Co-sleeping at 8 months ????

[julie_ann_jules]

DS is 8 months old. I've got two older children (7 and 5) who were, c/s, bottle fed, controlled cried strict routine babies...... And I regret it everyday!!!!
Anyway DS3 (the 8 month old) is a VBA2C, breastfed baby. He has ABSOLUTLY NO routine and feeds whenever he feels like it He is such a happy, contented baby. Anyway he sleeps in his cot in his room. He slept in a bassinet as a newborn by my side then moved into his room at 3 months. Only he still wakes for night feeds. Sometimes he'll wake once for a feed then the next day he'll wake 3-4 times. When he wakes in the morning DH gets him out of bed and I feed him in bed where he falls alseep and we'll sleep together for about 1-2hrs before getting up.

ANyway over the past few weeks I've been thinking about co-sleeping with him. I really sic of getting up during the night to feed him. If we were in bed together he'd just crawl over and help himself and I think I'd get more sleep. Anyway my question is...... would it be silly of be to begin co-sleeping at such a late stage? He settles well in his cot. He is happy in his cot. But I hate getting up and walking to the other end of the house. How hard is it to get your child into their own bed after they have co-slept with their parents???

Any thoughts would be appreciated

[skeetaboat]

An option could be to continue to put him to sleep in his cot then bring him in the first time he wakes, that way, when you're ready to get him back out of your bed, he'll still be accustomed to sleeping in his cot, and you'll only have to get up out of bed once.

We're co-sleepers. Putting our toddler onto his own mattress in our room @ 14 months was fairly painless and easy.

[kelebek]

I have co-slept on and off with DS. He has his day sleeps in the cot, starts the night off in the cot and then he wakes up about 12 am and we sleep together for the rest of the night. We all get more sleep this way.

[smiles4u]

... probably not the answer your looking for but i just wanted to say we co-slept with our DD until she was 2.5years old (day sleeps she would sleep in her own room from about 18mths old) and we had no probs in settling her into her own room for night sleeps ... just took about 8weeks of her waking once during the night then after that ALL was fantastic

[MantaRay]

I don't see any reason why you couldn't try it. Many mums find they get more sleep that way. There's no reason that you have to start co-sleeping from the beginning.

[Megan]

We have just started co-sleeping a lot more in the last couple of months. DS was waking 3-4 times per night, I would feed him but then he would be difficult to settle back in his cot. Once I brought him into our room, he slept longer straight away. The best thing is not having to wake up properly or get out of bed when he wants a feed!
He is still quite happy to be put in his cot for his day sleeps, and his first stretch of sleep for the night when I put him down around 7pm. I figure if I still put him in there a couple of times a day, it will be easier when he goes back to his own bed full time (I hope!). I'm happy we started co-sleeping. We all get more sleep and DS can help himself to some food without either of us waking up fully!

[Barb Glare]

They all move out of your bed eventually! Co-sleeping makes breastfeeding and parenting in general a lot easier. It's comforting for everyone - one of the great joys of being a parent.

[julie_ann_jules]

Thanks everyone. I kept him in bed with me last night when he woke at midnight. I can't believe how long he fed for! He usually only feeds for 5 min but fed for almost 30 mn!Then he slept thru untill 8:30 this morning!!!!!!! woohoooo!!!!! I feel like a dfferent woman! Lets see how it goes tonight!

[smiles4u]

... i reckon as long as EVERYONE in your household is getting a good night's sleep that's all that matters

[Fig]

I started co-sleeping with my DD when she was 10 months old. Previous to that she had been very strictly in her own cot (something which i now regret). At 10 months she went to bed in her cot and then her first wake up of the night would bring into our bed. It was fantastic got proper sleep for a change, and was even easy to wean her from night feeding. She is just over 2 now and sleeps in a big bed in her own room. Some nights she gets up in the middle of the night and crawls into our bed, other nights she sleeps through. Obviously everyones experiences are different, but co-sleeping, starting late for us worked for our whole family.
Good luck with your sleeping arrangements.

[Arcadia]

I have co-slept on and off with DS. He has his day sleeps in the cot, starts the night off in the cot and then he wakes up about 12 am and we sleep together for the rest of the night. We all get more sleep this way.

Exactly the same here...although some nights I am in bed by 9pm with her

Seems like it might work a treat for you too!

[Shanti]

... i reckon as long as EVERYONE in your household is getting a good night's sleep that's all that matters

Yep I agree!! My DD is nearly 10mths and for the last 2 months we've been doing co-sleeping a bit each night too... it's the only way I can get more sleep. Otherwise i'd be up walking the halls 3-4 times a night! I'm too tired to do that....
We put DD in her cot (thats in our room now that we've moved house) at the start of the night and then when she first wakes i feed her and put her back in her cot, if she wakes a 2nd time then i keep her in bed with us..... I don't mind getting up once in the night but more than once i bring her in with us. It works well
And it's lovely waking up to that cute little person you love

[Ozziehoffy]

I agree.... you do what you gotta do to make it best for everyone I room co-sleep... cot next to me. Oskar slept there until 2 1/2 lol. Now I have Elijah there. I have co-slept with both when they wouldn't go back to sleep. In fact, only fairly recently Elijah would NOT sleep unless he was on my boob so there we were in my bed with him on my boob until I had to move due to my body going numb lol. I love how he slept better with the first night for you too

Just wanted to add re: moving to their own room/bed.... Oskar had never slept in his own room then one day after I moved his room around with his "big boy" bed he decided he wanted to sleep in there and has been there ever since. On his own. I was completely stunned and amazed! I think there comes a time where they decide they don't need that anymore??