Pls tell me about co-sleeping w/9 month old

[JanBaby]

DS is not a good sleeper. After months of trying (modified cry it out, full on cry it out) we finally got him to a good place where he would sleep from 8 - 5 am. Then he got sick and we are starting all over. He wakes up all the time and now he's standing in the crib and doesn't want to go back down. He sleeps like a rock in our bed so we are considering just having him co-sleep for a while. He takes naps in his crib and goes down with minimal fuss. He also starts out the night in his crib and I don't anticipate changing that strategy.

We put him between us and both my husband and I are pretty stationary sleepers. DS doesn't really move either. Any tips from those of you who co-sleep with a baby this age? Is it worth it to invest in a co-sleeper of some sort or is that designed for newborns and younger babies?

TIA!

[MamaMolly]

I wouldn't buy a co sleeper. I think they'd be more dangerous than safe at this point. If your DS is standing in the crib he's too mobile for one.

We (that is I) coslept with Dolly until she was about 2. DH was really scared of rolling over on her, plus he really likes to sleep with a lot of pillows, so she and I slept in her twin bed. She'd sleep in the crook of my arm and I'd sleep either with out a pillow or a very small one, and a light blanket. You get used to it. I slept on the 'open' side of the bed and she slept on the wall side, but my arm was around her so she couldn't get to the wall.

If I had to do it over, I'd put the mattress on the floor. Kids can't fall off the floor, and I would have been a lot less paranoid about her falling off the bed and would have slept better.

[llama8]

Co-sleepers are only for when they are very little. Standing in a crib would eliminate a co-sleeper. I think a baby sleeping in a bed with adults is very dangerous. Could you put the crib next to your bed?

I did the cry it out method with both kids and they became great sleepers that never needed to sleep in our room. It was a few rough nights that made me feel bad, but the tradeoff is great sleeping for you and them over the long-term.

[JanBaby]

Co-sleepers are only for when they are very little. Standing in a crib would eliminate a co-sleeper. I think a baby sleeping in a bed with adults is very dangerous. Could you put the crib next to your bed?

I did the cry it out method with both kids and they became great sleepers that never needed to sleep in our room. It was a few rough nights that made me feel bad, but the tradeoff is great sleeping for you and them over the long-term.

Thanks - we are well versed with cry it out and just aren't interested in doing it this time around. I am starting to come around to the philosophy that babies just have different sleep needs and it's not working for this one. We did CIO with DD, had the few rough nights and then fine. With DS, it's literally been months.

[PZMommy]

My son has horrible sleep problems, due to some medical issues. Once he outgrew the co-sleeper, we rearranged the furniture in our bedroom and moved his crib in our room and it is right by my side of the bed. He is almost 14 months old, and we will probably keep him in our room at least through cold and flu season (he needs frequent breathing treatments during winter months).

You are right that each child has their own sleep needs. My first was sleeping through the night by 6 months old. My second is just now starting to sleep half way decent. His pulmonologist said we cannot let him cry it out, so that has made sleep training more difficult. It is definately easier to deal with the numerous wake ups when he is right there, vs having to get up and walk down the hall. Also we let him sleep with his lovey, a Aden and Anais swaddle blanket. That has helped too. We started letting him have those in his crib around 8 months old out of desperation.

I hope you can find a solution that works for you!

Dawn

[Pyrodjm]

We cosleep from day one. By that age, both of my girls were crawling and we taught them to get off of our bed safely by flipping onto their stomach and swinging their legs off first. They caught on very quickly. We had a pretty low bed and didn't want to put the mattress on the floor. We have a sidecarred crib but the babies usually slept between us or on our mattress in between me and the crib once they were mobile.

[brittone2]

We coslept with all 3 kids from birth to 2-3 yo. DS1 and DD were about 3 when they moved to their own rooms. DS2 moved to his own room from 2-2.5. We never tried a cosleeper. I did briefly try a snugglenest (??) but didn't like that either. DS1 I briefly used a bedside bassinet but it was more trouble than it was helpful, IMO. So from day 3-4 DS1 was in bed with us, and by the time I had DD and DS2, I had sold the crib as I knew we were going to cosleep with the subsequent kids.

Jay Gordon has good tips for safe cosleeping.

