I co-sleep with my 3 month old. It makes it easy for me to breastfeed and keeps me close to the baby.?

Question

I currently sleep on the couch so I can't roll.

Am I starting something that will be hard to break?

Every time I lay her down when she is asleep, she wakes...

Is co-sleeping such a bad thing?

Any thoughts?

Answer 1

Personally I feel like, why would you want to start a bad habit that is going to have to be broken later? When it could have been avoided in the first place. I'm sure there are easy ways of transitioning them but it's still going to confuse them and cause them distress. I can agree that it would make breast feeding easier and I'm not trying to say that it's a bad thing at this point because your baby is so young but later it will be all they know and then your going to change it. My son has been in his own crib since he was 2 weeks old and he's been in his own room since he was 3.5mo old. That doesn't mean that I don't love him and it doesn't mean that he doesn't trust me. Personally I feel like we "all" slept better. I never felt the need to sleep with my son and that doesn't mean we don't have a good relationship or bond. My son is definately a mama's boy. And he definately doesn't need me to be able to sleep at night, which is in my opinion a good example..... Everybody parents differently and you should maybe talk this over with the doctor and just do what you think is best that's all that matters......I surely won't be the one here putting you down just my personal thought.....

Answer 2

You are not supposed to cosleep on couches as they are not infant safe, the infant can become entrapped in the cushions. The SAFEST place to co-sleep is a mattress on the floor.

If you are concerned about rolling you can use a co-sleeper that either attaches to the bed, or that is just sort of a box that contains the baby in the middle of the bed. You can also use a crib as a side car (you remove one side) however care must be taken to ensure again that there are no gaps.

IF you are going to use a bedframe you must ensure that there is no gaps the baby can be trapped in.

Also NEVER use fluffy blankets and caution should be used when using pillows.

More on co-sleeping safety:
http://www.askdrsears.com/html/10/t102200.asp
http://www.naturalfamilyonline.com/5-ap/312-co-sleeping-safety.htm



The other issue is transitioning to an bed or crib later on. This is impossible to predict some babies move no problem. My son has gone to and from the crib a few times now. He comes back when he teethes. He is a year. Some babies require more. However I would point out two things: with YOUR baby you are guaranteed a fight NOW to get her to sleep alone, and there is only a *maybe* of a fight later. Almost all toddler climb into mom's bed whether the were co-sleeping or not. Just if you were co-sleeping it is blamed on that. I have not seen any evidence that toddlers who have transitioned to a toddler bed are more or less likely to climb into mom's bed whether they slept in a crib or co-slept

Answer 3

I tried cosleeping with a co-sleeping bed. It attatches next to your bed so you can't roll on your baby. It lasted one day because my baby is such a noisy sleeper I knew I wouldn't get any sleep. I do not think sleeping on a couch is safe. Baby could wedge inbetween cushions etc. Also- don't you miss your bed? I know you are trying to be a good mom but I don't think that sentencing yourself to a life of couch sleeping is the answer. You need to be comfy in your own bed at night. If the co-sleeping bed is out of your price range there is a co-sleeper that can fit in your bed- it is a mesh sided frame and even has a little night light you can turn on and off to see the baby at night. I am not a fan of co-sleeping myself after the first few months- the baby will get used to it around 4 months when he starts to know his surroundings. That is when I think crib is better. He should be waking less for feedings then anyway. But to each their own. I know people who co sleep for a yr. Either way I feel you should find a safer way than the couch.

Answer 4

There are a lot of advantages to safe co-sleeping including:
-more bonding with baby
-lower risk of SIDS
-easier nighttime feedings when breastfeeding so mom and baby both get more sleep

However, sleeping on a couch is NOT considered safe co-sleeping. I put some links below regarding co-sleeping and how to do it safely.

As for potential long-term effects, every child is different. I only have my own to go on. My first child co-slept with me for almost an entire year. She had a bit of a rough transition to her crib, but not any rougher than it would have been to get her in the crib at 2 months or 3 months of age. In fact, it was better than it would have been earlier on because she was old enough to understand that I was putting her in there to sleep, not to desert her. I believe she not only benefitted psychologically from the positive bonding of co-sleeping, but she also suffered fewer negative psychological effects from putting her in the crib at her age rather than younger. She is now a happy, healthy 2 1/2 year old child who sleeps in her own toddler bed with no problems. She has NEVER cried or whined to sleep in my bed and she sleeps through the night consistently (with the exception of an occassional nightmare -- but even then she never even considers asking to sleep with me).

