last

dd and ds1 are 18 months apart and dd was still in our bed when ds1 was born but swiftly got sick of sharing the crowded space and stopped coming in

We moved my DS1 into his own room onto a double mattress on the floor when we shipped him out of our bed at around 14 months. This meant one of us could sleep with him if necessary, even when I stopped feeding him when I was pregnant. He was slept with for at least part of the night until he slept through reliably at around three.

My DS2 is nearly three. He wakes up and sleeps with us for about the half the night. But now we have a super king size bed so we don't care .

We have a superkingsize bed now and have loved sharing with dd. i love waking up with her. just not sure how it would work with FOUR of us in a bed and whether the new lo would wake dd. Until a few weeks ago she was still helping herself to bf about every three hours through the night, but my milk seems to be drying up because of pg and she's started sleeping for longer periods, e.g. last night 9pm till 4am without a stir. I guess will see how it goes with toddler bed but she'll always be welcome in with us. interesting Umlellala that you think sleeping the four of you helped ease the upheaval of a new sibling arriving. Anyone else had this experience?

we're getting a superking in a few weeks s i miss having my older 2 in with us and want the space for all of us to cuddle in together

swings, when both ds1 7 2 were born we wewre amazed at the lack of jealousy and the happy acceptance displayed by dd and this time by ds1. we've never had any sulkiness, tantrumming or jealousy about the new arrival and i wholeheartedly feel that it's for 2 reasons

1; we talk about the baby practically from the moment of conception, contantly. they know for so long in advance that there's a baby coming that it's not a shock and they're practically bored of the concept when the baby actually arrives

2; we treat the older child/children exactly the same. we allow them to come into the bed exactly the same as before, we let them be babyish as they want... ie; we never say things like 'you're not he baby now' or 'your'e the big boy/girl now', i feed the baby while doing things with the older child/ren not instead of and we constantly say things like 'oh the baby liked waching you do that/loved getting that kiss from you/loves hearing you sing that song'

sorry about that, kitten was jumping all over me and i posted without spellchecking

I co slept with ds til about 3 or 4 months ago, so he was 6 or 7 mo. Have had no problems getting him to settle in his cot. BUT since he has been in his own room, dd has crept back into bed with me. SHe is 4.9, and occasionally co slept until about 2 or three months before ds was born. I think she is a bit unsettled at night at the moment, she is so confident and full of beans in the day but has been having some vivid bad dreams and she told me she feels safer with me. I don't mind really as she doesn't wriggle half as much as ds but I do sometimes wish I could have my room back to myself. If ds is ill (like he is now ) I have no problem bringing him in too.