Co-sleeping... yes, no?

[mara16jade]

So our little one hit the 4 month sleep regression with a vengeance the past 3 weeks, and I go back to work in less than 2 weeks. Anyways...

I co-slept with him for the first time last night for about 4 hours and he slept wonderfully! I on the other hand kept fearing he'd roll off, suffocate with the bedsheet or I roll over him.

We'd like to have another baby in about a year and a half or so....so trying to get pregnant when lo is about a year. How easy or hard is it to transition him out of our bed and into his room when he's about 1-2y.o.?

 

[mara16jade]

Anyone?

 

[misspriss]

We started cosleeping on about day 5. Never looked back. I found I was always aware of him when I was sleeping (well, not as much now he's 18+ months, but he fends for himself at this point). I didn't move during the night, I didn't roll over, etc. I kept an arm over him at all times to keep the blankets below his waist and make sure he didn't roll away or anything.

We are expecting our second, DS is 19 months, and still cosleeping. We are planning to buy a king, because I don't want DS to feel he is being kicked out for the new baby.

We will probably keep the children in our bed as long as they want. I won't move DS out until the next child is old enough to move out with him, so they can sleep together. I don't see the point in teaching children to sleep alone when they will probably spent the most of their adult life sleeping with someone else. Why teach them to sleep with some one, then alone, then they have to relearn to sleep with someone again? Anyway, we plan on keeping a family bed for a while. We will get a king, and if needed add another twin to the side to increase the size.

 

[Hopefulk]

We do - sort of! Baby always starts off in own bed and we have the bedtime routine (dressing after bath, stories etc) in her own room. When she wakes (and I'm exhausted!) she comes into our room. She's almost two and that can be at any time between 11pm and 6am.


She went through a terrible sleep phase between 6 and 12 months and the only time we slept was when she was in with us. She slept with us before that as well and we just always followed safety guidelines, she slept in my side of the bed (never in the middle) and we bought this foam bumper thing that you place under sheets so they can't roll out as soon as she was able to roll. I kept her in a thin sleeping bag, over the covers and her head was away from the pillows.

Because she's used to at least part if the night in her own bed, she's happy in there. Now I'm pregnant again, I'm trying to comfort her in her own bed if she wakes in the night (I even get in with her) because I remember how uncomfortable sleeping was when I was heavy pregnant and I don't want kicks in the tummy but she's fine with that.

My one piece of advice would be to start the night in baby's room so it isn't new if/when you decide to make transition.

And I would do what you need to do to get through today and deal with tomorrow when it comes.xxx

 

[mara16jade]

Thank you!!

 

[MommyJogger]

We coslept with DS1 from days old as well. He's still in our bed (which is actually our preference for both cuddle and practical reasons). He has a bed in his own room that he did a few stints in all night for maybe 1-2 months at a time during my pregnancy out of his own choosing, when he was around 18 mo and then again at 21ish months and each time came back to the family bed. Our kids will always be welcome in our bed or in our room on their own surface. We have two mattresses pushed together and it's just lush because everyone can (and does) starfish.
It really wasn't that bad for us with a newborn and a toddler going to bed together, but it will really depend on both personalities. Now that DS2 has chosen a later bedtime (8), than DS1 (7:30ish), it's easier for daddy to take him up and they both zonk out (DH wakes around 4 to go to work), while I stay downstairs with DS2 until he zonks out, then we either join them in bed or I stay downstairs to clean, set up for the next morning, or chillax. DS2 is literally the dream child though. Not sure what it would be like if he were another DS1, but I know we'd be struggling.
The only 'rule' we have is that the baby is only next to mommy. It's taken some explaining and patience to impress upon DS1 that it's not safe for him to sleep next to, above, or below Renton yet. We have a calendar and put stickers on each day to count down until Renton's birthday next year when we won't be so stringent about having a 'Mommy Wall' between the baby and the rest of the family. So invest in stickers...