How long to co-sleep and when to switch to crib.

Catherine - posted on 01/14/2010

My son exclusively co slept until he was a little over 7 months old. One night he just wouldn't settle and so I stuck him in his crob out of sheer desperation. Much to my surprise he rolled over and went straight to sleep. He still comes into my bed from time to time, and when we are traveling he wants to be in my bed more often than usual, which is totally understandable.There is no magic age at which your kids need to be moved to their own sleeping space, just that age that works for you and your family. It sounds like your set up is what works for you right now, so why change it?

Molly - posted on 01/13/2010

Let your daughter co-sleep for as long as it achieves the goal of everyone getting the best sleep possible. If she wont sleep in a crib, don't put her in one. If you wont sleep because you are going to her when she inevitably wakes up in the crib several times per night, don't put her in the crib. And NEVER use Cry It Out. It is severely detrimental to a childs emotional well-being and mental and physical health. The amount of stress hormone in the body of a child left to Cry It out is dangerous. I seriously believe anyone who lets their child CIO is neglectful, and I wish reputable doctors would stop recommending it. Its simply not safe.
My son was in a crib next to our bed until he was a year old and then moved into our bed. He is now almost 2 and we love our co-sleeping arrangement. My son, my husband and I all get plenty of sleep.

Melissa - posted on 01/13/2010

I will cosleep as long as possible to get my little guy to feel secure and comfortable sleeping on his own. He is now 15 months old and is starting not to nurse so much at night. Baby steps are best for any transition. A better book to read would be Elizabeth Pantley's The No Cry Sleep Solution. It has a number of solutions to help babies sleep and explains that at the age of 6 months a baby spends more time in REM sleep than deep sleep. This is when waking occurs and the need for comfort occurs. Most babies at this age will not "sleep through the night". Don't be discouraged when people ask you about your baby's sleep habits...it takes time and cosleeping is the best way to develop good healthy sleep habits.

Katherine - posted on 01/12/2010

My theory is if you feel that horrible about CIO don't do it. My daughters Ped said to do it and I did and it was horrible!!! Now with my second it's just not an option for me. There is a thread on here if you can find it, called Why CIO? I looked up some info and posted a link there. As far as co sleeping my 10mo is still in bed with me, just go with your instinct :)

Marcy - posted on 01/11/2010

Melissa-

You will probably hear this a hundred times on this circle....many of us in the A/P group just let our kids co-sleep with us until it feels right. here is what we did. Our little dude co-slept with us until he was 2 years old. We would put him in his pack and play for naps. When he turned 2 I would nurse him to sleep and then put him in his pack and play right next to our bed. He got up about 2 times per night (when he was co-sleeping he would get up about 3-4 times) and I would nurse him down and then put him back in the pack and play. When he turned 2 1/2 years old we moved him to his room in his "big boy bed" and he slept through the night and has pretty much been a good sleeper since. When he wakes up now he just gets out of his bed and comes in to our room. There is no crying..he's not scared and he likes his bed.



My guy would be to tell you to hold off for a little bit. We never got a crib. if you have a co-sleeper or a pack and play just shove it against your bed and try that.



Yes, it was exhausting and I was very tempted to try and let him cry it out but that stopped the first day when he cried for 10 minutes...I kept thinking to myself...this is nuts and not natural. Good luck!

Marcy - posted on 01/11/2010

Melissa-

You will probably hear this a hundred times on this circle....many of us in the A/P group just let our kids co-sleep with us until it feels right. here is what we did. Our little dude co-slept with us until he was 2 years old. We would put him in his pack and play for naps. When he turned 2 I would nurse him to sleep and then put him in his pack and play right next to our bed. He got up about 2 times per night (when he was co-sleeping he would get up about 3-4 times) and I would nurse him down and then put him back in the pack and play. When he turned 2 1/2 years old we moved him to his room in his "big boy bed" and he slept through the night and has pretty much been a good sleeper since. When he wakes up now he just gets out of his bed and comes in to our room. There is no crying..he's not scared and he likes his bed.



My guy would be to tell you to hold off for a little bit. We never got a crib. if you have a co-sleeper or a pack and play just shove it against your bed and try that.



Yes, it was exhausting and I was very tempted to try and let him cry it out but that stopped the first day when he cried for 10 minutes...I kept thinking to myself...this is nuts and not natural. Good luck!