My son is now 14 months old, and he is still co-sleeping with me. We're working on getting him into the crib right now. I won't lie, it is a difficult process, but like I said before, it will be difficult no matter when you do it.

Good luck!

Answer 5

the first few years are really hard. You can't understand how hard until you're in the process. Co-sleeping is not a bad thing, it IS hard to stop. There is no right or wrong, only what works for your family. If you need your sleep, and you just can't wake up one more time, then sometimes you don't have the energy to take them back to the crib. Don't let any of us persuade you either way, because there are perks and drawbacks either way.

Answer 6

Co-sleeping is good. It makes nursing easier. It helps the two of you stay in tune and bond. It helps regulate her breathing and temperature. It lets you both get more sleep. It's not a bad habit. If it works for you, keep it up!

BUT.....
Co-sleeping on a couch is bad. That isn't a safe place for you to sleep with her. Yes, you can't roll. But she can get trapped between you and the back of the couch and suffocate or she can roll off, etc. A couch isn't considered a safe cosleeping environment.

Honestly, when is the last time you fell out of your bed? If you are aware of where the edge of your bed is (and if you aren't falling on the floor all the time, you are!) then you won't roll over on your baby unless you're impared with drugs or alcohol. You would be safer in bed with her than on the couch.

Here is a good link on safe cosleeping for you -
http://www.attachmentparenting.org/cosleepwork.shtml
and
http://www.nd.edu/%7Ejmckenn1/lab/faq.html

Answer 7

It's not bad a lot of mom's do it, i bought a co-sleeper bassinet that goes in the middle of the bed.

I don't know if this is a fact or not but i think a lot of the people who roll over on the babies might be drunk or on drugs. At least from what i've seen on the news and what my husband who is an EMT has told me. I am always more aware when i have the baby than when i don't.

Answer 8

When my girls were little I slept with both of them in my bed. I would not suggest sleeping on the couch though. I am assuming you sleep with the baby on your chest, I did that one day for a nap and i must have dropped my arm because the next thing you know my baby had rolled off of me. I was so scared and upset I never laid on the couch with her again. I did sleep in my bed with her and I never rolled on her. I think when they are next to you, you just know not to move somehow. I also like how easy it was to nurse with her right there. I don't think it is bad to sleep with your baby at all. When my girls got older and started to roll in there sleep they had to go to there crib and they were fine with it. Just don't let them sleep with you when they are 2 because I made that mistake and my now 4 year old just started sleeping in her room again. =). I hope this helps. Congratulations on the new baby.

Answer 9

You are starting something beautiful, not something ugly :)
It is our culture that has ingrained this into us. We are a "detachment" culture. We don't believe in "over" touching "over" snuggling and "over" loving our children. Well, some of us don't anyways :)

She is only 3 months old. It is natural and wonderful for her to be this attached to you! That means she trusts you and feels safe in your arms. Its a big world out there for your little one! Give her the security of your arms for as long as you like! She won't want them too much longer, she'll be doing things on her own soon enough, including sleeping on her own.

I sleep with my daughter, and she is 8 1/2 months. I moved my mattress to the floor, and sleep with her in the middle of the bed and myself closer to the edge. She has never had to wake up in the middle of the night scared because she is alone, nor has she ever woken ME up because she was hungry, scared, lonely, etc. Co-sleeping is the norm around the world, and if you follow your heart and instincts, you will find that it is also what THEY tell you! So follow your instincts. Your baby will be out of the bed before you know it!

Also, co-sleeping has been shown to actually REDUCE the risk of SIDS! It does alot more than that if you do a little research!

I promise, come high school, I doubt your sweetheart will still crawl in bed with you every night :)

Answer 10

I have two little boys, one 7 years old & one 4 month old. I co- slept with both. The 1st one, slept in my bed til he was 6 months old. Then, it was crib time for him. I put him in his own room at a year old. He's 7, and still ends up in my bed most nights. The second one, slept in my arms until last week. He can roll over now, and I was scared of him getting hurt in my bed. So, he is sleeping fine in his own bed....and he sleeps through the night. Alot of my friends told me that they used to spray their perfume on their babies sheets......let it air out, then their scent was with the baby. I'm thankful, that my son was happy to be in his own bed....so he can roll til his little heart is content. lol I personally think it depends on the baby! Now if I could get my 7 year old to stay in his bed all night.