# Co-sleeping with a newborn in winter



## Olivette

Hi everyone :wave:

This is my first ever post here and I'm really nervous/shy about posting! I'm not sure why I'm so nervous, I guess it's alot to do with thinking I'd never actually get to the stage where a pregnancy was going well so everything is worrying me, hehe! My DH and I would like to co-sleep. It's something that feels completely natural to us and I'm so lucky that my DH is so supportive. 

I've done a lot of research into safe co-sleeping and feel I have a good handle on how to do it safely. I know to keep the baby away from pillows, to keep the duvet away from the baby (either the duvet tucked between my legs, or more likely I'll have a blanket i'll wrap around my legs), to make sure they can not fall out of bed or fall into a gap between the bed and a wall, to place baby adjacent to me, rather than between me and DH. I know not to sleep with baby if under the influence (I don't drink and don't do drugs, and don't smoke), if i'm suffering extreme sleep deprivation, or if i'm on the sofa. We have a kingsize mattress without a bedbase currently so plan to push this up against the wall on my side. 

The plan is to pull my legs up under the baby and my arm around their head. The baby is due at Christmas so it will be pretty cold. I plan to go to bed with pjs, and a cardigan/nightshirt and some kind of blanket around my legs. 

My real question is does anyone have any advice to offer regarding co-sleeping with a newborn in winter? I'm completely confuzzled with what I'd need to dress the baby in, and whether they'd need to be wrapped in a blanket too, or whether my body heat will help keep them warm with a vest and sleepsuit for example? 

Does it sound like I have a pretty good handle on everything or is there any advice you wish you'd known before hand? Thanks!!

Ox


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## Rachel_C

I think it depends on your baby to a certain extent. Some babies sleep snuggled up to their mum, others like to spread out on their own a bit more - the closer they are, the warmer it will be. What I did wasn't strictly by the book - I lay as you plan to lie with my knees bent up under LO's feet so she couldn't slip down and I had a light weight quilt (think it was a 4.5 tog synthetic one, the same kind we have on the kids' beds now, from Ikea), which I tucked under the end of the mattress so that it only came up to LO's waist. Then I had her underneath it with me. You could do the same with a shared blanket if you want, or LO could have her own blanket (you could tuck it down the side of the bed to stop it riding up). I have always dressed babies in a vest and sleepsuit for bed. My oldest had a sleeping bag in her cot, my youngest was under a blanket/the quilt with me.


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## minties

I've only had newborns when it's spring/summer here, but I bed share and find that Sophie likes a lot of layers right now. It's the middle of winter here.

I would probably plan to have a newborn in a vest, sleep suit, a swaddle wrap of some sorts, and some cotton or bamboo cellular blankets. There are usually a lot of nappy changes during the night with a newborn, and I woukd rather peel of blankets (which is fast) than having to dress and redress a newborn baby in lots of clothing layers. In my general experience, newborns hate being dressed and undressed. It's so hard to get their tiny little arms into clothes!

Right now Sophie sleeps in a vest, a long sleeved top and footed pants, a 2.5tog sleeping bag (organic cotton one from ergo pouch), a cellular bamboo blanket and a wool knitted blanket. Even then I usually have an arm around her lower body and she snuggles into me. I sleep with my face around chest height to her, to minimise the risk that I may fling an arm or blanket over her face in my sleep...which has never happened but you never know.


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## Rachel_C

I didn't think it was considered safe to swaddle and bed share? Pot calling the kettle black with me, of course, seeing as we used a quilt!


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## minties

I only just stopped swaddling her last week. I've never heard of this? What makes it dangerous? Curious now! I'm happy in my choice to swaddle.


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## Rachel_C

I think it's for two reasons - if baby doesn't move, you're less able to sense them and also if they're unable to use arms/move, they have no chance of moving out of difficulty if you throw covers over them by accident or something.


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## lalitas charm

Neither of my pair like blankets over them so I layered us both with vests, sleep suits and fleece onesies. DH got the duvet :haha:


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## Olivette

Thank you for all of the advice everyones. It's interesting to see how different every baby can be, as to what they like and don't like re clothing and blankets. 

