My 8 mth old ds sleeps with us most of the night and has done for around 4 mths. He goes to bed in his cot in our room but comes to bed with us when I come to bed. We enjoy this time with him but want to hear how people eventually got their babies into their own bed/cot after co sleeping. Was it hard on you and your lo? How long did you co sleep for? Any tips on the transition would be greatly appreciated
- try putting the cot next to your bed and take the side down so it is like an extension on your bed (obviously locking cot legs so it can’t roll) after a while u can add the rail back and move the cot away from then bed and then into their own bedroom worked for me Louise
- Sidecar your cot so that baby gets used to their own sleep surface. And then gradually move the cot away from the bed with the side up Kimmy
- Maybe try putting a hot water bottle or heat bag in there for 15 minutes before putting your bubs in. I know my 12 week old prefers sleeping with us because of our body heat and it being so cold ATM Stayc
- Buy yourself the SAVE OUR SLEEP book by Tizzie Hall. It’s amazing! I’ve never been a book mum but have used this book for our now 2 year old. We have undisturbed 11 hours sleep every night. Go cold turkey, straight in to her cot, it only took us 2 nights to get her routine. You’ll be amazed just how clever our little ones are! It’s not a ‘controlled crying’ method… The writer disagrees with that method (as do I, it’s too traumatic for both baby and parent…) Gail
- I bed shared with my DD from the day she was born and she has never had a bottle or formula. We used the side car cot method pictured above so she could get used to her own sleeping surface and when she began to move around a lot we moved the cot away from the bed and put the side up. She’s now 10 months, and sleeps every nap and overnight sleep in her cot and I still BF her, putting her down in her cot after each feed drowsy, or asleep. I found the biggest obstacle was my own doubt that it would work!! Also, you could try BF her, then practise her getting used to being put down in your bed without you going to bed with her. Perhaps you could sit beside the bed while she drifts off to sleep, or even hold her hand, but get her used to sleeping without you physically so close. Also I’m a big fan of making sure your smell is in her cot Stodgy
- Just do it and stick to it. The longer you leave it the harder it will be. Bethany
- My daughter slept with me up until she was 15 months old it’s a long hall trying to get them in there own bed especialy if there bf. if your bf i suggest time for bottles if you wont your bed back but stay focused tell your child this is your bed, put her favourite thing in her, i started putting her in there during the day when she was awake so she could get use to it, if she cried id give her a bit then go in there tell her its her bed and sleep time. I have a DVD player in her room and she watches her favourite DVD befor going to bed usually she falls asleep 10 min into watching it. It took 2-3 weeks for her to adjust but 6 months later she loves her bed and won’t sleep anywhere else Sophie
- maybe put her in her own bed Amanda
- maybe put one of your worn, but not ‘dirty’ shirts in the cot???? Tracy
- Maybe start with day naps first & go from there. Trezna
- Save Our Sleep by Tizzie Hall. Awesome book. We used this on my.daughter from 2 weeks old and she was mostly sleeping through in her own room from 12 weeks old. Andres
- Put something that U wore for a day or two in her cot. That has youre smell. My twins were 7 months when they were put in to their Own room. And also sit with her for a bit read a bed time story while she is in her cot. Then try shhhh shhhh and leave the room do it 1 min then extend to 2 minutes go in and out the room and make the minutes longer and hopefully it will work. Worked for me. Either shhhh or a pat on the bottom for comfort. Hope it helps Goknur
- sidecar your cot. Baby will then get used to their own sleep surface and you can then choose when to move them Kimmy
- My ds is 8months & we have bed shared for most of his life. I was against it at first but really love it now which made the decision to put him in his cot really hard but we had to due to none of us getting any sleep as he wanted to feed all night!Before you decide to move your child to their cot, sit down with your partner & discuss a “game plan” – what are you willing to do & what won’t you to? For me I was deadset against controlled crying but for you it might be different. We now put our son down after his bedtime routine – he goes down awake with his dummy, a cuddly blanket & a sheep that plays white noise (on a 15min timer). If he cries, we give him an “opportunity” to self settle. This is usually 3-5 mins depending on how distressed the cry is. We go in, give verbal reassurance, replace his dummy & walk out. More often than not this works for him, if not we repeat the process. If it fails, he is picked up for a cuddle for 5 or so minutes once he is quiet & then put back to bed awake. This usually works. He is dream fed between 2130-2300 & not again until after 6am, when we let him back in bed with us for his feed & a cuddle. We started this process about a fortnight ago. The first few nights are rough – he cried at least once an hour but we weren’t getting any sleep before hand anyhow. Last night he slept from 2145 through til about 0130 then I woke him just before 7am as I was full. I would personally still love to be bed sharing but sleep deprivation was taking it’s toll on us. Good luck for the transition when you decide to do it. Karlie