[anonomom]

We've been cosleeping with DS since he was about 8 months old, for reasons similar to those you cite. He slept through the night early in his swing, but once he outgrew that and swaddling, he stopped sleeping. He HATES his crib and though he'll go down in the evening, once he wakes up at night he refuses to be put back down in the crib (and we've tried everything, including CIO).

Like your DC, our guy starts the night in his crib. I bring him into bed with me anywhere between 11-1, depending on when he wakes up. We don't use a co-sleeper or any equipment; he just cuddles up against me. He nurses at night, so his head is level with my chest rather than on the pillow. I've never rolled over onto him.

One time, when we were on vacation without DH, DS rolled off the bed (yikes!). He was unhurt, thankfully. Now if DH isn't home, I'll either line his side of the bed with pillows or sleep across the bed so DS is between me and the wall.

[sntm]

Jay Gordon's book good nights has a lot of suggestions. I didn't plan to cosleep with DS1 but he had other ideas. DS2 is similar. Some babies just really really need to have their people near them to sleep.

[fedoragirl]

Co-sleepers are only for when they are very little. Standing in a crib would eliminate a co-sleeper. I think a baby sleeping in a bed with adults is very dangerous. Could you put the crib next to your bed?

I did the cry it out method with both kids and they became great sleepers that never needed to sleep in our room. It was a few rough nights that made me feel bad, but the tradeoff is great sleeping for you and them over the long-term.

I disagree. Almost every non-Western nation has a cosleeping with infants dynamic. Are they are all wrong?
OP, I would try the crib next to your bed for a couple of nights. If that doesn't work, I'd put a mattress on the floor. I coslept with DS till he was 10 months old. We put him on top of my blanket and DH used a different blanket to cover himself. He always slept at the edge of the bed, poor thing but at least, it prevented him from rolling onto DS.
All the best.

[momm]

I disagree. Almost every non-Western nation has a cosleeping with infants dynamic. Are they are all wrong?


:yeahthat:

We co-slept from day 1 as well.

Suggestions - separate blankets for you and DH. This way your DS will not get lost in the middle.
Teach them to go on their tummies and climb down the bed, rather than going for prevention from falling. My DS knew that from month 6 onwards and never once fell off the bed.
Or just keep the mattress on the floor as suggested.

Keep DS in between the both of you.

Good luck - PM me if you have any specific questions

[Katigre]

Another cosleeper here. All of us sleep better that way. Ds and dd sleep separately now that they're older.

Safe cosleeping is very important. I found the C position worked best. Baby nestled between my bent lega and outstretched arm so my body forms a cocoon. You can sidecar a crib or use a safe bedeail like the bedbug foam rail that goes under the sheet.

Sent from Katigre's Galaxy S3

[123LuckyMom]

We co-slept with DS until he was 9 months. At that age none of us was actually getting any sleep co-sleeping, so we moved him to his crib. Like you said, every baby is different! If his sleeping in between you and your DH is working, that's great! You don't need to do anything. Just keep going as you have, and when it's time to make a change, you'll know. The only thing we did differently when we had DS in the bed was switch from a down comforter with a duvet cover to blankets. The ped told us down comforters were a suffocation hazard for co-sleeping babies.

[edurnemk]

We don't cosleep fulltime, just the final stretch of the night. I feel safer having them between me and the edge of the bed with a bed rail or the crib pulled up to the side of the bed, because fathers are not as aware of the baby while sleeping. I also use the C position a PP mentioned. When baby is in our bed it means no down conforters, just a light blanket up to my waist and one pillow for me (i sleep on the edge of it so it's not close to baby's face.

Dr. Sears and Dr.Mckena have good safety tips for cosleeping as well as info about the benefits of cosleeping.

[squimp]

DD slept with us from birth to about 16 months. She slept 12 hours a night from about 4 months on. No problems. At some point we started her in the crib but she didn't even have a crib until she was 1.

[chottumommy]

We co-slept with DS1 till he was 18 months and started co-sleeping with DS2 at 8 months once he started waking up multiple times at night. He starts out in his crib and sleeps the first stretch of 5 hours. Once he wakes up, he ends up in our bed between us. At 14 months I'm not worried about his suffocating as much. So we have a light comforter in our bed and he usually always sleeps higher up near our pillow and is not under the sheets. I use a grobag on him. He just wants to feel us with his hands once in a while to know he's not alone.

I don't understand the whole concept of baby sleeping all by itself through the night at such a young age philosophy. Do whatever gets the whole family rested, if its co-sleeping then so be it.