I really like the idea of tucking the blanket under the end/side of the mattress Rachel! I shall definitely look to see about getting a light weight synthetic single duvet to have on my side/under the end of the mattress. I'd like the main duvet to be as far onto DHs side as possible really as it's a big heavy duck filled duvet. I might actually suggest to him that we put our main duvet away for a while and he has a lighter weight single duvet. 

I'm pleased my instincts of vest/sleepsuit seem to be a good combination. We actually have one of the fleece sleepsuits, so I'll bare that in mind Lalitas Charm if it gets really cold!

Ox


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## minties

Interesting! I was advised TO swaddle when co-sleeping with Thomas, to prevent them pulling blankets over their head. Sheesh! I guess different health professionals have differing ideas.

Also I never cuddled or slept close to either kids as newborns, only as they got to 7ish months and got seperation anxiety. So there was about a metre between myself and newborn baby in bed. I found cuddling them annoyed them both.


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## morri

A slleping bag should be fine-- I assume that you have got heating in your place


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## misspriss

I used to swaddle my LO when I coslept, but one day I sat up to get up and go pee and because the mattress was depressed where I laid, he rolled into the void I left face down because he was swaddled. If his arms had been out, he wouldn't have rolled or he would have been able to hold his face out of the bed. But because of gravity and his inability to use his arms he was smooshed face down in the mattress. We didn't swaddle in bed again, ever!

I don't have much else to offer seeing as how it is the opposite of cold here. When LO was small he wore a sleep & play to bed, now it's just a onesie. When he slept alone he used to wear a onesie AND a sleep & play, but it was cooler then. My LO is a close sleeper. I mean really close. He isn't the type to lay next to me or anything!


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## cat_reversing

I co slept with newborn during winter for first 6 weeks or so, I wore long sleeve top and pj bottoms, baby wore vest and sleepsuit. She slept on my chest mostly, with a blanket over her. for us, day and night was just a continuation of feeding, changing, sleeping, talking to her and going to bed in the pre baby sense didn't apply.
She started sleeping more in her moses basket on her back with cellular blankets and fleece blankets after about 4 weeks. 
sleep when baby sleeps....


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## too_scared

Rachel_C said:


> I think it depends on your baby to a certain extent. Some babies sleep snuggled up to their mum, others like to spread out on their own a bit more - the closer they are, the warmer it will be. What I did wasn't strictly by the book -* I lay as you plan to lie with my knees bent up under LO's feet so she couldn't slip down and I had a light weight quilt (think it was a 4.5 tog synthetic one, the same kind we have on the kids' beds now, from Ikea), which I tucked under the end of the mattress so that it only came up to LO's waist. Then I had her underneath it with *. You could do the same with a shared blanket if you want, or LO could have her own blanket (you could tuck it down the side of the bed to stop it riding up). I have always dressed babies in a vest and sleepsuit for bed. My oldest had a sleeping bag in her cot, my youngest was under a blanket/the quilt with me.

The bolded part is what I do :)


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## Feronia

DD was born last December and it was very cold out. I just put the duvet over both of us (and under her arms) or had her swaddled and away from the blanket. Your body heat will definitely help a lot!


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## snowfia

LO was born in January so it was cold and I put her in a vest and sleepsuit. Depending on how cold it was and if we had the heating on I'd sometimes put her in a fleecy sleepsuit. She was normally close to me but the blankets never stayed on her so I have to admit I did use a duvet over her legs sometimes if it was really cold. But she was always fine. If we woke up and she was cold I'd cuddle her closer to my chest to keep her warm.


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## Olivette

Thank you everyone for your continued responses! We have a fleece sleepsuit which I shall definitely keep at hand if it gets super super cold and we think she needs another layer. 

I suggested too my hubby that we switch from our current duvet (a big old duck winter one) too two lightweight synthetic singles so he has his own duvet on his side and I can tuck mine under the end of the bed to cover my lower half. I shall definitely see how it goes and will move it up a little to cover the bottom of babies legs if I think we need it. 

You've all offered some great tips! I've found it really hard to get some really honest practical advice so this has been fantastic!

Ox


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