who co-sleeps?

[Hayley]

We tried a few different combos earlier on, but now what works for us is this:
We have our mattress on the floor with our son's cot mattress on the floor next to us. He has day naps on our mattress. He starts night sleeps on his mattress, then when he wakes he comes up onto our mattress.

Re the Sids recommendation> I've done some research and tha actual statistics on baby deaths reveal that co-sleeping is MUCH safer - so I get really angry that sids and kids recommends a cot. They don't actually have any good reason or evidence to show WHY they recommend this. The trouble with stats is that they record co-sleeping in a variety of situations, eg on a couch/beanbag etc, which just isn;t safe. When SAFELY co-sleeping, there are only a handful of SIDS cases at most; and 'accidents' are just as rare.

Basically you make sure that the mattress is firm, baby can't be suffocated by bedding/pillows, or get trapped anywhere. Also you shouldn't co-sleep if your or your partner smoke, are drunk or affected by drugs......

We co-sleep because we like the bonding, it feels natural, we don;t have to get up in the night, and we believe its quite safe to do so.

[Ambah]

We have done co-sleeping in various ways with Aidyn.
Funnily enough it was only when he was a newborn for the first month or so that I couldnt sleep with/near him as I was so completely anxious and edgy with every noise that he made which stopped me from getting any sleep!
But when he was 1 month+ most commonly we would settle him in our bed with us, then transfer him to his cot once asleep. Then he would be back in our bed after his early morning feed.
When we was older (8 months +) we took one side off his cot and put it between our bed and the wall, so it was like an extension, and it stayed like that until he was over a year.
I used to co-sleep with him at nap times quite frequently when he was younger as well, but not so much when as he got older.
Now that he is over 2, co-sleeping pretty much doesnt work anymore. He comes into our bed for his early morning bottle, but does not go to sleep again with us. If he ever cries and come in our bed during the night, he is usually really restless sleeping between us after a while, and will ask to go back to his cot.

[hannanat]

DH and I sleep head to toe with a child each. I often wake up with a foot up my butt. I dont know where this baby is going to fit

[MummaBear79]

My 7 month old co-sleeps too and nuzzles at the breast all night. It has definitely been a great and easy 7 months but, as much as I hate to say it, I would LOVE for him to sleep in his own cot now. He goes to bed at night in his cot but will wake at around 11 and come in with me and stay there until the morning. However, lately I have been trying to put him in his own cot after a feed but he just wakes straight away and screams until he comes back into bed with us. I start a night time mothercraft nursing job in mid aug and desperately want him sleeping through the night by then so my hubby can get some sleep!! Does anyone have any ideas about getting them out of co sleeping????

[PrincessLollyPopLePink]

Our three year old still sleeps with us every night

[Trish]

I have co slept with all of my children too. During the daytime naps they go into their own cots and they go down there at first in the night. When Tehya wakes for her first feed she comes into bed with me and thats where she stays til we get up in the morning. Can't say that I get a great nights sleep though.

[Jesswith6]

I got told tonight that co-sleeping is not allowed anymore, can someone please clarify this for me?

[Ambah]

I have not heard that anywhere Jess.... There is no way that co-sleeping couldnt be allowed!! People have a right to sleep next to their own children!!!
On the Sids and Kids website, it does say that co-sleeping is not recommended, but they do give a list of safe guidelines for people that do choose to co-sleep.
I honestly believe that no-one has the right to tell any parent that they are not allowed to co-sleep, unless maybe it was being done unsafely?

[Jesswith6]

I co-sleep with both Pat and Bella. Pat sleeps next to me and Bella sleeps in between me and DH.??The lady tonight said that because of SIDS co-sleeping is not recommended and when I mentioned that I can think of plenty of people who co sleep their children she said well if you do it then I will have to remove him/them from your care!

