Sleeping arrangements

Our baby was in his own cot in his own room when we came back from hospital. 3 days later the lactation consultant suggested he sleep with me to encourage breastfeeding. well 3 weeks later he was still not breastfeeding and with the heat and humidity in Miami (and an aircon not working properly) he was waking up soaking wet in sweat and sleeping very restlessly. So at 4 weeks he was back to his own cot and sleeping much better and waking up dry!

So now he sleeps there...all on his lonesome! I did enjoy him in the bed and perhaps if the heat thing wasnt such an issue - he might have still been in the bed with me

But I do like that when I sleep now, I dont have to keep my arm in a certain position to hold him all night long. And I do like that the bed is now only for me and DH

Laurakim, I am afraid I am going to be of no help to you other than to say I am also that mommy. The one who has to lay next to her little girl (now 2y9m) every night and no-one else will do. The mommy to the little girl who, when her daddy asks, "Can Daddy come lay next to you?", she lays her head on her mommy's shoulder, sucks her dummy a little bit harder, looks daddy square in the eye and says "No"

But I am not going to be of any help, because I wouldn't have it any other way. I love that time! At this rate, Erin is gonna have to ask me to get out of her bed And her bath lol!

They are only small for so long, they are only going to want us around for so long. I'll take what I can get for as long as I can.

Lorif, good luck with moving E out x

Claudia - I like your approach and it is sort of what we tried to do with my son but it just didnt work out for some reason and I think his sleep issues put me off co-sleeping.

And now having had my last baby 7 years ago I am not sure I want to give up my bed

Jems I pm'd you this as well, but the link for other moms is:

drjaygordon.com/attachment/sleeppattern.html

Claudia - tell me about this gentle night weaning technique please? Troy on the boob like 5 times a night now. I think I need to put an end to it. Refuses dummy and I am at my end of being a dummy stage now...

My sleeping arrangements have changed as James needs changed, but I'm mostly a cosleeper, and prefer it that way...

James slept with us for the first three months, because breastfeeding its def the easiest way to get sleep. Then he started sleeping 10-5 on his own, and because he had always started the night in his own cot (to give hubby and I some of our own time) it made sense to keep him there. When he woke I would bring him into bed with us for another hour or 2 sleep.

His 6 month sleep regression never went away and so although he started the night in his own cot, I would bring him into bed with us once he woke and I had gone to bed. He sleeps MUCH better this way, mainly because nursing puts him to sleep quicker, but I think he feels secure with being close. In his own cot he wakes up hourly, with us he goes longer. At 9 months he was waking/kicking/crawling so I put him back into his cot for safety. He went back to hourly wakings... but wouldnt go back to sleep.

He then went through a stage of waking hourly in bed with us to suck, so at 11 months 3 weeks did a gentle night weaning technique which worked really well and he started sleeping better again as long as he is in bed with us. In th last week (and I can say the words now because he has done it 4 nights in a row) Ive been able to put him in his cot and just sit in the room until he goes to sleep (I previously rocked/nursed him to sleep). He now only wakes up once in the middle of the night, so the plan is to try him in his own cot from this weekend.

I love cosleeping, but I'm also a firm believer that children do things when they are ready, and he seems to be showing signs of needing me less and being ready to go the distance on his own:)

Sleeping is a such a personal and varied experience. For most of my life I have been an insomniac for instance, which actually helped me to cope with the lack of sleep brought on by newborns.
So I think with kids one really has to find a way of sleeping that suits everyone, you, baby and hubby/partner.
I love co-sleeping and Ethan has barely spent any time in his cot as a baby. Like Nayeela I feel that I spent so much time of the day away from Ethan that sleeping with him at least give us the closeness that we otherwise would not have.

However, he sleeps all over the place. I often end up with a foot in my face . Hubby is also getting a bit gatvol of being kicked in the side all the time. So now we have started the process of getting him in his own room. For starters he is now sleeping in his cot. We got a really big one that turns into a single bed, so we have taken the railing off on one side and pushed it against the foot of the bed. The next (big) step would be his own bed in his room.
He still crawls into our bed in the early morning and would probably do so for a few years and that is absloutely fine with me .