co-sleeping?

[hdxlc883]

I was wondering if anybody sleeps with their baby in their bed. I never did it and read the worst and the best about it..any advice?

[Jacksmommy]

If you think it will help you and the baby sleep, then give it a try. We did it. It worked out very well for us.

[RedheadbyChoice]

We've coslept with all of ours, off and on, as needed. Do it safely and it can be absolutely wonderful for you and your family. (no waterbeds, no fluffy comforters, no one drunk or on drugs, etc.) My biggest thing is this: at 4 in the morning, I don't give a flying flarp where the kids are sleeping, as long as they are asleep and I am, too. LOL Do what works for you and your family. It works for many, doesn't for others.

Myth: if you let baby sleep with you, baby will never sleep in their own bed. That's total bullshit. All of ours have slept with us, when needed, all sleep in their own spaces now.

Myth: if you let baby sleep with you, you'll never have sex again. More bullshit as evidenced by the fact that I have 4 kids. LOL Seriously, you just need to be creative. Bathroom, kitchen, guest room, living room, vehicle, some on.........keep thinking! It can be fun. Or, put babe to sleep somewhere else, use the bedroom for the lovin' and then move babe to bed with you.

Fact: *most* mommas get more rest while cosleeping due to being able to nurse lying down and sleeping at the same time. Notice I said most, as not all moms sleep well with a babe or babe with them.

[intokermit]

We co-sleep. It's the only way I get any sleep! Can't say I'll do it forever, but for now it works.

[Psyche]

Yup we did. Stil do sometimes.

[Theywerepert]

We do. Dd #1 (7) stills leeps with us on occassion, but it's our choice. We like it. Dd #2 sleeps in her crib the first part of the night, and then in our bed after her first night feeding. I couldn't sleep through night nursings with dd#1 for some reason, but I've noticed that with the new baby I will get her positioned just right, and then wake up a couple hours later to a soundly sleeping baby and a floppy, empty boob! Time to turn for the other side, lol !

[hdxlc883]

thank you for your help..do you use anything to keep baby safe on the bed..You say you put baby on the other side, do you use a " gate " or something to stop the baby from falling on the floor? I know it's a crazy question..but I'm tottally new in this " breastfeedinf stuff"..

[RedheadbyChoice]

linky: safe cosleeping (http://www.askdrsears.com/html/10/t102200.asp)

We personally have never used a rail on our bed. Many do, though. :)

[Brianna]

Rylan has slept with me and dh since birth. We have never used a bed rail. Before he could scoot or roll, I slept in the middle and babe was on the side. Once Rylan started scooting around we put him in the middle.

[paigesmomma]

I never considered co-sleeping with dd, but she was a great sleeper and was sleeping 12 hrs a night by 3mos.
DS was a total different story. By 6 months I was so tired and he got sick and was up even more, so finally I tried it. It is wonderful!! I feel 200% better. He sleeps in his crib for the first stretch (8pm-11ish) then I bring him to bed with me. He generally wakes 2-3x takes a couple of sucks and is right back to sleep. He just needs to know that I am close by.

[oomaumau04]

We co-sleep, and sleep MUCH better because of it. We use a bedrail and dd sleeps between me and the railing. DH is a very heavy sleeper and would never notice her next to him...that's why we use the railing. It works well, though I do wonder what's going to happen when dd starts crawling!

[Mocosita]

DS starts sleeping in his crib and by the 2nd feeding, I just bring him to bed. He's a comfort-nurser and sometimes my nipples get very sore, but I do get better sleep than having to get up all night long. Unfortunately, I have back problems so sleeping on my side makes my back hurt a bit.

[SingingMom]

We do and have. We have used a rail, but I've been happier with a crib or toddler bed tied tightly to our bed frame. Currently, we have a toddler bed smooshed between our bed and a wall.

Cosleeping has saved my sanity. I don't deal well with sleep deprivation, and I have four kids who need me to be a reasonably sweet and loving mother. My youngest is still nursing several times a night, and it is just so much easier to cosleep.

[spanknjenn]

i did w/ dd#1 untill 6 weeks when she could go 6 hrs before feeding... now w/ dd#2 she has gaining issues so i will be co sleeping untill her weight is good.

[RedheadbyChoice]

That's what we've done with the 3 girls, they get put to bed in the bassinet or crib and when they wake, they're with us the rest of the night. Eventually, they start sleeping longer and longer.

[kandylee8]

We've been co-sleeping since dd was born... and I think that's what works for us coz she has a really big appetite and it helps to have me beside her to feed her whenever she wants to. Ever since she was 4months old, I've been getting more sleep at night coz I doze off during night feeds lol

We don't have a bed rail, dd sleeps between me & dh. She's starting to crawl now, and getting really active. So dh & I make it a point to use our bodies as barriers, so she won't fall off the bed :)

[DecemberBaby]

My little man will not sleep anywhere else but with me. I tried at first to get him to sleep in his own bed but he would wake up every 20-60 minutes all night long. SO after the second night he sleeps with me. My husband sleeps in another room so he can get sleep because he still wakes up a lot during the night. I have to admit I might miss it once he wants his own bed. I get a lot more sleep. He takes naps on me too. He is just a cuddlie guy at almost 5 months!

[Pumplicious]

I co-sleep. We began with DD sleeping in her own crib but in our bedroom, but after a couple of weeks DD realized that she could have a say in the sleeping arrangements. So it was let her into our bed, or get up and do the "back to sleep" routine with rocking and humming every 20-45 minutes. So from about 2 weeks to four months, DD slept in bed with us every night. Now that she's almost 8 months old, her sleep patterns have changed again. She gets bounced to sleep on a yoga ball and then put to bed in her own crib. She sleeps for 5 or six hours (from about 7-12 or 1) before waking up hungry. Then we all just go to bed together for the night. Sometimes she sleeps from 7 till 4 am, so then I just turn in at midnight and switch the baby monitor on and go get her when she cries to be fed.

We don't use a rail. DD likes to sleep with her face against my boobs the whole night, even if she's not latched on! She shows no interest in moving away, and will in fact inch closer to me if I pull away, and wake up to complain if I roll over onto my stomach where she can't get to them at all. :rolleyes: So yeah, I'm not too worried about her rolling off the bed, but I do try to put her in between me and DH just in case. DH is a deep sleeper and has a tendency to move around a bit in his sleep, but DD has gotten very assertive about letting him know when he is intruding on her space. She's not shy about telling him to get back to his side of the bed. :gig:

[hotlama]

I don't think that I would survive the challenge of breastfeeding if it wasn't for co-sleeping. It's so nice being able to just lay on my side so dd can latch on whenever she wants without me having to fully wake up, get out of bed, and sit in a chair.

[Milliesc]

we also start him out in his crib, then bring him to bed with us once he wakes up for the first feeding. i love having him there, esp since i went back to work. i am way more well rested than i was with my first 3 who slept (mostly) in cribs or bassinets. No bedrail so far- I guess we'll play it by ear. There is nothing sweeter than the times I hear him rooting around getting all stressed out and when he finally finds me and latches on (or sometimes just puts his little mouth to my arm!) and sighs that "thank goodness I finally found her" sigh!! i dont want to miss out on any of that- too soon hell be too cool for me like his big brothers!!