Questions for Co-Sleepers

[BabyMagic]

Hi Co-sleepers

I have a few questions for you:

1) when did your LO start sleeping through a night (I read that it takes longer for co-sleepers to do so)?

2) how often does your LO feed at night?

3) what are your reasons for co-sleeping?

4) if you have more than one young child, what are your (co?)sleeping arrangements?

5) what does your OH think of co-sleeping?

6) how long are you aiming to co-sleep? is there any particular reason for this?

I love cuddling my baby at night and she seems content in the bed with me. I particularly love the way she wakes me up in the morning (few gentle strokes and then a smile when she succeeds).

I initially thought to co-sleep until three months and then until six months, but when I put LO in her cot it just didn't feel right (I did put her in her cot for a while when she was about two months but I kept waking up every time she moved)

 

[beanie]

1) when did your LO start sleeping through a night (I read that it takes longer for co-sleepers to do so)?
Seren was 13 months old, Calluy did at a few weeks but started waking again at 4 months and still does.

2) how often does your LO feed at night?
About twice

3) what are your reasons for co-sleeping?
It feels right. I believe that my children have spent 9 months in me, and they need to develop the confidence to sleep in their own bed and that they will do so in their own time. Plus I love having my children close, and it means I can get a better nights sleep.

4) if you have more than one young child, what are your (co?)sleeping arrangements?
Seren tends to sleep in her own bed, but occasionally comes into bed with us. Usually I sleep in between them, but now Cally is older they sometimes do sleep next to eachother (it is so cute when they cuddle up)

5) what does your OH think of co-sleeping
he is very supportive, her has seen how it works for us and agrees with it.

6) how long are you aiming to co-sleep? is there any particular reason for this?
till they choose to sleep in their own bed, my reasons were explained in 1. I know they will do, there are some stories out there about a child who refuses to go into their own bed but my own experience and the experience of other co-sleeping mums I have spoken with shows me that the vast majority of co-sleeping children will go into their own beds easily.

 

[BabyMagic]

Thanks Beanie - your thoughts sound quite similar to mine. Just makes me wonder why in the world did we spend so much money on a nice cot

I am lucky like you as it was originally OH who suggested co-sleeping when LO didn't settle during her first night. OH is away a lot so when he is at home he can maximise his time with LO while cuddling her at night. And when OH is away I love having LO cuddling me all night.

We have thought of co-sleeping with LO until she can have a proper bed (without cot sides) so that she can come to our bed when she needs it.

 

[purple13]

1) when did your LO start sleeping through a night (I read that it takes longer for co-sleepers to do so)?
he never has TBH i don't think being in his own bed/own room would make any difference. he wakes to feed and really does guzzle...

2) how often does your LO feed at night?
2/3 times at least...

3) what are your reasons for co-sleeping?
i never intended to at the start but connor would only sleep lying on our chests when he was a newborn. then when he started to sleep in his cradle at the side of the bed it was only for a couple of hours til he needed feeding, then he'd feed whilst i slept. now we have a bedside cot and he crawls over into our bed and hits me when he wakes for boob in the middle of the night

4) if you have more than one young child, what are your (co?)sleeping arrangements?
only the 1 so far... but i'd hope that we'd be like beanie with future babies

5) what does your OH think of co-sleeping?
he likes it, although he's started to talk about connor moving into his own room when we move house. but even if that happens, i reckon connor will be back in bed with us before the morning...! the 3 of us woke up this morning in one big cuddle, with connor in the middle stroking his daddy's face. best alarm clock in the world

6) how long are you aiming to co-sleep? is there any particular reason for this?
i think connor will end up in bed with us at some point until the day he sleeps through. i want to let him self wean so, for as long as he needs boob in the night, our bed is open to him.

 

[Squiglet]

1) when did your LO start sleeping through a night (I read that it takes longer for co-sleepers to do so)?
Lil miss has started to sleep through now at 9 months... She sleeps from 9 until 4/6 which for me is sleeping through as lil miss has an active brain. I do put her in her own cot though to go to sleep but when she wakes at 4/6 she comes in with me and has a nice booby feed and cuddle till 8

2) how often does your LO feed at night?
Technically once at 6am BUT she has both boobs now if she wakes at 4 she'll feed twice.

3) what are your reasons for co-sleeping?
I co slept to get more sleep. Booby feeding and co sleeping go hand in hand imo. It didn't feel right for her to be to far from me I feel incomplete.

4) if you have more than one young child, what are your (co?)sleeping arrangements?
I co slept with Tia till she was 3/4 years old...now she never comes into bed with me ewww mummy bed with a smelly farting dad in it...

5) what does your OH think of co-sleeping?
He thinks lil miss should be on her own...but as she won't settle for him he gives up and brings her in for boob

6) how long are you aiming to co-sleep? is there any particular reason for this?
As long as she requires feeding in the night. just because its easier

 

[keli]

1) when did your LO start sleeping through a night (I read that it takes longer for co-sleepers to do so)?
Cooper has never slept through

2) how often does your LO feed at night?
He feeds 2/3 times sometimes more

3) what are your reasons for co-sleeping?
Because i BF and he feeds so much it means i get more sleep.

4) if you have more than one young child, what are your (co?)sleeping arrangements?
Only have one.

5) what does your OH think of co-sleeping?
Am single.

