Co-sleeping mums - how long did you do it for?

[Maid Marian]

I'm planning on co-sleeping, but I've not found much info on when to stop/start introducing baby to his own bed - what have all you co-sleeping maums out there done, and what are your views?

 

[ChristinaRN]

I know this sounds weird but you just have to read your child and the situation. My first co-slept with us till she was 3 years old, my 2nd child decided he wanted out of our bed at 6 months, and my youngest slept with us solidly for the first two years and now co-sleeps with her older sister 9 1/2 years old. I have no idea how long this little one will sleep with us....I'll play one day at a time. You will just KNOW what works and doesn't work for you, your child and your OH. Good luck!

 

[mommyof3co]

I agree with the above

With my 2nd (my 1st didn't cosleep, didn't work for him) we coslept until he was 11mo.

With my 3rd we coslept all night until 12mo, then half the night since then, he goes down in his own bed but comes to our room in the middle of the night, he's 3yrs 4mo. But last night he stayed in his bed all night!

 

[Zarababy1]

i agree, you just do whatever feels right, harry moved in to his own cot just before 6 months but it wasnt untill 9 months that he was sleeping in it properly, i would put him in it when he went to bed and then when he woke up he would come in with us after 9 months he stopped waking up so stopped comming in with us, he still wakes up now and then and if he does hes normaly straight in bed with us, charlie is the same at 2 and a half if he wakes up hes in with us some times charlie will ask to get in mummy and daddys bed when we put him to bed so he sleeps with us from the start of the night, it works for us and the kids are equally happy to sleep in their own bed as they are in ours, infact i think harry is happyer in his own bed now at almost 1, but charlie still prefers to be in with us, every child is diffrent just take it day by day!

 

[lynnikins]

with my first didnt co-sleep till after second one was born second one co-slept in hospital then for 3 wks when we got home stopped and he settled in his own bed with just 2 nights of pick up put down then ended up co-sleeping with both caus we moved for 5 months then stopped again once we moved again when he was 8 1/2 months

 

[Hanna]

7-8 months for us. in the end we stopped because she was starting to take too much space!!! (rolling onto our space, wanting to climb up, etc)

 

[Jkelmum]

Jake was 2 and Katie was 5 ethan didnt co-sleep and Lily was 10months

 

[aob1013]

Still going strong at nearly 6 months with no plans to stop anytime soon.

 

[fluffpuffin]

we co-slept for a few hours most early mornings up until about 6 months, since then she doesn't like co-sleeping anymore and will only go to sleep in her own cot. if she's in our bed she thinks it's party time

 

[NaturalMomma]

For us we believe in letting our kids decide when they're done co-sleeping. I believe that my kids will know when they're ready to be in their own bed and own room. ds2 is still sleeping with us, he's 9 months. ds1 slept with us from birth to 3.5 years. At that time he expressed having his own bed and that day I took him out to get one. He's been in it ever since. He's still in our room, but that day will come when he's ready for his own. I suspect around 5 years of age.

 

[twiggy56]

we did about 4 months...wish id have got longer but we were moving and causing her to wake and she would get quite upset...so we moved her into the crib literally touching out bed...

 

[Zarababy1]

you know co-sleeping isnt just having the baby in bed with you, its also considerd co-sleeping with the cot/crib very close too your bed x

 

[louandivy]

We've been doing it since LO was around 6-8 weeks, we have managed to get her in the cot when she falls asleep at 7.30/8 now (yes before we were taking turns holding her until we went to bed!) but I still bring her in with me when I go to sleep, I just love having her all cuddled up close to me, plus I don't want to have to get up and feed her in the cold! I might try and keep her in her own room once Winter is over and it starts to get a bit warmer out.

 

[Maid Marian]

you know co-sleeping isnt just having the baby in bed with you, its also considerd co-sleeping with the cot/crib very close too your bed x

Oh I didn't know that could be called co-sleeping too, I'm just referring to bbay actually being in bed with you though.

 

[Zarababy1]

yep, i didnt know that at first straight away but i lernt it after, having the crib right up against your bed is pretty much the same as having them in with you some women prefer it because there worryed about the baby being in with them, i love having my kids in bed with me but its not for everyone

 

[jackiea85]

I think Joseph was about 1 when he started going in his own bed in the evenings, and he still comes in our bed during the night now. He goes in his own bed at 7:30pm then sneaks into ours at about 12-1am ish! He doesn't wake us up and we love the cuddles so we are just going to carry on for now. Not sure if we will fit 4 in our bed though!x

 

[Zarababy1]

I think Joseph was about 1 when he started going in his own bed in the evenings, and he still comes in our bed during the night now. He goes in his own bed at 7:30pm then sneaks into ours at about 12-1am ish! He doesn't wake us up and we love the cuddles so we are just going to carry on for now. Not sure if we will fit 4 in our bed though!x

we were saying this thismorning! the 4 of us we're layed in bed and hubby said, oh whats it going to be like with 5 of us in bed!! we only have a normal doubble, im thinking about getting a king size, hubby wants a superking size though! i have a friend who just has mattresses on the floor and the 4 of them in bed they like it that way

 

[lucy_x]

i will only stop when shes ready, the cuddles are too nice and im not ready to give up anytime soon

 

[Celesse]

We have just moved LO into her own cot at 10months....but she ends up back in bed with us at some point in the night. She has a toddler bed next to our bed and if she would use it she could stay in with us. But if she is in our room she wants to sleep right next to me with the boob as a dummy all night long. I'm back at work soon and the position I end up in gives me a bad back if I sleep that way all night, hence we are now part time co-sleeper with a hope of weaning her into her own cot all night soon.

 

[Torz]

We've had the cot pushed right up the side of the bed since we came home from the hospital but it only has one side on, we took the side of thats against our bed. He was sleeping in his cot from comming home from hospital but at 3 weeks he got colic & the only way he would sleep was on his belly so i would sleep with him on my chest. One morning i woke up & i couldnt breath so decided it was time to let him sleep on his back in the bed.

He starts off in the cot then the first feed of night he comes in bed & stays there. I have started trying to feed him in the cot now tho as the bed just isnt big enough for us all & i'm the one who gets the least space & i end up with trapped nerves in my neck. If my OH dosent come to bed then he comes & stays in bed with me & in a morning when he's gone to work he gets in bed with me. We really need a bigger bed. I dont know when we'll stop, Alfies been waking up in the night wanting to play for hours & my OH has been wanthing to put him in his own room but i've managed to put him off for now.