I've mostly co-slept with my 8 month old since birth, and it never been a problem. He sleeps the first part of his night in his own bed, and when he wakes up I bring him in bed with me and bd. Last night I half-woke and didn't see him and went, "oh, duh, he's in his bed." Later (I don't know how much later) I felt something digging into my back and realized I was laying on his hand and kind of squishing him.
It really freaked me out, because I didn't even realize (in my sleepy haze) that he was in bed with me and he was under the cover and didn't have much room between me and bd. I checked his breathing, really worried than I had smothered him (another online mama I talk to just lost her baby--I think that impacted my paranoia a bit).
Does anyone have any thoughts in increasing co-sleeping safety? Am I overreacting? He's not a newborn, he makes noise and can move around if he's uncommfortable, but god, it spooked me.
Keep other objects away from your bed, one time i woke up and found Eric reaching for an old bottle from the night before. So i guess make sure that either you are always awake when he is or make it so he cant get anything from where he is on your bed.
Use a very thin blanket, if any. Is BD a lighter sleeper than you are? Have you tried moving the bed against the wall and having the baby between you and the wall?
I haven't put the bed against the wall because that's where his bed is. Our bed is really big and not very high, so he often sleeps on the side, but I have to alternate sides I nurse him on, so he winds up in the middle periodically. Unless I fall asleep that way, I usually move him back to the side. I'm gonna get a gate/rail type thing to put along the side. As of yet, he still doesn't roll that much, but I know that won't last.
oh, and our blanket it super light.
I just wanted to ask some questions about co-sleeping, I hope im not stealing the topic or offending anyone. Im honestly both curious and worried.
I think co-sleeping is a beautiful thing, especially for bonding with your baby, and I would love to do it, BUT I have already decided I would never for fear of something going wrong...there were many incidents in New Zealand which led to Drs putting out warnings to parents and I suppose I freaked out and thought "ok, im not doing that then", but a part of me would love to sleep with my baby when he/she comes.
For anyone who does co-sleep, do you worry every night? Do you have safety measures?
I coslept for two years. I slept on two mattrices on the floor (a box spring and a matrice (sp?!)) so that it wasn't far down to the ground, and I slept with Zoe between the wall and me.
I found that at first I was really paranoid about it - she actually slept in a bassanett for the first two months or so.
But, I have never had a problem while cosleeping. I now that I have heard of horrible things happening as well, but... I think that with a few precautions that most things can be ok.
If you need to use sleeping medication, are on drugs, or have been drinking, I would not advise cosleeping on the nights when you have been using any of the above. I know that I never fully slept -- part of me was always aware of her, and if she moved, I would wake up, but when I've had a couple of beers or something, that part of me isn't so sensitive.
like other moms have said...its amazing how aware of your little one you are even while sleeping! but dont get to comfy...especially as they get older. when your baby is tiny and unable to move ya dont really have to worry about her moving, you just gotta keep track of yourself. but once she learns how to use those legs to crawl or even just push herself around it gets trickier. our little girl starts out the night snuggled inbetween us...head at the head of the bed. an hour later i may wake up and she has done a 180 and scooched down a foot and a half! so yah...just be aware...and if your little one is a little houdini like my girl is...you might want to invest in some kind of co-sleeping bassinnett/guard thing. they work and you will gat a good nights sleep
i co-slept with jaiden until she was like 26 months old and emma from when she was born until she was about 7 months old.. i wasnt nervous at all actually.. i slept better and i was fully aware that they were in my bed.. Jaiden fell out of my bed once (mattress on the floor) but other than that, i havent ran into any problems.. if i decide to drink or anything they sleep in their own beds or i crash on the couch.. i dont co-sleep anymore. sometimes on the odd night jaiden will come into my bed but other than that i dont anymore.. i missed having my bed.. i got tired of being booted in the head :P
Never really had any nerves about it. Seemed to normal to me.
Our kids all co-slept/co-sleep. Usually until the next bub is due is how long they stay in our bed. Though late toddler hood we usually put them in their own bed at the start of the night and they'd end up in ours.
I co-slept when I was a baby..
My kids know they can come back if they need to, and the two oldest are happy to sleep in their own rooms now.
I guess the only 2 bits of advice I'd have. ..
Don't listen to the scare campaigns. seriously. More people in the world co-sleeep than not, often the anti-cosleeping advice is based more on some folks adversions to the ways of life of other cultures.
And secondly I would keep the bubs head in line with mine (like as high up on the bed as mine) so when I was half asleep and pulled a blanket up over my shoulders the bubs head would still be clear.
I have co-slept with Rylee since she was born, and I love it. At first it was just her and I sleeping in my bed. But now it's us two and my boyfriend in his bed. I am very aware of where she is during the night, and so is my bf. but she still sleeps on the side closest to the wall.
