Experiences and thoughts on co-sleeping

I ended up xo sleeping with my little girl when she was born- she was premature and just wouldn’t settle anywhere other than with me and dad. She now is in her next to me comfortably but still comes in on a morning at around 5.00am. I think if done safely it’s amazing and will help both you and little one sleep! X

It’s very very normal at this age but doesn’t make it easier I know. Have you tried a Moses basket overnight? Sometimes the next to me cribs are a bit on the big side in the early weeks so it can feel overwhelming for them. Have you tried a swaddle? The type with the Velcro across the front so they can wiggle their arms out? I am a HV and professionally I have to advise not to co sleep however their are ways to do it as safe as possible and I ended up co sleeping with my second until she was about 5 months. I didn’t have any duvet over me so she couldn’t wriggle under it or get too hot, I also breastfed so I could feel her latching on all night, I wasn’t on any medication and didn’t drink or smoke. I think the lullaby trust or unicef have a leaflet on it so check out their website it’s something like bed sharing with your baby safely.

I used my pregnancy pillow to fill the next to me crib with it and then wedged my girl in. It was quite a snug fit but it worked. She wasn’t difficult to put down to sleep but it provided her with a bit of extra comfort.

I think it’s very normal to be that attached at such a young age. I think if your going to do it, or end up falling asleep with baby anyway then make sure you follow the guidance. We have a next to me but he still ends up in our bed at times, although me and my partner still take shifts so there is only one of us in the bed and baby has basically half the bed so if he roles he is still safe. If I could go back, I would try to persevere longer with getting him to sleep in his next to me as I think he has got used to it and now it’s difficult to change.

This is so so normal! Coslept with both my babies for the same reason, no reason it should feel frowned upon- it can absolutely be done safely, and it’s SO much safer than lots of the alternatives 😣 Please don’t put anything into their cot to make it a smaller space/feel more cosy etc. I had a fantastic midwife with my second that talked all about it, 1/2 of the HV I’ve had have also given advice and it’s all on the lullaby trust. Also brilliant info on Instagram from happycosleeper and cosleepy. I’ve also had no issues stopping cosleeping when we felt it was right.

We had this problem with my last baby, we found he settled in the Moses basket downstairs but not in the next to me.. I literally put the Moses basket inside the next to me for a good 2 weeks and then put a next to me cot sheet in the Moses basket and let him sleep on it a couple of nights, moved that sheet into the next to me and he settled like a dream.. sorry no advice on co-sleeping as I haven’t done it with mine but that’s what we did to help him get used to the cot x

Totally normal at this age. You could trying wearing his bedsheet in your top for a day so it smells Of you. I co slept with both of mine for a good 3-6weeks at the beginning. My youngest still normally now ends up in our bed at 5am, my first did too at her age till she was about 15months then just slept in her space. Xx

My girl slept on my chest from 3 weeks old to 7 weeks old! I’m a single mum and it was literally the only way I could get any rest 😅 I fell asleep a couple of times accidentally and it terrified me so I did some research and learned how to do it safely ☺️ at 7 weeks we started to co-sleep and still do now at 5 months old (she is too fidgety for the next to me and wakes every 5 mins and I don’t currently have space for her cot) I spoke to my HV visitor etc and she just said to check out lullaby trust which I’d already done anyway. Make sure you do your research on how to do it safely and you will be fine ☺️

For the first few weeks with my eldest we just had to take it in turns holding him. I never co-slept as I was far too worried. Probably related, but breastfeeding directly didn't work out for us and I exclusively pumped instead. With my second though we've been cosleeping almost from birth as it was the best way for the whole family to maximise sleep. Breastfeeding has been a mixed journey (CMPA 🫠) but at almost two years old we're going strong. It's got lots of pros and we've always been safe. But there are definitely cons too. My husband and I haven't slept in the same bed for more than 3ish hours in nearly two years! If you want to cosleep then do so, it's fine! Just make sure you're following all the safe sleep guidelines. It's not really frowned upon unless you're being unsafe which is the same for everything.

@Jana according to the lullaby trust this would be considered unsafe. It is a suffocation and over heating risk

@Louise my HV said it’s absolutely fine and just gave me some leaflets from the lullaby trust and told me to do my own research (I already had anyway). It’s crazy how different trusts vary isn’t it?