6) how long are you aiming to co-sleep? is there any particular reason for this?
Until he goes into his own bed really not really thought about it. I plan on him self weaning so he'll be in with me for a long time yet

 

[Talia_baby]

Hi Co-sleepers

I have a few questions for you:

1) when did your LO start sleeping through a night (I read that it takes longer for co-sleepers to do so)? She has only slept through the night in her cot about 3 times when she was around 4 months. Now she will go from 7pm to 1amish in her cot then she comes in with me for a feed and stays there till morning.

2) how often does your LO feed at night? Anything from once to 3 times depending on how much she is disturbed and woken up.

3) what are your reasons for co-sleeping? makes bf at night easier, both get more sleep and i personally enjoy the closeness.

4) if you have more than one young child, what are your (co?)sleeping arrangements? n/a

5) what does your OH think of co-sleeping?well oh doesnt sleep in the same bed as us as he is a deep sleeper and snores loudly!! He doesnt mind too much as i get into his bed and snuggle and what not untill lo wakes up then i get into bed with her so it works out ok.

6) how long are you aiming to co-sleep? is there any particular reason for this? untill lo has weaned her self off the breast at night and starts sleeping trough in her cot.

I love cuddling my baby at night and she seems content in the bed with me. I particularly love the way she wakes me up in the morning (few gentle strokes and then a smile when she succeeds).

I initially thought to co-sleep until three months and then until six months, but when I put LO in her cot it just didn't feel right (I did put her in her cot for a while when she was about two months but I kept waking up every time she moved)

 

[BabyMagic]

Thanks for your replies. I knew there were a few of us co-sleepers around and it's great to hear that we share similar views.

I wonder how long the self weaning takes for all of us. Keep up the good work

 

[Redshoes]

1) when did your LO start sleeping through a night (I read that it takes longer for co-sleepers to do so)?
Ophelia since birth has slept from roughly 11pm-midnight until 3-4am and then goes back until 9am, it's usually Isaac that wakes her. Isaac had a 5am waking up until being about 9months old'ish I think, then he'd sleep through. Both my babies will/would happily sleep forever when in bed with me, I think co-sleeping helps sleeping through personally

2) how often does your LO feed at night?
Once.

3) what are your reasons for co-sleeping?
I cannot bear her to be away from me when I'm asleep and I believe there's many benefits from co-sleeping, and many safety factors which put my mind at ease, plus I just love sleeping with my babies

4) if you have more than one young child, what are your (co?)sleeping arrangements?
Isaac is in his cot and Opjelia is in bed with OH and I (we're all in same bedroom though, waiting on the council to move us )

5) what does your OH think of co-sleeping?
Doesn't bother him whatsoever, we have a perfectly normal sex life (if that was one reason why you asked the question hehe).

6) how long are you aiming to co-sleep? is there any particular reason for this?
With Isaac it was up until 5months because by then he needed a bedtime alone as he couldn't stay in room until we went to bed and so he was given a dummy and a cot. I didn't plan the age that's just when it became apparent I couldn't be going to bed at 7pm but Isaac needed to so we had to change the co-sleeping, from then on he'd get in with us about 5-6am and sleep a few more hours until getting up.

On a final note, it still suprises me that co-sleeping is the lesser chosen route, or appears so from Mummy's stories on here, I would have thought it would be the more favoured choice hehe

 

[BabyMagic]

On a final note, it still suprises me that co-sleeping is the lesser chosen route, or appears so from Mummy's stories on here, I would have thought it would be the more favoured choice hehe

I agree with you! At times I feel that co-sleeping is frowned upon. Even my own dad said that we shouldn't do it so that LO wouldn't get used to it, and that it will be more difficult to move her to her own bed later. Funny that he said so as I used to sleep with my mum or brother until I went to school (at seven years as kids go to school later in Finland). And she has no rush to get into her own bed. In the end before we know it they go to uni etc!

 

[Tillytots]

1) when did your LO start sleeping through a night (I read that it takes longer for co-sleepers to do so)?
James has slept through quite a few times. Although just as he starts to settle he'll start an episode of teething or a growth spurt so he is awake again but at least I get 3 or 4 days of sleep in a row a month

2) how often does your LO feed at night?
Once but if he is having a growth spurt it can be every few hours

3) what are your reasons for co-sleeping?
I just like the closeness. It feels right and Im sure I get more sleep than if he was in his own cot!!

4) if you have more than one young child, what are your (co?)sleeping arrangements?
I only have the one.

5) what does your OH think of co-sleeping?
This isnt applicable as its just me and Jamesy but family say Im silly for co-sleeping

6) how long are you aiming to co-sleep? is there any particular reason for this?
I havent thought about it really but we are both happy for now snuggling in the same bed

 

[moss]

1) when did your LO start sleeping through a night (I read that it takes longer for co-sleepers to do so)?
Right away, with a couple of exceptions.

2) how often does your LO feed at night?
Once at about 11

3) what are your reasons for co-sleeping?
I like being with him all of the time, he is always the perfect temperature when he's with us, he feels more secure, etc

4) if you have more than one young child, what are your (co?)sleeping arrangements?
N/A

5) what does your OH think of co-sleeping?
Just look at my post "Jacob's first month" in the photos and stories section to find out!

6) how long are you aiming to co-sleep? is there any particular reason for this?
Until we are all ready to be apart. They're only tiny once and I'm not going to push him away

 

[BabyMagic]

They are more co-sleepers here than what I thought!

Tilly - my family tries to convince me to stop co-sleeping too .

Moss - I agree with you that they won't stay babies forever and before we know they find us parents uncool, so let's embrace the closeness while we can.