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Where should baby sleep at night?

Hi ladies

I'm due in just a few weeks and as a first time mum have been reading around for ideas about putting a routine into place for lo when he/she arrives - I'm not interested in anything too rigid but do like some of the ideas put forward by Gina Ford - I know this is a whole can of worms and many people have very firm views on her methods but only looking to use some of her ideas and principles rather than following her to the letter. She recommends that baby is put to sleep in his/her nursery during the day/early evening which I am fine with and then transfering him/her to our bedroom at the 10/11pm feed. My question is do you transfer them back to the nursery at any point before their 7am wake up or simply have them wake up in your room. I only ask because if he/she is used to waking in the nursery and then wakes up in our bedroom that this may cause upset? Any views?
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Replies

  • when they are v small they dont really seem to mind where they are lol, dont follow any books etc myself but i suppose one benefit would be the baby is used to both places so I dont think they would wake and be upset x
  • I dislike Gina Ford. I can't really help as James has always slept in our room, and now at 7 months we are just thinking about moving him.

    Just wondered does Gina Ford recommend a newborn sleeps in the nursery?? I realise you are asking if baby should be moved again. But would think guidelines stating baby should be with parents for 6 months, surely Gina can't be saying after 11pm feed move baby back to nursery for the rest of the night?

    Sorry I don't want to cause a debate on Gina Ford. Just not sure I agree with a newborn in a nursery. No offense to anyone who has put there babies in there own room early on for whatever reason. But don't advocate a 'professional' recommending it. xx
  • Well my little boy would sleepa maximim of 2 hours for a good 2 months, and alongside the fact it is safest to have them in your room, it would be a royal pain in the ass going to the nursery 6-7 times a night. I think different routines suit different babies so just wait and see what your baby is actualy like. I do think Gina Ford and the baby whisperer both contain some good advice mind.
  • The reason that you are advised to have your baby sleeping in your room for the first 6 months is because it decreases the risk of SIDS!!!

    I think it must be scary for a little baby who has been inside you for 9 months to be suddenly moved into their own space and on their own half of the time.

    My little man was in a moses basket then crib, and he lvoed being swaddled. Of his own accord he deicded he wanted his own space and room and is happy as larry in his cot bed we have had no problems with the transition. It is actually supposed to be a developmental stage.
  • I roughly followed Gina Ford and we now have great little routine going.
    But we never followed that part of it, our LO just slept in our room in his moses basket (swaddled) for all naps and all night.
    We moved him to his own room when he was about 17 weeks old and used an Angelcare monitor then to give me peace of mind.
  • i think what gina ford is saying is that all daytime/evening naps should be in the nursery and then when u go to bed take baby in the room with u for baby to then sleep there the night to help differentiate between daytime naps and that long night time sleep. most pople do do this once baby is a bit older before actuaaly moving baby to his or her own room totally to get them used to the nursery...its just another version of also what most people do whihc is to have baby sleep in moses in living room during the day, and then ur bedroom at night, that long night time sleep should be in with u really until they're around 6 months but daytime naps can be where ever works best for u really. with ds for the first few weeks he was in his moses in the lounge (or wherevere we were) in the day, and then at night in with us in the bedroom, then when he was about 14weeks he started having his naps in the bedroom, helped to get him used to the cot before actually transferring him over to that too. will do the same with this baby too, moses in the day for first few weeks, then into the crib in our room for naps for a while, then in his/her bedrrom for naps, but always in with us at night until aorund 6 months where if she is sleeping through she'll be able to start sleeping in with ds at night time. hth xx
  • the reason keeping baby in with u helps to prevent sids is because of the nioses u maken it prevents baby from getting into 'too deep a sleep' as when this happens they can 'forget' to breathe , so being mildly disturbed by ur breathing, snoring, farting etc stops them from going into such a deep sleep. which is also why dummies are said to help rpevent sids, asd the sucking action stops baby from falling to deeply asleep. if u do put baby in their own room it is suggested that u mimick these disturbances by putting soemthing like a ticking clock in the room with them.
  • Oliversmummyx Putting a baby in a room with you prevents SIDS not because you can get to them quicker but because the noises you make in your sleep will stop them from going into too much of a deep sleep. Another theory is that babys can panic when they cant smell/hear there parents... however all of this is not 100% fact as no one (not even the experts) actually know the real reason for cot death.

