Still sleeping in our bed at 16 mos... please help!

[MoJo]

I'm watching this thread because just last night DH asked when Jelly Bean is going to start sleeping in her own bed instead of ours. (In fairness to him, he's a very light sleeper, so her sleeping in our bed means he's sleeping in the guest room every night.)

But I think you know the answer to your first question, OP. Don't worry about what you'll do when the next one comes along, because chances are, you'll be able to have that baby sleep in the crib just like this one did.

I'm in your situation. . . Jelly Bean slept great on her own until Ha was two weeks old and we had a week of nightly thunderstorms. She woke up scared; I brought her to bed. . . and she's napping there right now! But even in my bed, she wakes up crying in the middle of the night fairly frequently, and other posters' suggestions of deciding in advance how to deal with that makes a lot of sense to me.

[brittone2]

With respect to a new baby coming, I don't think that's anything to get too worried about. There are a lot of different scenarios that could work, depending on what works best for your family. Baby in a cosleeper or bassinet in your room and other child cosleeping, baby in a crib in another room, all of you in the same bed (siblings separated for safety), etc.

When I was pg with DD I was a little panicked for a bit, but we decided to upgrade to a king bed while I was pg (not just for cosleeping purposes but it was a nice benefit). We started getting DS1's room ready for him with the understanding that he didn't *have* to sleep in it right away, but we hyped it up. Toward the end of my pgcy he wasn't ready to switch, and I didn't want him to feel "displaced" by the new baby. We actually all coslept for about 2-3 months and by that time DS1 was a little older and ready to sleep in his own room. For the first 1-2 weeks after she was born, I slept with DD in DS1's room (queen bed) until she wasn't crying at night and could nurse in sidelying. At that point DD and I moved back into the king sized bed with DH and DS1 (siblings separated for safety). DD wasn't waking DS1 because she'd stir and to nurse but would latch right on and that was that.

When DS1 switched to his own room, DH would start off the night in there with him and then when DS1 would wake up in the middle of the night DH would go in with him. Over time the waking up lessened and he made the transition without much trouble. We basically did the same thing when DD switched to her own room (although she made the switch before DS2 came along, but I would have been okay with her cosleeping longer if she wasn't ready for the switch to her big girl room).

Just sharing what worked for us. There are so many different scenarios that work for families. A new baby doesn't necessarily mean you'll have a disaster on your hands if your older child is cosleeping.

[SunCB]

Put something in your rm to start. DS2 got lucky and slept on my bed but with DD she had her own twin from 1 day down in our new state (no rm in our old rm to put her twin in or I would of).

Both my older 2 still find their way to bed next to me when they want to. DS1 was more so in the crib though DH coslept with him at first when DS2 arrived since we switched him to a twin bed thinking we would use the crib but I ended in a CS and I could not get out of bed so DS2 just coslept with me. DS2 transitioned over to his bed between 3 and 4 even after our big move.

Pretty sure DS2 was not created in our bed. I knew for sure DD was not! You can definitely get preggo while cosleeping as like others said to get creative about where to have fun.

[georgiegirl]

We cosleep too. DD transitioned to sleeping on her own at 2.5 (when I got PG). DS is 16 mo old and I still love sleeping with him.

The easiest way to transition is to put a mattress on the floor and cuddle her to sleep then get up. You can put the mattress on the floor of your room first then move it into her room. I think its easier to get yourself out of their bed than getting them out of your bed.

FWIW, DD is an awesome sleeper now at 4.5. She was a horrible sleeper for the longest tome. We never did CIO.

[mamainflorida]

Thank you all!

I definitely hear you all in the support of co-sleeping. Honestly, I was totally against it just because I figured I had to be... does that make sense?

Another thought I had, which I posted here a few months ago, was transitioning her to a toddler bed because I figured if she's sleeping so well in our bed, it must be the prison-like feeling she must have in a crib. Anyone else think that way?

Anyway, we went to look at some toddler beds yesterday, like the Catalina at Pottery Barn Kids, but it looks so teeny tiny, basically like a crib without sides, that I could only imagine her rolling off every single night, so don't see the point of that. I now figure she's too young for a regular twin.

