So, i've been reading through the forum, and found the thread on SIDS ..
I am very very very scared about this, as a friend lost her granddaughter last year... So i wanted to ask a few questions
i co sleep with Izzy - It's just me and her in big queen bed... Now what i do is have her on one side with her own set of blankets and me on the other. I like this as i am able to hear/see if she is breathing... She also sleeps in her bassinet at night sometimes too, this will be for half the night, because i find i don't get a good night sleep with her in it (always getting up worrying, etc) And during the day she is in her chair or on me (she isn't a very big day sleeper)
Now my questions are... Is my method of co'sleeping safe? should i be doing it another way? when is it time to stop co-sleeping?
Anothe questions is her cot is too big to go into my room, and her bassinet is too small for her too sleep in forever, so my question here is, when do i put her in her own room? and how? is it a straight away thing, or do i get her use to it?
SIDS would have to be one of my biggest worries... Expecially at the moment because izzy has caught a cold, that went away, got her injections a week later, her cold relapsed and went to her chest on antiboitics first 2-3 days seem to be working, her chest cleared up... now tonight it seems like its back
So relating to Izzy's Cold, i have a few more questions... what am i doing wrong She is dressed warmly each day, socks - singlets - long shirt - long pants, growsuit - singlet - wrapped up at night... very warm house, in the house by 4 (before night air sets in) vapriser in room... I'm not a smoker, neither is any one else in the house. or hardly anyone we visit smokes... and if they do its out side away from izzy... yes - to breastfeeding
it feel slike she been fighting this 'cold' for ages... and i just feel so bad... Doctors are assuring that every thing is okay, just to do with change of weather etc... but other babies arn't getting sick?
Ohh, that's my speil for today... sorry if i sound like a nutcase mother! hehe... feel like one today! need adult communication! lolz!
Last edited by Catastrophic; June 1st, 2007 at 11:31 PM.
Co-sleeping: DS sleeps cuddled up to me for most of the night (his first sleep is in his moses basket), he sleeps in a sleeping bag half under the duvet (if I don't put him under he wiggles under and pulls the duvet around his face) - I can feel him breathe on me. I would rather he slept on his own, but he hates sleeping so this is the only way I get any sleep at night. (Letting a baby sleep alone in a bed without bumpers is also unsafe, that's why the first sleep is in the crib.) You can get Izzy used to her cot by letting her play in there now, or try for a sleep in the early evening in there before you go to bed. You can co-sleep as long as you wish; the child will in the end want their own space and you'll be free again - but you can choose to end co-sleeping when you wish.
Colds are caused by a virus, not smoking or change of weather. Colds are linked to the cold weather because everyone is in close contact indoors at this time of year, not out playing. You are looking after your little girl brilliantly, she will get over this. If you're breastfeeding then it's actually good for her - she's learning how to make antibodies while the breastmilk helps fight the cold for her. Formula bubs take a bit longer to get over colds because they don't have Mummy providing a crib sheet,k so to speak. Other babies are getting sick, you just notice it more in your own.
Cass- in regard to sleeping I always found that establishing good routines helped with getting a baby to settle. I used to give my babies a cuddle in my bed when it was feeding time but then put them back in the bassinette, as I felt this helped them to know that it was the place they slept. Mine would sleep in the bassinette in my room until they were too big for it too. and for the first 3 mths I would also have them sleeping in the bassinette in the day as well. After that I would put them to sleep in the cot in their own room during the day so they were used to it, and I found I had no problems with the transition from bassinette to cot, once they were too big for it. In fact I think that in the end we both slept better as I didn't lay awake listening and they didn't hear me moving around either. Also I found that putting them in their bassinette or cot in the day actually made them sleep for longer and it seemed that the better they slept in the day the better they slept at night, sleep is supposed to promote sleep.
I am pretty sure SIDs recommends no bumpers in cots too. My biggest issue with co sleeping for extended periods is that sooner or later a baby does need to sleep in their own bed and if the only way they sleep is with you then I feel that it makes it difficult to change their pattern if it has been a very long length of time they have been co sleeping with you. So saying when a baby is sick it does give youpeace of mind to have them close by. Most colds are viruses and people just get them, dont beat yourself up about it, what you are doing is right, just unfortunate that your bub has pickedd up the virus. Hopefully she is better very soon.
You sound like I did with my son when he was first home. I was scared as hell to have him sleep on his own. He slept between my husband and I, otherwise when he was in his cradle I was up all the time making sure he was still breathing.
It wasn't until we got the angel, basically a monitor that sits under his bed and if he stops breathing an alarm goes off. I slept better at night after that, but then there was the struggle of getting him to sleep on his own. My biggest mistake was having him sleep in our bed, he is now 15 months and I do struggle every now and then with his sleeping patterns. I made two mistakes 1. I should have put him straight into his cot and not the cradle (bigger than a bassinet, he was in it till he was 6 months). 2. He should never have sleept in our bed.
My son always kicked off his blankets at night, I ended up getting him a sleeping bag with arms and now he is warm all night.
Your little one will get better in time, my neice always had colds when she was little - she was a winter baby but got over them as she got bigger. You are doing everything right, just trust your instincts and you'll be fine.
You're perfectly normal to stress about SIDS. I think most mothers do it.
I've seen the angelcare monitors on ebay for a lot cheaper than brand new, and they have the breathing pad thing that detects if they stop breathing.
Each to their own about the co-sleeping thing. I know of a child who co-slept as a baby and is now 9 years old and STILL co-sleeping! Went to stay with his grandparents and insisted that one of them sleep in the same room as he didn't want to be alone! That's obviously an extreme case!
I only ever co-slept with DD#1 when she was sick with a fever and that didn't happen until she was over 2 years old (I'd just become a single mum, so there was plenty of room and nobody to kick out!).
DD#1 was in a cot from 4 weeks (didn't like the cradle) and DD#2 was around 2 months. We have a normal monitor and it works well. We started putting her in there for day sleeps (which rarely happened!) to get her used to it first. Her first night was good but we found she slept better when we bought her a sleeping bag so she didn't get cold.
As for the virus, you've done absolutely nothing wrong - sometimes bubs just get sick. At least she'll have some nice antibodies to fight them off next year!
Oh, drat, I didn't mean cot bumpers... I meant something around the bed that stops a baby falling out if s/he rolls over or stands up et cetera. I tend to think of those as bumpers where there aren't bars on a bed, if that makes sense?
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