DD is 8.5 months and still in our room in her co-sleeper. She is EBF and eats twice a night, actually eats and not just falls back asleep in two minutes on the boob.
She does take naps in her crib on the weekends and in a crib at daycare. I don't think it will be that difficult to transition her when the time is right (when she completely outgrows the co-sleeper, gets down to one feed, STTN, when DH finally decides that enough is enough, whichever comes first).
It is mostly a matter of convenience at this point since she still eats during those night wakings. We haven't sleep trained and know that we may have to when we make the crib transition. Am I just setting myself up for some epic LO breakdown?
Am I the only one whose LO is not in her crib in her own room?
Re: Anybody's LO still in your room?
Yes, this comment is super helpful to OP.
We tried moving DS out of our room at 4mos thinking maybe it would help him sleep better if he couldn't hear us. It definitely didn't and it meant going down the hall several times a night (I'm not a fan of cio sleep training esp. before 6mos so this was our only option). So we brought him back to our room but moved his crib in too b/c he had outgrown our mini cosleeper. It was much easier to handle nightwakings/nursings w/ him close by. The other part is practical- our room stays much warmer in winter/cooler in summer. It's downstairs from the main level, so we can do what we want before going to bed w/out worrying about waking DS (his nursery is on the main level next to the kitchen).
At 13mos, he was still in our room but we moved into the guest room on the main level to get our space back. He's only waking 1x/night (and not until 5-6am) if at all so walking downstairs isn't a big deal. The practical benefits of keeping this arrangement are keeping us from moving him into his nursery. I'm still trying to figure this arrangement out- the layout of our house isn't ideal.
Advice- if being in the same room is working for you, don't feel rushed to move LO. But if you're ready for a change, it probably won't be too traumatic if you're not planning on night weaning yet. If you're going to night wean completely with the move or if you're currently bedsharing, you probably will face some resistance. If LO hasn't outgrown the cosleeper, you could move that into the nursery first so that it's still a familiar sleeping environment.
House / Baby blog
Umm... k.
Thanks for the input. We are not bed sharing so I hope the move won't be too bad. It is currently working for us, but she is quickly getting too big for the co-sleeper. I don't plan to night wean after making the transition. I figure one big change is enough.
It just seems as if everybody has already made the move to the crib by now. Glad to know I'm not the only one. I hope that by the time we do make the transition, it won't be too hard on her.
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LO is still in his PNP next to my side of the bed. He takes naps in his crib in his room, as that is where the video monitor is set up.
We also nurse around 7:30 each night, rock to sleep and he is put in his crib at that point too. Around 11:30 when we are ready for bed I go in for a quick dream feed and then move him to PNP in our room. He gets up around 5am for a quick nurse and then goes back down until 8.
We are starting to put him in his crib from 5 to 8 as a way to start getting him used to being in his crib all night. Eventually, we'll cut that dream feeding out and just let him sleep in his crib for as long as he will stay asleep. If he wakes I plan on feeding him in his room and putting him back down in the crib.
Honestly, I wanted to wait a whole year before keeping him in his room all night. I like the comfort of knowing he is right next to me, and I could grab him up in an instant if needed. BUT... he is really showing signs that he isn't comfortable in the PNP anymore. He sleeps so well in his crib. I know the only reason he's not sleeping through the night in his crib is for my own personal needs.
I don't trust myself hearing him cry through the monitor.
Maybe tonight we'll give it a test run to see how it goes. I'll just see how long he'll sleep without the 11:30pm feeding. The problem is going to be trying to fall asleep myself
I want to start off by saying I'm not trying to be a b*tch or being snarky at all!
But I'm so curious why some people choose to co-sleep or keep their LO in their room past, let's say 4 months.
Is it that your LO wakes during the night for a feeding or won't go to sleep in their crib?
I know we are extremely lucky that our LO has been STTN in her crib since a very young age, but I don't think I could possibly still have her in our room and feeding at night. You are a much better person than me, but I often wonder if it's the baby or the parent's choosing this sleeping arrangement.
We still cosleep (LO will be 9 months on July 10th). We have tried moving him a few times but it failed. Horribly. We want to TTC over the summer but I still haven't gotten AF so it is highly doubtful that it will happen
He shows no interest in sleeping anywhere else so for now, we cosleep on. I won't lie, we love it and he is happiest with us but I do look forward to sleeping comfortably and TTC again once he is ready for his own space. We are in the process of selling (and buying) our home so we are thinking about trying again, once we are in the new house.
ETA: LO still nurses throughout the night. It is one of the reasons transitioning him isn't working. That and we refuse to CIO and he simply won't go down in his crib. He wouldn't from day one and he won't now.
I admit a huge part is me. It started out as anxiety stemming from my losses. I just needed her close to me and I was terrified that she would be taken away from me.
It then got to a point where it was out of convenience. She still eats twice a night so it was easier to reach over, feed, then put her back in her co-sleeper as opposed to getting up, walking down the hall to her room, etc.
Now. it is part convenience, part habit/comfort. I know she will be fine in her crib, in her room. I know I will make the switch soon. For now, it works for us, so why not.
ETA: We don't co-sleep/bed share. DD is in a co-sleeper that is attached to the side of our bed.
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BFP 7.7.09 - CVS 9.10.09 (Girl) - 9.24.09 Severe Fatal Malformation - D&E 10.7.09 @ 17wks
BFP 6.1.10 - 6.10.10 Ectopic M/C @ 5wks
BFP 10.26.10 - 10.29.10 CP
BFP 1.30.11 - CVS 3.28.11 (Girl) - EDD 10.11.11 - Born 10.6.11
BFP 12.18.12 - 12.20.12 CP
BFP 3.18.13 - CVS 5.21.13 (Girl) - EDD 12.2.13 - Born 11.24.13
BFP 6.10.14 - CVS 7.2.14 (Girl) - EDD 1.12.15 - Born sleeping 8.6.14 @ 17w5d
Like a couple others have said, there are many reasons for many people. For us, I am able to sleep better myself with the baby near me. When LO is next to me I'm able to roll over, see him, know he is ok, and fall back asleep. I am able to hear him wake up right away. BUT when he is on the monitor I can't hear him well enough. This baby does NOT cry in his crib when he wakes up. He does cry if he's been left in his crib for a long time. So the occasions I've taken a nap while he takes his in his crib in his room... a few hours later I finally wake up to his cries. I am 90% sure he sits up in his crib for at least an hour before he gets frustrated enough to cry for me. I don't like that... at all. Also, his room is pretty far from ours, and I sleep better knowing I can wrap my arms around him at a moment's notice.
To me, if it doesn't matter to him where he sleeps, then I'll do what makes me comfortable.
Lol... Mind your own business
Both the bolded. DD regulatly wakes in 3-4 hour intervals and the only thing that will get her back down is to nurse. I learned around month 6 that I was much more rested when we bedshared and I could doze while she nursed, then fall asleep easily. When I walked to the nursery it was enough movement to fully wake me and I was miserable in the morning.
She does not go down drowsy, and would wake up 75% of the time I put her in the crib, requiring another hour of rocking/nursing/whatever to get back to sleep.
For me, it's also a much more natural sleeping arrangement. From my research (anthropology major) and my experience with DD, it is very strange to me to have a child, who is defenseless from danger, sleeping in another room where I cannot immediately defend her. Yes there are less dangers now and there aren't any lions sneaking into our house, but the instincts are there for me. I'm sure if I had a child who slept better in the crib I would have different feelings, but this works for us.
House / Baby blog
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