How do u co-sleep?tips&advice pls x

[steph1512]

I have never co slept before but had my 3rd dc 12wk ago...and to be honest anything for an easy life this time round.

But i worry bout the safety aspects of co-sleeping.

I wont let my dh sleep with us..is this right?

i worried i will roll on ds or he will one day roll off of the bed etc etc

I co slept with DS and loved it. He slept in the bed between DH and I and we never squashed him! once I woke up and he'd wriggled down and was under the covers and was kicking/flapping like mad to move it but that was the only 'scare' and they're not so daft as to just suffocate - they'll let you know.

There is a great book called 'three in the bed' which has lots on the how and why of co-sleeping. Definitely reccommend that.

When my DD was little and we co slept I used to put her in a gro bag on top of the duvet so she couldn't go under the covers. DH was in the bed too but he stayed on his side and me and DD were on my side. Once she was a bit bigger (say 4-5 months) we had her under the duvet but without a pillow and I tried to sleep with my knees up so she couldn't wriggle down but like knitternottwitter the one night she did wriggle down she quickly woke me up by kicking!

I read that, if you breastfeed, the baby and you naturally know where each other is.

My dh can often sleep quite deeply with my 2nd dc i put her on the bed once and my dh nearly rolled on not sure why but i woke up screaming at him!!

so im too scared he will do the same again!

So the odd time he has been in bed i have guarded the outer side and put ds there and me in the middle..but not great depending which side i need to feed.

Out of interest did your dcs move into thee own bed without any trouble?

dh ended up moving into the spare bedroom whilst i co-slept as at least one of us had a full night's sleep. and ds was so much cuter than dh.

even when all 3 of us were in together we were fine, as i don't think you ever forget that the baby's in with you.
i still dream that he's in with us now and we gave it up about 9 months ago.
obviously no drink or drugs, though!

I have a sidecar cot which in effect extends our mattress allowing space for DS to sleep safely one side of me without me worrying about him falling out, and my (large) DH on the other. DS starts his night in the cot, then ends up on my side of the bed when he first wakes after I'm there. DS and I sleep under a cellular blanket whilst DH keeps the duvet on his side (DS is still tiny). I love it! I've actually just ordered a special sleeping bag for DS in an effort to stop him from scratching his head/face in the night and ripping himself to shreds and I was all overcome with sadness last night when I realised this would mean I wouldn't be able to hold his little hands and feet anymore .

butterpie it's a biological fact that once you've given birth you are not able to ever reach the deepest levels of sleep ever again. So unless you are drunk or drugged beyond your skull you will know where your child is - evolution has sorted that one out for us!

I found that DS and I got quite telepathic. I'd wake a minute or so before he started rustling around for his next feed.

I'd often be asleep before he was too - the joys of BFing hormones. He'd just lie there sucking away having a great time while I slept - bliss...

DS also slept better as he new I/we were there and so he wasn't at risk from being eaten by a tiger. And therefore I slept better.

Also BF'ing at night is good for keeping your supply up...

Did I mention that I'm a fan of co-sleeping....?

I used a bog-standard drop side cot with one side and the castors removed. I then made sure that the cot mattress was level with my mattress and did check every night there was no gap. Taht way the baby slept in the cot but also with me IYSWIM. As soon as she got mobile she would motor over to me and snuggle up next to me for the night but having the cot there did make me feel a bit easier. It was great for bf and I was always between her and H so no issues there. I suppose it was a pain having to get out of the end of the bed rather than the side but that seemed pretty insignificant compared to the ease of night feeds. We still have a great relationship now and I think the co-sleeping helped us with that. I found getting up for feeds and then putting the baby back in teh cot really draining with my first baby and am glad I got better info to make a different choice. Being able to rest a hand on a sleeping tiny baby "just to check" made me sleep so much better

thanks everyone, hink the only way i can fully relax is if dh sleeps elsewhere for a while..at least untilds is bigger if we continue to co-sleep.

He is our last so i do love cuddling up in bed together..but do wonder if ill get fed up at whne he is older and then have all sorts of problems getting him to sleep alone?

My dds have always settled well alone and were gonig to bed a 7ish from and early age.

My ds doesnt seem to settled as well although he is still very young..but i have been mainly feeding to sleep.

Does co-sleeping usually result in dc not going to bed until mummy does? I love my children but also love my evenings..and the odd meal out with dh

ps, i am pregnant again now, and will be buying a sidecar cot this time around, because if i had pound for every time i wished i had one last time, i would be able to afford several sidecar cots.

in answer to your questions, ds went to bed at 7 in his cot in our room, and only came in with us when he first woke, then stayed in with us afterwards.

i had no probs getting him to sleep alone and can't wait to do it again with dc2. and this time i won't worry that they'll still be in with us at 16.

Co sleeping used to be lovely with our DD2 - now that she's nearly 9 months (and still ending up in our bed every night!) its not such good fun. She sleeps in the middle and ends up lying horizontally - kicking DP and pulling me nose/hair/eyes. SHE IS A NIGHTMARE!!But we love her...

Is it true that you don't go into a deep sleep? DD2 of ends up in bed with us unintentionally when I fall asleep bf. I also wake up when she's not in the bed with a jump frantically searching the covers as I'm convinced she's still there.

You can still have your evenings! Well, unless your DS decides otherwise of course, but on good nights I put my DS down in his sidecar section and he stays put until I come to bed later. Then when he next wakes I pull him over to our mattress for a feed. I will probably have to roll/crawl-proof the set up a bit better once he starts moving but for now it's quite simple.