I know that I'm really late in replying,but I just wanted to say I am now more definately for co-sleeping. Because of the other night. We went to bed and Rylee was fine. Completely normal. Not sick at all. At about 4 in the morning I woke up because Rylee was moving. I layed there for a second and realized that she was still moving. I looked up at her and she was twitching. Badly. I sat up and grabbed her. I realized that she was having a seizure. After the twitching had stopped she layed there, barely breathing and completey out of it. she wouldn't respond to me talking to her or touching her. We took her to the ER and they gave her tylenol, that made her fever come way down. If she wouldn't have been sleeping in our bed, I am afraid that she could have died. She would have just lay there in her bed, unconsiese (?SP) So If I ever have another child, I will co-sleep until they are ready for their own bed.
wow thats soooo scary. im so glad that rylee was ok... and yah you are super lucky that she was right by you. thats one of the things that i love about co-sleeping...i think that my daughter and i both feel a lot safer and more comfy with her right at hand
My son slept with me until he was one then he slept on his own now he's three he only climbs into bed with me if he has a scary dream.
i co slept with my son until he was one for some reason he slept better and was right next to me when it was time to feed
I did not cosleep with my first child. I am cosleeping with my second, and I get a lot more sleep and worry a lot less at night. I wish I had realized it was an option with my first, but there was a lot I didn't know then.
I love co-sleeping w/ Reeni. We lay on our sides facing each other with our faces practically touching and i put my arm around her. I love being that close its a wonderful feeling.
I always sleep on my side, so if im facing her on my side I know I wont roll into her cuz I never roll onto my stomach, maybe you could try that?
has anybody used a co-sleeper? i really want to cosleep but i'm just a little worried about having no barrier whatsoever between us. just curious if you used anything to keep the baby separate from you and still in the same bed, and if so, what did you use?
Have any of you coslept with two adults in the bed? I think I'd want to cosleep with a baby in the event I had one, but my SO doesn't want to because he's terrified of rolling on the baby and hurting or suffocating him/her.
2 years now and going strong.
I didn't the first like 3 nights she was home because I thought I HAD to use the bassinette. 3 nights with no sleep since she'd wake the second I put her down later, and she joined us in bed. I still slept very lightly and woke for every feed but I was more relaxed and did get much more sleep than before. A was worried about rolling on her so I used pillows to divide us (and held her all night, she wasn't left sleeping on her own, I always had my arm around her. Still do some nights). When she got older he got more confident that he wouldn't hurt her (especially since she'd hog the bed more than him and would make him move :D) and now it's just normal for us.
The biggest thing is dealing with the "when is she going to sleep in her own bed?" questions, which to me our family bed is her bed (though she usually naps now in "her" bed) too so she belongs there. When I get farther along I think she may move to her other bed though, it already is pretty crowded.
me josh and reeni all do, with no kind of divider. ive read its instinctual. you know the baby is there even in your sleep so we dont roll over onto her. Its like you dont roll off the edge of the bed, right? cuz even when your asleep you know its there. Im sure even if I ever STARTED to roll on reeni, i would stop when i felt her next to me, like i would if i started to roll of the edge.
sometimes we sleep w/ reeni in the middle, (J is a heavy sleepedr so I have him face her to be on the safe side) but on chilly nights we all lie in a row faccing the same way. I put my arms around reeni and j puts his arms around me. Its very cozy I like having my whole family around me.
now that its chilly weve been using a down comforter. I wouldnt use one w/ a newborn in the bed though but I do what an above posted suggested, putting my head level w/ reenis so I dont accidtally pull it over her head. its not a heavy comforter so it doesnt form onto things like a blanket would so I feel safe w/it.
I also want to mention that part of cosleeping safely means that if you're under the influence of something it's best not to for at least that night. Like if I were to take medication that makes me groggy or drink a few drinks it would probably be best to not cosleep since my senses are dulled and I can sleep more heavily.
Just putting the bed against the wall isn't necessarily enough. The baby could fall down between the mattress and the wall. I was thinking about putting my body pillow against the wall, but I don't know if he'd smother or something. My son isn't rolling over yet and most of the time he sleeps on top of my chest and I just stay aware all night.
During our few days in the hospital after she was born whenever I would try to co-sleep but the nurses would come into the room and say "You can't sleep with the baby in the bed!" I would get defensive and remind them that she is my child, not theirs, and I will sleep with her in my hospital bed whether they like it or not. It got to the point where I was actually getting less sleep because they would come and bother me because they didn't want me to co-sleep that I just let her sleep in her bed. When we came home I put her changing-table mattress along side of our bed and that was her bed until she was about two months old. After that she just ended up sleeping with me and it's been like there ever since. My husband used to protest about it because he was afraid of something happening to her but nothing has came close to happening and we're happy as three little bedbugs. Co-sleep, mamas! It's one of the most fulfilling mommy-related things there is!