Co-Sleeping - Springfield,MO

I don't know if you've seen to At Arm's Reach co-sleepers or not. We have one and it's been a life saver! I like it because it attaches to the side of the bed and has a side that drops down (the one next to the bed) and DS is right there next to me. For us, it's that happy medium between a bassinet/crib and having him in bed with us. Just an idea.

I think what you are doing is great - once you relax into it. I've co-slept with my 1st and plan on doing so with my newborn in July!

I don't have advice for HOW to do it, but wanted to encourage you to try everything you can to get her out of your bed ASAP. I had the exact same issue with my little one and kept telling myself "Let's wait until she's a little older. It'll be easier when she's older. We will be able to reason with her and explain why she needs to be in her own bed. . . blah, blah, blah" Wrong! Wrong! Wrong! It is harder the older she gets. She is now 3 and STILL sleeps with us. I was afraid to let her cry so I always comforted her until she fell asleep. Wasn't so bad at first, but now it takes HOURS for her to get to sleep and it doesn't matter if we're in her room or ours, I lay there for at least 2 hours every night. Try every bit of advice you are given and hopefully something will work. I wish you luck!

Bottom line...if it is working for you and you are getting sleep...Amen to that...At some point you will need to transition your baby back to their own bed...but for now go with what works for you right now.

I have no advice for you I'm sorry....but I have coslept my 3 kids, this last one is 6 weeks old and and the nights are easy for us....keep trying ....

oh ugh, the best advice I got for my first pregancy was to put the baby to sleep in their own bed! I did that from day one and have always had great sleepers. I'm sorry, I really don't have any advice since I've never had to deal with it. I hear it's a hard habit to break tho so I hope you find something that works. good luck!

I personally am a big advocate of co-sleeping and attachment parenting. We co-slept with my son until he was 9 months old (I was nursing, and it was more convenient for everyone involved). At 9 months, I transitioned him to his crib in his room, and haven't had a problem since. He's been sleeping through the night 12+ hours straight, and he's almost 2.5 years old now. I definitely recommend the At Arm's Reach co-sleeper if you don't want your baby directly in your bed.

If I hadn't been co-sleeping with my now almost 9 year old son- we would have lost him- i barely woke up and instinctively knew to pick him up, he was limp, and he woke up- if he had been in a crib, bassinet- I don't care how close he would have been to the bed- i would not have been roused and we would have lost him- an dno- I wasn't 'sleeping on him- nor was my husband- we were all together in the bed he was born in. I have 9 children- i never intended to co-sleep, but they have all liked to sleep with me at some point- yes it is hard to get used to it- but I will tell you that if you let go of the " I don't want them in my bed/it is wrong/they will never leave/etc." and just enjoy the closeness of you child- you will sleep! and they will not always sleep with you, and they grow up and are gone and then you will wish that you could cuddle with them again- instead of praying that they are OK in Afghanistan or Iraq- like my 2 oldest.

Try moving the baby into a basinet in the same room, then gradually move it to the hall then into the baby's own room. The other option is to simply sleep on the floor in the baby's room for a few nights ( I know not a comfortable situation) and then move the baby to thier crib with you on the floor, and then you completely out of the room. The quickest, would be simply to put the baby to sleep rocking then move him to his room. when he wakes go in and comfort but always put him back in his bed. eventually they will cave and be fine in thier own room.

i co-slept with both of mine for a period of time and they both transitioned and they were both good sleepers. My son was/is a champ sleeper, my daughter not as great but good. So it can be done but it takes time. Right now your daughter is telling you what she needs. And you are a good and wise mommy to listen to what she is telling you.

You might get better sleep is she isn't between you and hubby. That isn't the safest place for her. Dads just aren't as in tune. I always slept in the middle spot. I have also heard great things about the arms reach that someone else suggested.

I highly, highly recommend Dr. Sears Baby Sleep Book, The Baby Whisperer and The No-Cry Sleep Solution. These were literally life-savers when I was trying to learn about infant sleep to teach my oldest how to sleep. They have invaluable tips, tricks and info. Also, google 4th trimester. That is where you little one still is. This will also give you great info for right now to help soothe and calm her.

Good luck - my 4 year old is still sleeping with us at times but I figure he won't be sleeping with us in high school so ...!! Actually now when he gets in bed with us I go sleep in his bed. Hurray for big boy beds!

I am actually surprised that almost all of the responses so far are from parents who have or do co-sleep. My son's pediatrician was on a board that investigates deaths of babies in the home and she was adamantly against co-sleeping. After doing research, I made my own choice and I would never take that risk with my child. (I don't know where Kathy did her research but I find far different results.) I was never "for" co-sleeping in the first place. I, like you, would have trouble sleeping with my child in bed with me. Afraid I would roll on top of them or something. And my niece co-slept and they were still trying to get her out of their bed when she was eleven. I didn't want to face something like that. I did keep my children in a bassinet in my room until they were sleeping through the night well. I have two adult children and they are very close to me, and loving, caring individuals. My four year old is also very loving and affectionate. It will be easier to do it sooner rather than later. It will in all likelihood take more than just one night...but after a few nights she should adjust. Good luck to you.

