q for people who co-slept with their babies

[Anonymous]

What was the transition out of your bed like? I'm tempted to start co-sleeping with my 4 month old who just sleeps so much better when he's in bed next to me, but worried about what this might mean down the road. On the other hand, I'm wondering if people maybe exaggerate the difficulty of getting a kid out of your bed eventually. (I'd be happy to cosleep until he's at least 1 maybe 2 years old). Would appreciate any experiences people have with this that they are willing to share!

[Anonymous]

I coslept with my baby and advise you to stop ASAP. As soon as they can walk, they will be coming into your bed at night and kicking and wetting.

[Anonymous]

I think it is not a hard transition if you do it before age 2. We co-slept with both (not by choice - they were terrible sleepers on their own, and we were all miserable until we started). We transitioned one at age 10 months and the other at age 1.5 years. Both needed some gentle sleep training, but they would have needed this without having done the co-sleeping because they were awful sleepers already, so I don't think that caused anything.

[Anonymous]

Transitioned from cosleepong to crib at about 7 months with my second. I did not find it any more or less difficult than transitioning my first from bassinet to crib in their own room around the same age.

[Anonymous]

I did but only until started eating solids and sleeping the night through. Maybe 6 months old? Transition was easy. I’m not so sure if you took it to one or two years. Our oldest was a fine, independent sleeper through toddlerhood. Youngest was fine until about four and then struggled for years to sleep independently. Took until about 7 or 8. I don’t think initial co-sleeping had anything to do with it, though.

[Anonymous]

Around 12 months when she transitioned to one nap we started doing all naps in her crib. At 14 months we transitioned to a toddler bed. She was tucked in a 7pm. If she woke up after I went to bed at 11pm I would bring her in with me. Before too long she was sleeping through the night and just stayed in her bed.

[Anonymous]

If you do it early enough it’s no problem. I wouldn’t advise having them cosleep beyond 9 months

[Anonymous]

Co slept till 5 months with no issues transitioning. It was a nice Cosy first couple of months.

[Anonymous]

I did it until mine was 6 months and then got her into her own crib for sleep training. My nephew is 6 and still in his parents’ bed. They’ve tried everything and he won’t sleep on his own. I can’t tell you how glad I am I did not do it for long. So from my perspective/experience, make it very short term!

[Anonymous]

Until 1 or 2 is WAY too late. Cosleeping is great with a small baby who needs night feedings but once you’re dropping night feedings you gotta kick them out.

And people are not exaggerating the difficultly. I have 3 kids. Two of them would wake up SCREAMING like they were being stabbed as toddlers if they woke up alone when we were trying to move them out. Horrible.

[Anonymous]

Do you ever expect to use a babysitter?

[Anonymous]

Don’t do it. Past 8 or 9 months maybe. One of the hugest issues is when you have a toddler who won’t go to sleep unless you’re in the bed with them with the lights out. So either you wind up with one parent stuck going to sleep at 7:30pm each night or you have a kid who doesn’t get to bed until the parents do, staying up super late. Neither is ideal and hugely detrimental to good sleep habits.

[Anonymous]

My kid never slept in his crib. Tx to his own bed at night at 15 months but started naps at a little over a year.
Had some increased needs during illness and large transitions. For example when we moved he slept with us for a couple of weeks and then once his room was set up we made the transition again.

Our door is always open and he knows that. Most mornings he's in his bed some mornings he is in ours around. I never care where sleep occurs as long as everyone is sleeping.

[Anonymous]

I co-slept with DD from about 3 weeks to - 7 months. We had a halo but I found it much better to co-sleep when she was waking up multiple times a night. Then once she slept through the night (about 4/5 months) I didnt want to jinx anything by making changes.

When she aged out of the Halo and our downstairs bassinet at six months I transitioned to the crib for for naps, which was fine. After a few weeks I transitioned to putting her in the crib for overnight; she would cry a bit if she woke up in the night but I did that thing where you wait a few minutes more each time before you go in. She was really fine after about 3-4 days and its been smooth sailing ever since.

I credit my friend who told me to get the kid on a schedule. My sibling has a baby 4 months younger than DD and that baby is still not sleeping through the night at 18 months. They are still co-sleeping and the mom breastfeeds on demand and my mom who babysits says no one gets a full night. I would die.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I co-slept with DD from about 3 weeks to - 7 months. We had a halo but I found it much better to co-sleep when she was waking up multiple times a night. Then once she slept through the night (about 4/5 months) I didnt want to jinx anything by making changes.

When she aged out of the Halo and our downstairs bassinet at six months I transitioned to the crib for for naps, which was fine. After a few weeks I transitioned to putting her in the crib for overnight; she would cry a bit if she woke up in the night but I did that thing where you wait a few minutes more each time before you go in. She was really fine after about 3-4 days and its been smooth sailing ever since.

I credit my friend who told me to get the kid on a schedule. My sibling has a baby 4 months younger than DD and that baby is still not sleeping through the night at 18 months. They are still co-sleeping and the mom breastfeeds on demand and my mom who babysits says no one gets a full night. I would die.

I had one baby who slept through the night at 4 months and a second baby who didn’t sttn til 20 months! I thought my strict adherence to a schedule was the reason my first child slept well, but it did nothing for my second. So, easy on the judgment.