Those of you who put twin mattresses on the floor, at what age was that?

Thanks again!

[niccig]

HOnestly, I wouldn't do anything until you're in your own house. Wait until then and figure out what YOU want to do. If you're OK with still co-sleeping than do that. Or you could try putting a mattress besides your bed and then eventually in her own room. I dont' know if I would try for the crib - depends how curious your child is, and how baby proofed the room is.

We didn't co sleep because I woke up at every single sound. I could not sleep and DH is a very light sleeper, so it was worse for him. DS was in a PNP bassinet in our room for the first few months then eventually in the crib in his room until 3 years old, then we took the side off and it was a toddler bed until 4. At 4 we got him a full-twin bunk bed. He's nearly 6 years old and guess where you find me on nights when DS wakes up scared? I go to him as his bed is big enough for the two of us - I'd say some weeks I'm in there 2x a week for part of the night.

[mezzona]

DD started sleeping in the crib from birth. When she was about 8 months, we moved her and her crib into a den-like extension of our bedroom. I cant remember exactly, but I think she got sick and I started sleeping on the floor next to her crib. Then somehow, she ended up sleeping on the floor with us. We just wanted her to sleep. Our backs started hurting so we put a mattress on the floor and got rid of her crib. This was at almost 1 year old. So for a while, we would lay with her on her mattress, and when she was asleep DH & I would move to our own bed. She would often climb into our bed in the middle of the night.

Well now we moved into a smaller space and we just have one king bed that we all sleep on. If either of us are uncomfortable, one of us sleeps on a futon. In the morning, she will leave the bed and join whoever is on the futon/couch.

We are expecting another DD next month and we have a bassinet and crib ready just in case. We are also ready to all sleep in the same bed if we need to.

It's hard to say what will work and what wont, just have to give it all a try.

Honestly I am willing to do whatever it takes so that all of us can sleep well. Also i'm just enjoying cosleeping as I am sure she will one day decide she no longer wants to sleep with us! ever! =)

[Nooknookmom]

DD started sleeping in the crib from birth. When she was about 8 months, we moved her and her crib into a den-like extension of our bedroom. I cant remember exactly, but I think she got sick and I started sleeping on the floor next to her crib. Then somehow, she ended up sleeping on the floor with us. We just wanted her to sleep. Our backs started hurting so we put a mattress on the floor and got rid of her crib. This was at almost 1 year old. So for a while, we would lay with her on her mattress, and when she was asleep DH & I would move to our own bed. She would often climb into our bed in the middle of the night.

Well now we moved into a smaller space and we just have one king bed that we all sleep on. If either of us are uncomfortable, one of us sleeps on a futon. In the morning, she will leave the bed and join whoever is on the futon/couch.

We are expecting another DD next month and we have a bassinet and crib ready just in case. We are also ready to all sleep in the same bed if we need to.

It's hard to say what will work and what wont, just have to give it all a try.

Honestly I am willing to do whatever it takes so that all of us can sleep well. Also i'm just enjoying cosleeping as I am sure she will one day decide she no longer wants to sleep with us! ever! =)

Ha-I thought we were the only people who slept on the floor, w/ their DD so they would actually "sleep"!!! Had to do this w/ DD1 and we all (including 2 German Shepherds) ended up bunched together on the floor "bed". Too cool.

[MommyAllison]

We put a twin mattress on the floor for DD just after her first birthday. We started with it right next to our bed, then moved it into her room a few months later.

DS' room configuration works better with a smaller (toddler) bed right now, so he went on a crib mattress on the floor part time just before he turned one. It is tiny when not on the toddler bed frame (then at least the sides keep them from rolling off!) so we put the mattress onto the frame pretty soon after that.

[elephantmeg]

we had to re-do CIO at almost 2 with DD after her 2 week hospital stay where I let her sleep in my arms in the recliner or held her hand while she slept in the crib. It can be done. Now I will say that she had been sleeping in her crib before hand though