Letting a little baby sleep in the big bed?

[March]

My two-month old will not nap on his own. Usually I either let him nap in my arms, I nap with him, or I wear him in a Moby Wrap (especially if we're not at home). This has been a great arrangement most of the time, but my poor husband works all day and then comes home to housework that I didn't get to when the baby was awake because he cried if I put him in a swing or bouncy seat and I can't do much with hot water if I'm wearing him.

He goes down in his Arm's Reach co-sleeper at about 10 p.m. and will sleep on his own there 2-4 hours, depending on when he gets hungry. I am always right next to him in the bed, though. If I leave the room, he sure does know it, and that's the end of his sleeping on his own for the rest of the night.

Well, we left our Good Friday get-together early because he wasn't sleeping at my grandmother's--we were outside and it was too hot for the Moby, and he won't sleep in the Hotsling (he loves the front carry and he loves to nurse in a sling, but he will not sleep in any carrier but the Moby). I intended to nap with him, so I put him in bed with me and nursed him to sleep. (Goodness, I'm getting long-winded. Anyway....)

After 45 minutes or so, I wasn't tired any more. I've just gotten up and done dishes, folded clothes, hung out with my husband... and he's still asleep! He's been asleep for a little over 2 hours now!

I said to dh, "I think I've found the secret! He'll sleep on his own in the bed!" Dh said, "Well, that's great, but isn't it a SIDS risk?"

WDYT? He's such an active baby and a light sleeper that I personally don't believe he's prone to SIDS (aren't more mellow babies and heavy sleepers at higher risk? Or is that a myth?), but I am a little anxious. He's on his back, but there are pillows near him (so there's something to replace me when I get up), although they're not near his face. I don't know... I got the co-sleeper to begin with because I feel like our mattress is a little too soft, and when he's in the bed he's always between me and the co-sleeper, not near the middle where it sags a little.

But he's SLEEPING! And I have been able to get things done!

I guess I'm either looking for a gentle, "No, that's probably not a great idea" or a, "Yeah, we did that, too!"

[kwisie]

DD2 slept in the big bed a lot. I just folded the blankets down out of the way and laid her down. The sheets were snug fitting, there wasn't anything fluffy by her, so it was just fine. :shrug3

[BriansLovie]

Joshua has slept in my arms since 2 weeks old, and he was never in a cosleeper, just in my arms or beside me.

[TuneMyHeart]

I would be thrilled if my baby slept well in my bed without me. ;) Yes, let him nap in your bed if it works.

[ReedleBeetle]

would do it!

[klpmommy]

i did it & will do it again. i tend to check often, but never had a problem

[NovelMama]

I think as long as there's nothing around his face then he'd fine. I did the pillows thing, too, so PJ would feel like someone was there, but I just made sure they didn't go higher than her shoulder.

[BlessedBlue]

I did that with DS. :rockon I also checked often, but at that point, I was going with whatever worked.

[CakeLady]

i did it and i plan to do it again. :yes

[MarynMunchkins]

I think as long as there's nothing around his face then he'd fine. I did the pillows thing, too, so PJ would feel like someone was there, but I just made sure they didn't go higher than her shoulder.




Me too. Cutie Pie and Shrimp have been in the big bed since the first day they were in our home. :)

[Blue Aurora]

We used the big bed as well.

[mamacanuck]

Our big bed was the only place dd would nap by herself, I was so pumped when I finally figured that out. I think it's great, I would just go check on him lots and make sure that as he gets bigger he can't roll off, and keep the pillows and blankets far away.

[3boysforme]

I do it. I do have one word of advice, sometimes they can roll over way before you think they can. I learned that one the hard way when ds tumbled off the bed into a laundry basket! Thankfully the basket was full of towels, but I felt like one bad mommy.

[Amy]

A baby sleeping on a bed isn't a problem in itself, you just have to make sure the sheets are tight and there isn't anything that can block his mouth and nose like pillows, animals, and blankets. I let ds sleep on the bed when he was a new born, I just made sure there wasn't anything that would block his mouth and nose.

[SingingPraise]

I've had 3 kids who all coslept and napped in the big bed. Its the smell - its 'their' bed and they sleep better there. Alea is 3 mos and sleeps for naps best in Chelseys big bed for me.

Just check often and make sure no pillows/blankets. When she starts to roll we'll add the bed rails like we did with the others

[zak]

We've never put babies anywhere but our bed to sleep (well, 'cept arms and slings). :) If it works, great! Just be sure to follow the typical safe sleep share rules - firm mattress, etc. :)

I always laid a pillow across their legs. :shifty The weight of the pillow helped for some reason. :shrug3

[Mert]

i did it and i plan to do it again. :yes
:yes

[OkiMom]

Both DDs sleep in the big bed with us. Once in a while DD1 will crawl over to her bed if shes getting overcrowded. DD1 has been in the bed with us since she was 3 weeks old, DD2 since she came home from the hospital at a week old. DD2 will only sleep if shes covered up as well (with my blanket, nothing else will do.

Personally, I don't really worry about it to much. I just try to keep the blanket out of her face.

[Kiwi Mama]

Its the smell - its 'their' bed and they sleep better there.


This is a really useful thread! I'll have to try this for daytime naps...

[boobymummy]

I do it all the time, and bub was on his tummy... He wouldn't sleep any other way (ever) intil recently. Its only become a prob with adult beds since he started rolling. We always put pillows there but he actually rolled off a few times, so we bought a futon mattress and now we all sleep on the floor on that. Its true about the sleepy bub thing and SIDS> I felt the same about Asher, he could lift his head from side to side when on his tummy from birth. However he did have a few sleep apneas at night when a few months old, which we heard, because he was in bed with us. And suprisingly DH heard his breathing suddenly pause...pause...paaaaause too and scooped him up and roused him before I had a chance to! Confirmation that co-sleeping is safer than cots! (He's got his leg stuck out the side rails of cots a few times too, so we just got rid of his one he napped in sometimes)

[musiclady]

I wore my now 2 yo for 4 months basically for every nap. Then I nursed until asleep on the bed and would go do other things. I used 2 u shaped pillows to make him feel safe. Not near the face though. I also didn't use blankets with him. She did fall out the bed when about 7 months, but after a few times, it never happened. Now she will come to me when she wakes in the night.

[StewardofLOs]

we did it/do it. DS even used to nap on the guestbed when we were at MIL's house (it was low to the ground and a *really* firm mattress) and now naps in MIL's bed because it's darker in that room and he has no problem climbing down. We check on him a lot, make sure nothing's near that could suffocate him, etc. Bascially what pp's said :tu :)