So how do you make co-sleeping safe?

Ms. Y.

This may be a silly question...but with all the pillows and blankets (husband and cats) how do you make it safe? I always worry that a pillow or blanket will somehow end up on his face. And because I worry, it's hard for me to fall asleep!

How do you make it work? Where does your DC sleep? Between you and your husband? 

 just curious...

 Crista

 

 

 

scherza

We have an Arm's Reach Co-Sleeper; it's basically a bassinet that attaches to the side of the bed.

I think that most people who co-sleep in one bed take the pillows off and don't let the pets sleep in with them.  If you Google "safe co-sleeping," you'll find some articles and lists of safety recommendations.

I love my pillowtop mattress and down pillows and duvet, so using the co-sleeper has been the best option for us.  DD is still right there, but she's in her own space.

Mrs.OL

DS sleeps in his crib, so I don't have any first hand advice for you, but my BIL and SIL used the Baby Delight Deluxe Snuggle Nest

https://www.target.com/Baby-Delight-Deluxe-Snuggle-Patchwork/dp/B000BM8G0I/sr=1-13/qid=1227404946/ref=sr_1_13/177-9420113-2056226?ie=UTF8&index=target&rh=k%3Anest&page=1

 

jodynjames2005

We removed any extra pillows and put the girls between us, and then folded our blankets down so that they didn't come up to the girls' heads. We only co-slept until they were 4 mo old, and they were swaddled, so they weren't at all mobile, so there was no real risk of them getting under the blankets somehow. We have two cats, but they never tried to sleep with us when the girls were in bed with us, and they sleep by our feet anyway.

I loved co-sleeping and I miss it, but my girls weren't fans past about 3.5 mo.

Temp159135562506975

I 2nd getting an arms reach bedside cosleeper - it's GREAT.

When DS was going through a rough patch and would only sleep with us- I couldn't sleep b/c i was nervous- so it didn't help that HE was sleeping- b/c i wasn't....

we got the bedside cosleeper- and it was amazing- DS started to STTN, and so did we!!  He stayed in it until almost 5mos- when he got too big and moved around too much.  I loved that thing!  We plan to use 2 with the twins.

tina623

Mine are very quiet sleepers and don't move around much so they sleep between us.  We keep our pillows but we tilt them away from the babies.  We also fold the blanket down so it's no where near their heads and I wake up once an hour to check on them (approx).  It doesn't bother me to wake up because I don't have to get out of bed and they STTN.  I always start the night with them in their cribs though.

yankee42

i probably am pretty extreme..when i co-sleep (which we are trying to wean off of now..) DH sleeps in the guest room with the dogs (it was his choice..he was just worried about rolling over or covering the boys)

i sleep without a pillow, and i sleep parallel with their butts approx, so if i was to roll (which i don't really do anyways) i would roll my face on their butts, so it wouldn't do a thing..and that way if i was to pull the sheets up, i couldn't cover them without covering my face!?

at this point my guys don't move around much when they are with me (for some reason in the crib they move a lot)..but since they are more mobile, that is one of the reasons i am moving them (slowly, but surely into their cribs...

i love it though...they sleep on either side of me, so i wake up and see one little face and say "good morning", and he'll smile..i turn over and do the same thing..i just love it..im gonna miss it

dundasgirl

We used a "close and secure sleeper" but he grew out of it:( 

Now that he is older, when we bring him into our bed he sleeps between us.  We have a queen sized bed and we push our pillows out towards the edges and put him in the space between them.  We sleep with a duvet.  Now that I am typing this out, it seems like we don't do much to make it extra extra safe.  I guess I should read other people's tips too!

https://www.toysrus.ca/product/index.jsp?productId=2689253&kw=sleeper&origkw=sleeper&parentPage=search&f=Taxonomy/TRUSCA/2567270

MayDayGirl

I don't know if this is really co-sleeping but Bright is in a cradle that is pretty much level with our bed and directly next to it.  I can see him as if he's right next to me (but somehow he still seems so far away!!) and I can just lean over and grab him in the middle of the night.  He has nothing in his cradle and is swaddled.

 

ps am I REALLY answering a mommy question?!?!!  EEEEK!!! I'm still in heaven. 

candm

My first thought on co-sleeping is that no other mother can tell you how to do it safely. It's such a personal consideration b/c every parent has different sleeping patterns. I know it's helpful to hear how everyone else does it safely, but then you have to decide what you are comfortable with.

 We do like many other PPs. DD went between DH and I but up high so that the covers weren't on her. I would place the covers under my armpit and position myself, relative to DD, so that there was no chance the covers could go past her chest. Since I nursed at night DD always ended up lower than we wanted, but she never went below the covers. My knees would also be curled up under her feet so she couldn't slip lower.  I also started using a very thin pillow folded in half so that it wasn't as wide and wouldn't reach her. After she was 2 or 3 months old, Rowan was so big that I no longer really worried about it. I think it's the newborn period when it's the scariest. We still co-sleep now and I love it. We will start transitioning Rowan to her own bed sometime in the next 6 months.

Ms. Y.

Thank you for writing! It's just helpful to get ideas. I brought Nate into our bed around 5:30. He nursed (it always feels awkward when we have to switch sides) and then he fell asleep until 8:30. I did take extra pillows off the bed and folded the comforter down. I also took his sleep sack off him so he wouldn't boil. It was sooo sweet this morning and just such a lovely way to wake up. - a Momma, Papa and baby Nate sandwich!

MayDay - I LOVE that you answered a Mommy question!!!  ;  )

 Crista

roaringrock

such cute photos ms y! 

we only co-sleep from 5:30 am - 7 am. virginia gets very "antsy" in her crib around 5 am so when DH gets up to go to work, she comes into bed with me. I love this time together! it's so cozy and sweet. I simply have her nestled beween my arm and body and I sort of doze (not true real sleep.) this calms ginny down and she goes right back to sleep. our house is SUPER cold so we have a blanket on but I get rid of the pillows. it really is a special time of day for me.