Where to sleep

[hedgehog2000]

I was reading that it is safer for your baby to sleep in your room for the first 6 months ( in terms of reducing risk of cot death) Does anyone know why this is. I wasn't planning to do this. What do you all do?

Thank you

 

[Urchin]

Hiya
There are lots of reasons they think sharing a room helps reduce the risk. These include:
You can hear and check on your baby easily
The baby can hear you breathing and this may help regualate their breathing.
The room temerature can be felt by you all the time.


Brody sleeps in our room in a crib next to the bed.

 

[beanie]

Seren is still in her crib by our bed. She has a cot in her nursery but IO am leaving her where she is for now, she is nearly 4 months old. I would just end up sleeping in the nursery so think it is more comfy this way lol. I heard that sleeping by mummy helps to regulate their breathing, but as I am asleep when Seren is I have no idea how true this is

 

[Manda]

Abi has been in her own room since about 5 weeks as long as you have a baby monitor you can still hear everything and probably more as they pick up every little sound, i've got one of the nursery thermometers which tell you if it's too hot, too cold or just right IMO if a baby is going to die from cot death it will happen regardless of where it sleeps, i am the most paranoid person and even now put my hand on Abis beely to make sure shes breathing i say do what you feel comfortable with and dont let anyone else tell you otherwise

 

[lisa31]

Heidi has also been in her room since 5 weeks old. When she was in our room she was continually disturb by us going in and out and by the dog who sleeps in there as well! She is also a noisy sleeper and every single noise / squeak I would be up and half the time she had just fallen back sleep and then I was awake and absoulty knackered!! We tried her in her own room and she slept really well. We are having problems with her going down at the moment but I dont think that it is because she is in her own room.

She has been in her cot since 7 weeks as she kept waking herslef up by flinging her arms when she was in her moses basket, as that would wake her up cos she would hit her arms on the side the poor lamb

I'm glad you asked this question though as I have always wondered why they recommend they sleep in your room for the first 6 months as I personnaly feel that this is too long - but, everyone has their own preference and what works for some would not work for others.

Like you Manda, I am majorly paranoid and to begin with I really didnt want to move her but since we did everyones sleep has been improved to some degree -but it does worry me now a bit that they may be able to regulate their breathing if they sleep in your room - and we are not doing that. But I dont really want to move her back to our room?

I do use the monitor - i have her moniotr in her cot very near to her and then I have the other one attached to the wall near my ear! and in fact I found I hear more on that than I did when she was in my room. Perhaps a monitor where you can use it both ways (e.g she can hear what we are doing) would work, then she would hear my breathing!?

I have also read on one of those cot death leaflets that using a dummy helps as well to prevent cot death? Does anyone know know why?

L x

 

[Sarah&Braydon]

Braydon has been in his own room from day 1 its right next to mine n u can hear evevery movement

 

[Urchin]

I have also read on one of those cot death leaflets that using a dummy helps as well to prevent cot death? Does anyone know know why?

L x

They recently found that a baby who uses a dummy ALL NIGHT LONG is at less risk, because the dummy prevents the blankets from going tightly over their mouth. They also say sucking on a dummy may enhance the development of pathways in the brain that control how airways in the upper respiratory system work.
However: babies who usually use a dummy but then stop are at an increased risk of cot death on the night they do not use it!

 

[Manda]

I personally cant see how your breathing regulates the baby as surely when they're asleep they dont hear you breath anyway? they dont hear when you're pottering around and stuff thats my opinion anyway feel free to correct me

 

[Urchin]

My MW told me, but it's all over the net too:

What Research Shows

Benefits for infants

Co-sleeping promotes physiological regulation.

The proximity of the parent may help the infant’s immature nervous system learn to self-regulate during sleep (Farooqi, 1994; Mitchell, 1997; Mosko, 1996; Nelson, 1996; Skragg, 1996). It may also help prevent SIDS by preventing the infant from entering into sleep states that are too deep. In addition, the parents’ own breathing may help the infant to "remember" to breathe (McKenna, 1990; Mosko, 1996; Richard, 1998).

Parents and infants sleep better. Because of the proximity of the mother, babies do not have to fully wake and cry to get a response. As a result, mothers can tend to the infant before either of them are fully awake (McKenna). As a result, mothers were more likely to have positive evaluations of their nighttime experiences (McKenna, 1994) because they tended to sleep better and wake less fully (McKenna & Mosko, 1997).

Babies get more caregiving. Co-sleeping increases breastfeeding (Clements, 1997; McKenna, 1994; Richard et al., 1996). Even the conservative American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) admits to the breastfeeding advantages of co-sleeping (Hauck, 1998). Mothers who co-sleep breastfeed an average of twice as long as non-co-sleeping mothers (McKenna). In addition to the benefits of breastfeeding, the act of sucking increases oxygen flow, which is beneficial for both growth and immune functions. Co-sleeping infants also get more attention and protective care. Mothers who co-sleep exhibited five times the number of "protective" behaviors (such as adjusting the infant’s blanket, stroking or cuddling) as solitary-sleeping mothers (McKenna & Mosko, 1997). These mothers also showed an increased sensitivity to the presence of the baby in the bed (McKenna).

Taken from here

 

[Kim]

isn't that referring to sharing a bed with your baby rather than a room?

