Forum home Babies Baby

co sleeping.. your thoughts

2»

Replies

  • We don't do co-sleeping at night but at the weekend we would pull her into bed beside us in the morning for a little nap for an hour or so, although I am usually lying awake beside her. I think that you should do what works and what feels right for you xxx
  • I have wrestled with this since DD2 was born as I was fairly against it due to the scary guidelines before hand and having been lucky enough to have no sleep issues with DD1, it didn;t occur to me that this would be something I'd have to consider 2nd timne around. However, like Ettie, Grace will not settle on her own and 9 times out of 10 will not stay asleep once transfered to her moses basket or crib. So in desperation, I have co-slept with her many many times over the past 6 and a half weeks, sometimes with DH in the bed too, sometimes with him in the spare room.

    I'm not entirely comfortable with it as even though I try to make it as safe as possible, she's such a snuggler she's always burying her head into my boobs for extra comfort, but the nights we've co-slept have been so stressfree for both of us compared to the nights where I've battled to get her sleeping in her crib so I can't help feel that there is something to be said for going with the flow and trusting your maternal instincts. It is also quite lovely to have all night cuddle time!

    I worry too that we're setting some bad habbits that will be hard to break. We were very strict with DD1 and she's only ever slept with us when she's been really poorly and has always been a brilliant sleeper. However, I think that you have to do what's best here and now - and if it takes some tough love in a couple of months time to set better sleeping habbits so be it as at least by then she won't be needing night feeds and will hopefully be in more of a routine generally.

    Do what you have to do MG to get some sleep!

    xxx
  • We co slept with our ds exclusively until he was 6 months old as he just wouldn't settle in his crib. It made breastfeeding so much easier and we both thrived on the closeness. At 6 months he moved into his own room but still sleeps with us if he's poorly or has a bad night. I really don't think it has affected his transition to a cot at all and he's definitely not needy or dependent on it like some have suggested. I will definitely co sleep with the next one as well. All the horror stories you hear tend to be linked to the co sleeping no no's like smoking, alcohol and heavy medication. In nature few other mammals, if any, would sleep seperately to their young so I really feel its the most natural way x
  • I resorted to it last night as Lucas would not resettle after feeding at 2.30, and after 2 hours of letting him grizzle and whinge wide wake I just couldn't take it anymore and pulled him onto my chest with me flat on my back and he went out like a light until 7!

    I wish I could co-sleep in the real sense, ie just have him in the bed, but even that's not enough for him, he needs to be on me on his tummy to settle. Plus we have a dog and I would worry about her jumping up on him.

    Sometimes it's the only way I think. People do this all over the world, and a very wise person on here said she's not going to be doing this when she's 18, so just go with the flow I think!

    H and LJ xx
  • I've already posted but just wanted to add that when I was in hospital the midwives put LO in bed with me so that she could feed constantly to encourage my milk to come in...
  • We didn't co-sleep when Toby was young - we were just too afraid of the dangers. But since about 9 months maybe, we have had him in bed with us on the occasions where he just won't settle in his cot - and this is because he's very poorly. Otherwise Toby is great at sleeping in his bed. Sometimes he'll sleep between us, but we rarely get sleep that way as he moves too much! So if we know in the night nothing else with work except co-sleeping, me or the OH go to the spare room and one of us stays in bed with Tobes. He's now a year but we've not had to do it in quite a few weeks actually.

    Also, I would say that with our next baby, I would probably consider co-sleeping using one of those little nest things, but would probably still chuck my OH out of bed to give us more space!

    Good luck xxxxxxxxxxxxx
  • While I dont co-sleep exclusively (very difficult with 2 very wriggly babies!), I do bring one or the other, or both(!) into bed with us if they wont settle. I find I dont sleep as well when they are in with me, although I dont lay awake the whole time, and THEY get a much better nights sleep. The boys are up 4 or 5 times a night and we dont bring them in as soon as they wake, we try to settle them first. But if they wake 2 or 3 times in an hour, or they wake screaming (as Ryan often does!) then they come in with us. We have done this from day 1, and theyre 8 months on Sat. They dont come in every night, maybe 3 or 4 times a week, and often its just one of them.

    Id say go for it. From reading your posts it seems that you really want to enjoy mummyhood more and if this is going to help you achieve some good quality rest, and result in a happier baby, id do it.

    HTH and good luck whatever you decide xxx
  • for us it was a neccesity, i was so tired i just couldnt function, LO had reflux and would only sleep on my chest, he slept on my chest in bed for a few weeks we then heard about and invested in a wedge for his basket that helped loads and at least then he would sleep for a few hours at a time, recently we have reverted back to cosleeping as we have been back to the half hourly waking again, its very odd as he seems to settle very quickly in our bed, we place him in the middle at the top, we move the pillows out of the way so his has his own area, the snuggle nests are a good idea but for us he wouldnt lie anywhere but on me when very little, i have found usually that peple that are against co sleeping are ones that have never suffered sleep deprivation to the point you can no longer function. planned cosleeping can be safe.

    becca and jacob
    21 weeks and 6 days
  • I think some babies need it i have 3 boys age 15,12 and 2.With my first i tried for a few weeks to get him to sleep in his crib but i spent most of the night awake trying to settle him in the end dh said put him in our bed and i did he went to sleep straight away it took me a couple of nights to get used to having him there but he was so content next to us i soon got used to it i was never nervous i think 15 years ago things were different to now with so many guidelines any way he stayed in our bed for 3.5 years which is along time and we did try him several times in that time toget him to sleep alone but he went mad so i just left him.ds 2 was born when he was 3 and i sleep with him alone from day 1 while dh slept with ds1 until he asked for his own bed at 3.5 and he went in his own bed and has never been a problem since.I moved ds2 into his own bed at 2 again did try before but got very upset he settled quite quickly into his own bed and again no further probs but it was along time before me and dh had a bed back to ourselves.I now have a 27 month old and he has never slept even one night in our bed he much preferes his own bed so i think each baby is different some need it and if they do so long as you are safe why not sleep is so important and not all need to be in your bed that long mine i think were extreme and it has'nt caused them any lasting damage both confident boys.When i look back time has gone so quickly its not the end of the world if your baby needs you to be close for a while before you no it she will be all grown up.good luck she will settle soon some just take that little bit longer and you need to do what you need to do.x
  • I'd have gone insane if I hadn't had Freddie in with us! We don't co sleep exclusively and never have but when Freddie was tiny and his reflux was bad I would regularly sleep propped on pillows with Freddie on my chest.
    These days, thanks to many nights unbroken sleep due to reflux at 6 1/2 months Freddie has trouble self soothing and after getting up 3 - 4 times in the night the need for sleep takes over and I do bring him into bed - onto my side and we sleep nose to nose - he settles immediately and you can't beat waking up to a slap on the cheek and a gorgeous grin!

    As someone already said it's possible to do it safely and it's great for bonding, sometimes you just have to follow your mummy instinct xx
  • you can't beat waking up to a slap on the cheek and a gorgeous grin!

    you certainly cant :lol: nor being pushed out during a starfish stretch!
  • Hi, my LO co sleeps because we all need sleep!!

    Can I ask Smiling Fairie, how did you get your LO sleeping in his cot? My LO is 10 months and he cant manage it in his cot for long!

    L xx
Sign In or Register to comment.

Featured Discussions