Co sleeping…

I have 5 child.. my first slept like a dream, so I was completely against the idea of bed sharing… same with baby number 2..3..4..and.. along came baby number 5 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 there was just no settling her, she breastfed and she really did require the closeness and I was left to eat my words due to my ignorance 🙃🙃 as long as you do it safely it can be the most incredible experience my 5th is now nearly 3 and she still shares my bed, I’m due another in 5 weeks and I have a next to me - if the baby will settle in there she is will sleep in there, if she’s anything like her sister… I guess we will need to look at sleep arrangements 😂🙈

If done following the 7 safe rules it’s perfectly fine.
If it means you both get sleep. Go for it.

I co slept with my little one. Infact we occasionally still do (nearly 2) when he wakes in the night. It’s just easier than fighting to go back to sleep

aw haha thank you!😂 i guess it will just depend on how my baby is! Do you have any advice on making it safer ? thanks babe!

I mean I co sleep with my baby. There are no risks. If a baby breastfeeds there is actually less risk of SIDS. You can also look up the safe sleep 7 for co sleeping. Doctors and other professionals may advise putting baby into the crib but it’s honestly upto you. I prefer co sleeping because if baby keeps getting up in the night for teething it is so much easier to just nurse them there & then. Mother’s have done it for generations so it is honestly fine. I am putting my LO into a separate room when I wish to.

I meant teething but honestly just generally it’s easier for me. I don’t have to get up and walk into a different room to get baby in the night.

I love it we both get sleep, she sleeps peacefully next to me in bed, food on tap, she cuddles up to me at night and its honestly an absolute dream

I co slept with my lo from about 8 months because he was ill and didn't fit in the next to me any longer. It then became habit. We've just taught him to sleep in his room for his nap, which is going well, next step will be at night time. We put a cot side on the bed and then just make sure there is no pillows or loose bedding his side.

No drinking alcohol whatsoever! Ensure there’s no pillows above where the baby is sleeping or adult bedding, also be aware of your baby - they’ll learn to wriggle into you from a very young age… make sure you never leave them alone in the bed even just to pop to the toilet incase they start to wriggle looking for you in their sleep. Honestly I’m not going to sit here saying “you bond better blah blah blah” but there is this closeness I have with my daughter while we sleep that I sometimes feel guilty I didn’t give to my others and now at her age seeing her wake up confused or startled and see the smile on her face and how she just grabs my arm and wraps it around her tightly makes my heart melt EVERYTIME 😍

I was so against it myself until I had my child, he slept in his next to me until 5/6 months and then went into his crib as was over the weight for the next to me… I tried to keep him in his cot as much as possible but he didn’t sleep through till 16 months and i exclusively breastfed. I find co sleeping/ bed sharing was more beneficial for us to have a good nights sleep and I followed safe 7 xxx

In other part of the world co-sleeping is normal. Tbh is up to you, but if you want to do it you need to do it safely (following the safe 7). We have done something in between: our daughter sleep in her cot, next to our bed like a sidecar bed/next to me. I can bf her while being in bed, if she need cuddles we’re right there, but she has her own space.
Tbh I was against it before having children, because I thought parents needed their own space, but my daughter is a high contact baby and she’s always been such a terrible sleeper that this is what worked best for us.

Only way for us to get sleep 🥲

NHS now had guidelines on how to do it safely, lullaby trust offers a bit more detail: https://www.lullabytrust.org.uk/safer-sleep-advice/co-sleeping/

It's safe if you do it properly 💕 I know it's not for everyone but for me the risk of falling asleep in an unsafe place was higher. I have a love hate relationship with it - love the closeness and the sleep, hate being stuck sleeping on my side 😂

I was against it but past couple of nights my baby girl is waking up and last night was the first time I co slept with her, it was lovely to wake up to her next to me, anything for a bit of sleep!

if you don’t mind me asking, where did you get your bed guard from? I’m struggling to find one that’s suitable for newborns/young babies xx

ah that’s really good to know thank you! I was beginning to think I had to move my bed so it was against the wall or even just on the floor! I think we will go for this 😀

our wee one is generally happy in his wee snuz pod next to us but for the cluster feeding nights and nights like tonight where he just cries as soon as I put him down, I think co sleeping would work better for us! X

Personally I hate co sleeping. Sleep is just not the same quality. Perhaps it's because I haven't actively co slept with any of my children other than the odd night when they've been unwell or just particularly difficult to settle. Next to me crib I have to say is fantastic! These were not a thing when my eldest was born 18 years ago. Feel it's a nice compromise. They have their own sleep space but can hold a hand, rub a tummy etc x

I've done the same as Simona, so we've got a full size cot set up like a giant next to me with one side panel removed. It means he has his own space but is close enough to comfort/ for cuddles if needed and easy to breastfeed when he needs it during the night. My boys 10 months now and the need for feeds/comfort are reducing but sometimes it's frequently. It works for us as I don't have to worry about him falling off the bed and can comfort in a split second if he cries. I still follow the safe sleep 7 while he's in there as well just incase I do bring him into our bed at any point throughout the night.