 

[emilia]

I suppose that Oscar shares our room with us and also our bed, because I just don't want it any other way. I can hear him if he's unsettled dispite the fact that in return, he disturbs me. I might not hear him otherwise if he was in his own room, ie. if he was sick(throwing up) during the night, etc.
I prefer it like this, but we all do things differently to suit ourselves. I would like to get him in his own room after 8 months.
i just love having him near by.... with DH working away, at least O gives me cuddles!!
Emilia xx

 

[Urchin]

The HV's at my clinic told me that when the crib is next to the bed they can hear your breathe and it helps remind them to breathe too.
Brody is in a crib but is 1 foot away from me. I don't see the difference him being one foot away from me in my bed or in his crib. The times when he has slept in my bed I stay further away from him anyway cos I am worried about the covers going over him.

Obviously though people should do what suits them. If your baby is waking you up every 2 mins with every little movement I wouldn't blame you at all if they moved the baby to it's own room!
My friend couldn't sleep with the baby in the room as she was too worried and was checking him every 10 minutes. Now he's in his own room they all sleep better

 

[beanie]

At our antenatal classes we were told the same thing and that having a baby next to you in your room can help the baby to regulate their breathing, and when I asked my HV if I was doing wrong by letting Seren sleep in my bed she said the same thing. Seren is in my room because that is where I want her, I personally feel that she is too little to be in her own room, and because I am still breastfeeding it is much more convenient for her to be in my room. Also I enjoy waking up with her in my bed. I'm not at work at the moment so catch up on sleep during the day if I have had a bad night. However those are my personal reasons, everyone is different. I know mums who have put their baby in their own rooms at the start and they have been fine. We all do what suits us at the end of the day

 

[Manda]

They keep changing things all the time one minute you're advised against something then next minute completely the opposite, Abi was in her own room in SCBU due to an eye infection she had so there was noone with her all the time to regulate her breathing and she was fine like said before do what you're comfortable with

 

[lisa31]

Ummm I dont know what i think anymore! ? but i feel now that if something happened to Heidi it would be our fault cos she is not in our room. But there isnt really a lot of room for her cot and i think that would be taking a step back doing that.

I do have a couple of co-sleeping questions though- as I was chatting with D/H about this.

when do you put them to bed? i know my cousins little 8 month old would crawl out if she woke up and you wernt in bed with them - do you have to keep them up with you at night until you go bed?

How do you stop them getting too hot? Heidi sleeps in a grobag and if we had a quilt how would you stop the quilt going over her? Without stopping everyone else having covers as well

I am a deep sleeper - i know this because when we bought Heidi home her moses basket was right next to the bed and she woke for a feed - crying at the top of her lungs and I slept right through it. Luckily it was when I had started bottle feeding so D/H just got up and did it. I felt terrible - but i obviously didnt do it on purpose. So i would be worried that I might roll over onto her.

Ummmm?

L x

 

[Urchin]

Ummm I dont know what i think anymore! ? but i feel now that if something happened to Heidi it would be our fault cos she is not in our room. But there isnt really a lot of room for her cot and i think that would be taking a step back doing that.

I do have a couple of co-sleeping questions though- as I was chatting with D/H about this.

when do you put them to bed? i know my cousins little 8 month old would crawl out if she woke up and you wernt in bed with them - do you have to keep them up with you at night until you go bed?

How do you stop them getting too hot? Heidi sleeps in a grobag and if we had a quilt how would you stop the quilt going over her? Without stopping everyone else having covers as well

I am a deep sleeper - i know this because when we bought Heidi home her moses basket was right next to the bed and she woke for a feed - crying at the top of her lungs and I slept right through it. Luckily it was when I had started bottle feeding so D/H just got up and did it. I felt terrible - but i obviously didnt do it on purpose. So i would be worried that I might roll over onto her.

Ummmm?

L x

Don't feel bad, just do what suits you and your baby!


Brody sleeps in a crib next to my bed, I lift him into my bed for a feed, keeping the quilt well away from him, then put him back after.


If you are a very deep sleeper they say Co-sleeping isn't a good idea anyway

 

[Manda]

They used to say co sleeping was a no no as there was a high risk of cot death now they say it's ok plus my friends little boy is now 5 and still sleeps in their bed as he wont go in his own think i'll just stay as i am

 

[Dee1985]

Dior slept in my room with me untill she was 6monhs old but this time the boy is going in his own room from birth,

i found that waking in the night with Dior in my room ilod just pull her into bed with me then ild be half asleep and keep falling asleep while feeding her!!!!!! not safe atall... but if i get up walk into babies room and sit on my feeding chair ild have woken up, to many times i woke with Dior in my bed and i was so tired i couldnt even remember how she got there!!!!

i have a camera in the new nursery so il b able to watch and c baby all night

 

[beanie]

i found that waking in the night with Dior in my room ilod just pull her into bed with me then ild be half asleep and keep falling asleep while feeding her!!!!!!

I kept doing the same, I would wake up still holding and feeding Seren and I was so worried I would drop her into the covers. Now I lie down on my side and latch her on. I tuck the corner of the duvet between my legs so there is no way it can go on her and then if I fall asleep (which I always do) I usually wake up with Seren snoring next to me. However I have woken up with her still on the boob after 2 hours, thought I was going to have one small boobie and one big one lol.

 

[*saulino*]

Hi

Kiara is still in our room till about 6 months i think lol i dunno may change my mind see how it goes everyone does it different.
Katrina