    My dd was in her own room at 8 weeks and my ds at 6 weeks and both slept better for it once moved, some people may judge me and think im a terrible mummy but i do what i think is best for my children xx
  • Real life doesn't tend to work like that and your baby will probably insist on sleeping on you or in the kitchen where he/she can hear the extractor fan or in the hallway because he/she will only sleep in the pram. I can't stand Gina Ford and you can tell she hasn't had children as she has no idea about teh bond between a mother and baby and that most of her advice goes against that natural instincive mothering that save your bacon in the early days and beyond. I say stick the book in the bin and look forward to getting to know your own little baby who will soon enough let you know his/her preferences. I'm surprised GF doesn't advise putting baby in the garage if IT gets on your nerves.
  • lol, reading these replies make me chuckle. When I had my first son, he was in his own room at 3 weeks. Yes, i hear people say oh my god....But it was for his and my own good. He slept better and I slept better. This was 10 years ago, and we didn't have as much pressure as what there is today to obide by the likes of Gina or baby whisperer. We just did what felt right, like our mums did, and their mums.

    Good luck on your new arrival, and hope everything goes well for you xx
  • Hi Welsh Girl.
    Not wanting to get into a "where should baby sleep" debate (as I think you have to do what works for you as an individual family). But I think that the Gina Ford method that your talking about suggests this:

    Have a bedtime routine, put baby to sleep at 7pm in their cot in their own room. When you go to bed, get baby up, change their nappy, give them a feed and settle them in a mosses basket (or whatever) in your room. Baby then sleeps in your room until they wake up in the morning.

    LO wont be a bit fussed where they wake up, as long as they have someone there to feed/change/cuddle them - they don't give 2 hoots! image

    What we did, was put Abby in her mosses basket in our room at 7ish, which gave us our evening free to have dinner and stuff, and then we just joined her up there when we went to bed. We did that until she was about 8 weeks and then put her in her own room from then on.

    xxx
  • Wake baby up???? Oh dear.
  • so being mildly disturbed by ur breathing, snoring, farting etc stops them from going into such a deep sleep

    i took great offence at this. i assume you meant the fathers, as ladies dont, i cant even bring myself to say the word, fart! :lol:

    i have baby in with me, my hubby and a ticking clock! she has day time naps in our cot in our room too, but at first she had them in the living room in a moses basket. they sleep so much at first it is not practical to be putting them upstairs all the time! although you'd get back in shape more quickly!

    dd started in a moses basket in our room, then a bassinet whch is wider, then a space saver cot - which she is still in. she has not bothered about each move. babies sleep anywhere when they are tired!
  • lol calleigh, of course i meant the fathers lol, personally i don't 'break wind' or snore although i'm sure OH would disagree with both of those.... lol
  • To be honest I really don't see the point of moving them at 10pm?! My lo was a wakeful newborn and we put him to bed in our room at 9pm as he didnt sleep until then in the evening.
    He slept in our room until he was 16 months old. However my next lo (am ttc) will have to go in his/her nursery as soon as they have outgrown a moses basket (about 6 weeks for my ds as he was big born). I have hang ups about this (though I dont consider anyone right or wrong for doing it) as my ds was in our room so long but i have no choice due to space issues. I could always put lo no. 2 in with ds as he has a big room but i'm loath to do this cos I do have a spare room lol.
    Gina used to always advise sleeping in nursery i'm sure but has she had to change it cos of the risk of sids??
    What I dont get about Gina is the timings thing!!! 7pm, 11pm, 3am, 7am, what the hells that all about and why does it make a difference? I honestly don't believe times mean anything, my DS always went to bed any time he wanted and still slept through....when newborn he fed 9pm, 1am, 5am, 8am (he was demand ff) and by 7 weeks he was sleeping through!
    I would LOVE to meet Gina and wake her up to have her breakfast at 7am sharp lol
  • Gsmummy- I was in sainsburys the other day and HD a flick the het book...was so shocked at where she says eKe no later then 7am!

    Up until a couple of weeks ago elliott would sleep in til 9 sometimes 10 and it was bliss! He's slept through since 7 weeks too...the 6:30 wake this morning was not good though image

    Xx
  • As I said I roughly followed Gina Ford and I didn't wake my baby up at the feeding times BUT it did help me with a newborn baby who just would not sleep.
    Some babies just won't sleep through early, (I was at my wits end when I bought the contented little baby book) mine didn't until 7 months old because he didn't take a lot of milk. I found that picking him up for a dreamfeed at 10.30pm, ususally meant he slept nearly all night. We never changed his nappy then or moved him and he practically fed asleep.
    As a first time Mum who didn't know anything I think Gina Ford helped me.
    I suppose, each to their own
  • i raad the gina ford book and found the line, 5am is not a morning feed. treat it as you do a 3am feed. so i did and dd went straight back to sleep!!!! id been getting up!!!
  • i raad the gina ford book and found the line, 5am is not a morning feed. treat it as you do a 3am feed. so i did and dd went straight back to sleep!!!! id been getting up!!!
    I would agree with that for a baby but my ds is 2 now and if he happens to wake at 3/4am he will go back to sleep but at 5am you've got no chance lol
  • well, thats just cruel!
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