[Ambah]

That is just so, so, so, so wrong... they cannot do that... and surely they cannot even threaten to do that???
I am absolutely gobsmacked... why are they wanting to remove babies from loving parents who co-sleep, when no doubt there are many neglected and uncared for little ones out there.
That is just SO wrong.
There must be somewhere that you can file a complaint about this. They should not be able to get away with threatening that???

[PrincessLollyPopLePink]

That is just so, so, so, so wrong... they cannot do that... and surely they cannot even threaten to do that???
I am absolutely gobsmacked... why are they wanting to remove babies from loving parents who co-sleep, when no doubt there are many neglected and uncared for little ones out there.
That is just SO wrong.
There must be somewhere that you can file a complaint about this. They should not be able to get away with threatening that???

Right on!!! how DARE they

[Bella&AleishasMum]

We co-sleep with Bella until she was 3, but not with Aleisha because she seems to sleep better in her cot. They are so different to each other. She likes to move round in her cot but Bella was different, she hated her cot and would wake up after an hour or so when she realises she was in it.

[~Saram~]

I co-slept with DS and found in the first 3-6 mth yes he woke more often but who could say he wouldn't have woken that often if we hadn't coslept. On the other hand I found he then slept more peacefully from 6 mth on because we coslept.

I did have the cot beside us and DS would sleep between me and the edge of the bed as DH didn't feel comfortable with he baby between us. This time around I am looking at buying a co-sleeper which attaches to the bed. Enjoy this beautiful time. I loved sleeping with my bubba and still love it when DS crawls into bed with us.

[Phteven]

Jess, these are the current co-sleeping guidelines from the SIDS and KIDS website

11. Is it safe to bedshare with my baby?
Many adult sleeping environments are unsafe for infants and may increase the risk of SIDS and fatal sleep accidents. Each year, several babies die whilst bedsharing.
An adult sleeping environment can be hazardous for infants and young children partly because the bedding generally includes pillows and duvets, which are not recommended in an infant’s sleeping environment.
Research has shown that the risk of SIDS and fatal sleep accidents increases in the following circumstances.
If a parent who smokes bedshares with their infant
If a parent is under the influence of alcohol or drugs that cause sedation
If a parent is excessively tired
If other children share the bed with an infant
If the infant gets caught under bedding e.g. pillows and duvets
If the bed is a water bed or if the mattress is too soft
If a parent falls asleep with an infant on a sofa
If an infant gets caught between the bed and the wall or falls off the bed
If the infant is rolled on
Research in New Zealand and the UK has shown that sleeping baby in the same room, but not in the same bed, with the parents in the first six to twelve months of life is protective. This is thought to be because parents can see the baby and easily check to see that baby is safe. This protective effect does not work if the baby is in the room with other children probably because the children do not know if an infant is safe or not.
Never sleep baby on a soft mattress, couch beanbag, or waterbed with or without a parent as there is a very high risk of a sleep accident.

As you can see co-sleeping is not considered intrinically dangerous and they don't recommend against it. What they recomend against is unsafe sleep environments such as parents affected by intoxicants or sleeping in waterbeds etc.
I would tell that woman to learn the SIDS guidelines instead of misquoting them.

[Coolabahdee]

We have co slept with all of ours, I wouldn't have it any other way. My older 4 are all in their own beds and have always slept through the night, sure we have had nights where baby has fed all night but that just goes with their growth spurts. Baby no. 5 is currently sleeping with DH and I and he also sleeps 8 hours at night. I have a crib next to the bed but he hasn't slept in it at night yet. Miss 3 is the only one to still come in at night for a cuddle, but even those a few and far between these days (sniff, sniff)

[simone]

I co-slept with my first, but after dh and i got together we made the decision not to, only as DH rolls around alot, and because we watched his sister rock her first to sleep, and co sleep... now her child is nearly 4, and wont go to his own bed at all, and insists to be cuddled to sleep. She now has 2, (dont know when they were able to get time alone to conceive!) and never has time to spend with #2 as #1 is very clingy all the time.