- took forever finally got my ds out at nearly five but have my dd in my bed still and she’s 3 1/2 now due with baby 3 and will try my hardest to keep her out of it but that’s because its what I want. I found the transition really really hard and id say if you don’t want him in there till hes five then nip it in the bud early Samantha
- So long as bub has a seperate sleep space that they are familiar with. My second was co sleeping from a couple of weeks old and I started to transition him out from around 14mths. He is now 2.5yrs and still sometimes with come into our bed and I let him stay for a little bit and then take him back to his bed. Just take it easy, you know your own child’s personality and what they need. Ruby
- We’re trying to move our 13 month old ds into his own cot in his own room at the moment and its pretty tough! I decided it was time as he was constantly nursing over night and none of us are getting any decent sleep. I have started a consistent nap time routine and have placed him in cot and sung to him with my hand placed on his chest till he’s asleep. I tried the controlled crying but it really doesn’t seem to work for my son or us. I figure I need to nip it in the bud now and he’s doing well! Good luck it’s not easy in any way but if its what you really want you need to be strong and go for a approach which suits your baby and your family Stephanie
- We’ve loved co-sleeping with our daughter since she was born.. A few months back I just started putting her in the cot in our room once she was asleep, she woke all the time to start but now she sleeps all night in the cot. She still comes in for a cuddle in the mornings and I’m in no hurry to move her out of our room, she will be 2 in August. Emily
- We have been cosleeping from the beginning. I really love our family bed. We’ve tried to transition a couple times, but neither me or ds were sleeping well so, we decided to just wait. Some nights he starts out in his crib next to our bed and then comes to bed with us after his first wake up. Other nights he just starts out with us. We are going to try to transition here in the 3-4 months. We’re going to do a floor bed a gate off the hallway and put locks on the door so he can come into our room if he wakes up and needs me. He’s 18 months now so well be attempting the transition around 22 months. We’ll see how it goes. Olivia
- I co slept with both bubs but when they got older once they fell asleep I would move them to their own bed. And if they woke up id repeat the process, now my little ones just go to bed on their own cause they know it’s where they end up anyway. But it’s a good comfort thing when they r little to co sleep. Jill
- Coslept on and off with#1 until 3 yrs old she is a super confident 4.5year old now who sleeps in her own bed she just told us at nearly 3 she wanted her own bed #2 his slept with us from birth he has just turned 2 not ready yet like his sister…seriously cosleeping is the norm in most of the world and all those people are fine just enjoy it if it works they are little for such a short time also invest in a king sized bed! Natalie
- I co-slept with both our babies, but that was because our son was only 10 months old when our daughter was born. It was just easier to sleep with both of them, mainly because my son would wake up constantly (every 20 mins) and I also had a newborn to tend to. They both didn’t go into their own beds until they were 4 (when they told me they were ready). I don’t regret co-sleeping with them, best thing I did (even though poor hubby had to sleep by himself lol Annabelle
- I really dont have advice for you but our daughter is 6 and still ends up in my bed so while it is nice when they’re young it’s not such fun years later, I try to keep her in her bed but she says she misses cuddle time and being close so half the time my hubby sleeps in another room just so we can all get some sleep Rana
- She will cry, but stay calm. Rub her nappy and say shhhh until she settles and leave her to sleep. If she can’t settle this way leave her to cry for a time and come in and calm her after 10mins or so. Soothe her again until she settles then leave her again. She will eventually get tired and fall asleep. It may take a few nights before she understands what u want and that you’re not going to come running every time she cries. Jacente
- quickest resolution is rapid returns…. No talking other then saying it’s bed time & continue to do so until she stays in bed…. She may revolt a little but stay strong & she will get it within a night or two… Stay strong & stay firm Sherree
- Be prepared for a sleepless night but I would put a mattress beside the cot but don’t let her get out of the cot. If she is waking for a drink only give her water. Amy
- Im the mother that posted about this so im pretty positive about how last night went. She woke up a total of 4 times the last one was the worse so I layed on her fold out couch on the floor beside her cot for about an hour and she slept right through to 8am which is another girst in a long time she normally wakes about at 6am. Thanks for the advice Amanda
