Could co sleeping be behind is bad sleep habits of a night?

[Haydies]

Hi Anna,

I just wanted to jump in and say that I have co-slept with Savannah from day 1 and she is a beautiful sleeper now. We're just coming out of a phase of her waking every 3 hours for a feed and the night before last I got a whopping 5 and a half hours straight!! For the past couple of weeks though she was feeding at midnight, 3am, 6am etc. Just a phase.

For 6 weeks it sounds pretty normal. Although I would also suggest the "making sure it's light during the day and dark at night" advice.

I can't really comment if the co-sleeping is the cause, I'm still on my first and have no other comparisons. But Savannah sleeps beautifully with me, cuddled up against my chest. And breastfeeding over night is a breeze as she finds her way there. Most times I'm awake long enough to notice the time and that's it.

[Freya]

Our bed is a queen size and currently only occupied by bub and I - DH has taken himself into the spare room lol

Well night before last I tried sleeping him in the bassinette. He went down fine and stayed there through 2 feeds with minimal fussing/effort but I caved and brought him back into bed with me after the 5am feed. Last night he started out in the bassinette but ended up with me for most of the night.

I think I'll keep going with the co sleeping but atleast I know he will sleep elsewhere.

thanks for the advice guys!

[MantaRay]

Anna, I am glad to hear that you are going to keep co-sleeping. I think it is great for mum and bub and in the long run you'll get more sleep that way. I am sure it won't take too long for him to start sleeping for longer stretches.

I think sometimes we get spoilt by our first bubs - Jack was sleeping through from 6 weeks, but Tom was a terrible sleeper for 12 weeks and didn't sleep through regularly until 12 months. I's funny though, Tom has gone on to become a better sleeper than Jack so you never can tell!

[sushee]

Anna that's great news! At Ripley's age, things change so much and so often, and it's likely that it's nothing to do with the co-sleeping that he's waking often right now, so I'm really glad you're going to persist. As I said, Charlie and I didn't co-sleep and he was still just one of those babies that woke a lot. He's an excellent sleeper right now, so things do change, get better, get worse, then even out eventually.

[Bathsheba]

Sounds like a good idea (starting off in bassinette beside the bed then bringing him in with you when he cries). I have found that if you can get your newborn sleeping in a variety of locations it's really good down the track. When my sons were newborns I had them regularly sleeping in: the big cot in the nursery, a smaller crib beside my bed, the bassinette style pram, our bed, and in the port-a-cot that was permanently set up in the lounge (that way when we have trips it's not a new thing)... they would also sleep in the sling when i was out. This variety from a young age is really useful because as they grow older they can become more particular. So I think getting him used to sleeping in the bassinette as well as your own bed is a great solution.

[beckles]

hiya anna, those night time snuggles are beautiful aren't they. you sound like you are really enjoying them. i co-slept with all 3 of mine and they all slept differently. 1 thrashed around the bed getting comfortable, one would crawl upsidedown and sleep between us that way and one went in the middle and didn't move except for breastfeeds. i guess at 6 weeks you are all getting to know each other and learning to sleep together, i certainly don't think you are disturbing his sleep he would probably wake as frequently if not more frequently if he were no sleeping with you. i would give it time, you will all get in sync eventually and have a more peaceful night knowing your bubba is within easy reach to respond to when needed. good luck
beckles

[Smoke Jaguar]

How are you going now, Anna?
FWIW, we have co-slept since day one and DS still stirs in his sleep for feeding once or twice a night (maybe more, depending on how he feels in himself) and we get a great night's sleep. We're used to each other and it took a bit of stubbornness on my part because DP wanted to kick DS out at about 3 or 4 weeks of age...it felt all wrong by my gut instinct to have him sleeping elsewhere, even if it was next to our bed, and now we all thank me! It took some adjusting and working each other out and we definitely reap the rewards now. It wasn't easy, and neither is a lot of stuff that's worth persevering with

[Freya]

Forgot about this thread

He's been in his cot in the room across from ours since 9wks because he got too big for the bassinette and started sleeping through. Dh and I decided it was time to have our bed back seeing as he wasnt being breastfed or waking during the night. He's a champ at sleeping now and he much prefers the cot as he can scoot around in his sleep without bumping into one of us.

Thanks for all the advice though, I appreciate it!