I’ve co-slept from birth with both of mine, my first would not settle no matter what I did. I tried everything, in the end I actually started hallucinating through sleep deprivation because I was constantly trying to settle him. The 2nd time around I felt more comfortable and just had her straight in the bed the second she wouldn’t settle in the next to me 😂. Have a look at safe co sleeping, it can be done xx

@Louise we have been using the bassinet of the pram inside the crib to make it cosier as suggested by midwife and have tried the Velcro swaddles, love to dream swaddles and swaddle wraps

@Jemima we have tried this with the bassinet of the pram as he sleeps in this at times during the day but still doesn’t seem to help

@Lauryn yes I work in an area with a very high infant mortality rate so we have to take the stance that no co sleeping is safe but we have a lot of risk factors in the area I work. It can be made as safe as possible (never 100% safe) and it depends on your circumstances. I used to put her down in her crib she would manage about 2 hrs so I could get showered get a drink and settle she would then wake for a feed and would maybe do another 2 hrs in her crib so I would try to sleep then when she woke again that would be it all night so that’s when I would bring her in with me. If you lie with your arm up so the baby is in your arm pit by your breast then in theory you are less likely to roll. I wouldn’t wear pyjamas because I minimised any loose fabric around her too

I told myself I wouldn’t co-sleep before baby was here as it scared me, but soon enough it went out the window as that was the only way I could get sleep some nights. I’ve educated myself and see how it can be done safely, and now if my 7w old is struggling in his next to me, then I’ll bring him into the bed and he sleeps much better. Unfortunately staying up just isn’t sustainable as my little one struggled to nap in the day at home, so there was no “nap when the baby naps” option. I think educate yourself on how to co-sleep and absolutely do it when needed, for both yours and babies sanity! x

Have a look at the account cosleepy on insta, she has some great guides! I have coslept with both my girls since birth, wouldn’t do it any other way ❤️

It’s very normal for newborns to want to sleep on us as it’s all they know. The first few weeks are about survival and it’s great that you’ve been taking shifts. It will get easier eventually but if you need more sleep look up safe co sleeping. It’s safer for baby to fall asleep in a bed that is prepared for safe co sleeping than for them to fall asleep in one that isn’t if that makes sense. Personally I have co slept the second time around which saved my sanity as the sleep deprivation nearly broke me with my eldest. I did chest sleeping for the first few weeks - look up co sleepy on Instagram for how to do this safely

@Louise ohh that’s really sad 😞 yeah my girl started to settle for short amounts of time eventually but I was just exhausted. We have always slept in the c curl position and still do now ☺️ I have a thin blanket, tight fitting clothes (and a very warm house thankfully) and 1 pillow with a small pillow behind my back because I have back problems, my bed is firm and we have nothing else on it so I feel very safe with her now ☺️ her next to me is still set up on the side she sleeps so that if she were to roll she would end up in there 😅

Do what works for you and your family. If co-sleeping means you as parents get a better quality sleep at night then do it! Do some research on the safe ways to co sleep so you are fully confident to do it. I didn’t co-sleep every night just on the bad nights when my baby wouldn’t settle and I just needed sleep x

Try a hot water bottle in his bed first to warm it up, also maybe try a mosses basket that's not so big space and more cosy for them, try and be persistent and hope they settle soon as I don't think co-sleeping is the best option x

I have co slept with both my babies. Tried to get them to sleep in a crib but it just doesn’t happen. It’s biologically normal for them to want to sleep with you and actually has loads of developmental benefits. Most cultures across the world co sleep, just been made to seem abnormal in western societies. As others have said, look up the guidelines on lullaby trust to help you feel more confident doing so and check out cosleepy on instagram. Also, I started with naps when someone else was home so that they could come in and check on us. Always totally fine. Your body naturally forms a curve around them and you don’t roll over :) The sleep deprivation from not co sleeping puts you in a more dangerous situation from my perspective.

I always swore I’d never co sleep, I’ve now been co sleeping for about 8 weeks with my 9 week old - follow happycosleeper on instagram, she’s great!

no hate/judgement here please (i know some people are against chest sleeping) - i sometimes chest sleep with my lil man. he’s not great at settling on his own in his next2me/moses basket. i try for a few hours each night and if he gets down, fine - i let him sleep, but some nights when hes really having none of it i chest sleep. not everyone will agree with it, but it works for us, and means i can get a decent bit of sleep too. cosleepy on instagram have a highlight about chest sleeping and how to make it as safe as poss. happy to answer any questions if you need to know more xx

9/10 parents will co sleep at some point even if they never intended to according to research by the Lullaby Trust. It's much safer to be prepared for co sleeping and set up your sleep environment so that it's ready for co sleeping in case it happens accidentally

I have been cosleeping since my child was probably 2months old.