harder to transition baby to crib after cosleeping?

skibunny59

Hi Ladies,

I'm a FTM and our 4 week old DD has been sleeping in bed with us since she was born.  Neither my husband nor I had planned to cosleep with her but especially since I am breastfeeding it just turned out to be the easiest solution.  She also hates her bassinet and would scream and cry when we put her in there. Although we really enjoy cosleeping, we would eventually like to have her sleep in her own crib when she is a little older and starts sleeping through the night.  Please tell me this won't be impossible.

pixieprincss

It certainly is possible, but in all honesty if you plan is to wait until baby is STTN, you might be beyond the crib stage. Night waking is more common than STTN the first year (especially at 9-12 months) and many children also keep waking until age 2 or later. In our house, we don't see that as a negative in any way (and we are fans of long-term closleeping), but I just wanted mention that because sometimes the cultural expectation of when a child will STTN is not realistic unless you plan on CIO or you are blessed with a child who naturally starts STTN on their own earlier.

For now, do what works! When/if it cosleeping stops working for you, DH, or baby you will be able to navigate it them based on baby's age/stage at that point and what the reasoning is for needing to stop. But, until then--I am a big "go with the flow" person until there is an actual problem that needs to be solved.

karinothing

We bedshared till 2.5 months until one day I put DS in his arm's reach co-sleeper and he slept 7 hours. We just transitioned to the crib two weeks ago at 5 months. DS adjusted fine each time, I think he was just ready each time.

redheadinlove

What pp said. Definitely. Go with your gut and do what you know in your heart is best for your child. Don't worry about problems that aren't here yet. I fully believe if you instill confidence in your child, they won't need to sleep with you forever. 

tokenhoser

We've moved from full time bedsharing to DS mostly being in the crib. It just evolved over time. When he started to go to bed earlier than me, he started the night in the crib. Now, I find he sometimes doesn't WANT to be in with me. He'll wiggle and squirm and when I put him back in the crib, he conks out.

If you have a goal of getting baby into the crib, you'll get there. Just watch for opportunities to move in that direction.  Do what works in the moment and don't worry too much about the somedays.

I agree that STTN can take a while though... we're still up at least twice.