You can break this cycle . There are some great tips on transitioning a toddler to their own bed at http://www.toddlerbedandmore.com under toddler tips for parents, good luck!

My son is almost 6 months old now, for about 2 months straight he would not fall asleep unless he was in my arms/on my chest. I just pulled his portable crib right up next to our bed and little bit by little bit he got used to sleeping in there on his own. At first it was hard, and I woke up with a stiff neck from holding him for long many a morning! (if I did sleep, most of the time I was so worried about falling asleep and suffocating him I didn't sleep!) I figured he just needed to be close to his mom, and now he sleeps in his crib fine. He's still close to our bed, but that's more of a personal choice - I feel safer having him close and it just feels right.

So I say just go with it for now and start slowly trying to put her in her crib when she falls asleep and she'll get used to it. Also try putting her down in her crib to nap so she gets used to falling asleep there. At only two months old, you can't be hung up on routine, etc. I think too many moms freak out about having to have the baby sleeping in an isolated room in their own crib. Just do what feels natural to you, but I know it's scary having a baby in bed because of the risk of suffocation... so I would suggest bringing a crib in close to your bed so that it's almost like she's in bed with you but safer! GL mom! :)

It's never too late to instill better sleeping habitss. My son coslept for the first three months then was moved. Yes he fussed and all but eventually the get to sleep. This is the hard part but stick to your guns or they will have bad sleeping habits later in life.

I co-slept with my first and am co-sleeping with my second. Both breastfed so it was just easier. We tried the "baby step" method in getting our first to sleep in her own room. Starting with letting her sleep in her room during the day and with us at night. Before we even got to the second stage of the method (letting them sleep in their room half the night) she naturally got tired of sharing the bed with us and wanted to sleep in her own room. We plan on using this technique with our second. Whatever you do I wish you the best of luck!!

If more people understood the need for children to be attached to their mothers and fathers and how that nearness effects brain development, no one would question the wisdom of allowing the child to sleep with one or both parents the first two years of life. Studies have been done showing that peace-loving nations traditionally do this while countries that tend to put their infants off into another room to sleep at night are far more likely to be involved in wars.

Did you know, for example, that when a baby nurses, the brain functions that can be detected by an EEG complete entrain to the mother's brain patterns? Did you know that many children develop sleep apnea after being vaccinated and that the child's breathing patterns will naturally entrain to the parents breathing patterns if sleeping with the parents? Since SIDS is generally caused by sleep apnea, it just does not happen when the infant is sleeping with the parents.

This is not just about an infant naturally desiring closeness and attachment to its parents. Infants have that natural desire because they NEED it for healthier development. Sleeping with the parents does help the child bond to the parents and grow up with a healthy attachment. It does not spoil them and make them too dependent.

There are more reasons than I could list here. The fear some parents have is that they will roll over and suffocate their baby. I researched this when I was pregnant with my son. The only incident of this happening that had been recorded was because the mother was passed out drunk. So, unless you have a severe sleeping disorder or have used drugs or alcohol, it is almost impossible to not be awakened by even an infant that is struggling for breath.

We did not put a crib in my son's room. We put a double-bed mattress on the floor in his room. When we wanted some privacy, I would lay down with our son and put him to sleep in his room. If he woke up later, I would either go back and sleep out the night with him or bring him back to our bed. When he was old enough to do this on his own, he would either end up sleeping through the night or make his own way back to our bed. He weaned on his own at 20 months. By that time, he was quite good at sleeping through the night and I had gradually spent more nights putting him to sleep in his own bed. He just naturally and gradually made this transition and never felt 'put out' of our bed. It was as natural and gradual a transition as learning to feed himself or learning to walk on his own two feet. On rare occasions when he had a disturbing dream, he would come climb in our bed in the middle of the night up to about age 7. All pretty normal. The only real problem we were never able to change was, because he used to nurse during the night, anytime he slept in our bed, his head naturally migrated toward me. I would wake up with his head on my back and his legs across his father. His nose always headed toward the old grocery supply. :)

My son now lives on another continent and has no problem being independent. :) He is an extraordinarily loving and conscientious young man. He is giving two years of his life in volunteer service to the cause of developing peace and improving the world. I sleep soundly now and I slept pretty soundly then. Just keep in mind how much more likely you are to sleep soundly the rest of your life if you give your baby what she needs. now.

I co slept with all three of my babies. My oldest until he was 1.5 and my secound we didn't start co sleeping until he was 6 months. I just got my 13.5 month old in his own bed at 11 months. You could get one of those co sleeping bassinet type things that go up against the side of the bed so she is near you but not in your actual bed. Or you could just put her in her bed and be prepared to be up all night for a few nights. It took about 5 nights to get my youngest(don't remember the other two) to sleep in his crib but your babys is young and you haven't been doing it for as long. You don't have to let her cry it out just go in and put her back to bed as long as it takes. I couldn't let my baby cry and even if I wanted to my older two have school so keeping them up just wouldn't have been fair. The first two nights were tough he got up every hour the first night then every couple the secound . It got better and better. Good luck.