Co-sleeping moms: Have you ever been tempted to take a night off?

Question

How'd that work out for you?

Not talking about transitioning to crib here, just one night so that I can lay flat on my back (it's killing me).

Experiences, please? Where'd you put your baby? Did the baby sleep? Did YOU sleep?

Answer 1

I know it might sound crazy but I'm a very light sleeper & am very aware when I sleep of what is around me- I've never fallen out of bed, rolled over & not knew it, etc.  I mostly sleep on my back propped up on pillows & when I have my baby with me, I put her on my stomach/chest & she naps there. That's the easiest & fastest way to get her to sleep & she sleeps a long time like that.  

Answer 2

my daughter is on a heart monitor, so a "night off" for me means sleeping on the floor while she's in her cushy little mini bed next to me lol. but of course, my daughter could sleep through a parade, so she slept great. me, not so much. sometimes I need to let my husband have the bed to himself, as he works very early.  

Answer 3

I sneak off to the couch for a few hours once in awhile, if I get overheated during the night I get really grumpy and edgy.  Also when my first was very tiny I would sometimes think I was too exhausted to cosleep safely so baby would sleep in the swing or a blanket on the floor and I would sleep on the couch.  Now mostly they stay with daddy in bed, or my toddler sleeps in his bed, or I sleep in the toddler bed, etc.

You eventually learn to roll over and still co-sleep ;-)

Just do what works, if baby is inconsolable you'll go back.

Answer 4

I know how you feel. My son is nearly 7 months and doesn't like sleeping in his cot, much prefers to cuddle up to me. It is now the only way I get a nights sleep!!! I don't mind so much, but I long to be able to sleep out on my back and wake up without a stiff neck!

Answer 5

Yes, I was and I did!

A couple of times I spent the night at my parent's house and they GLADLY took my girls into their bed for the night!  The girls slept fine for newborns, I slept AWESOME and I'm glad I did it.

My parents were more than happy to help us out since I was exhausted with little baby twins.  I think they were maybe 8 or 9 weeks old at the time and then 13 weeks old the next time.

Another couple of times my husband was the one who kept them for the night and I slept upstairs on an airbed.  That was also fine for me.

One thing that might help you out is if you move the crib into your room and attach it to your side of the bed with the front rail removed so that you can still sleep comfortably and so your baby can have their own space.  I did that a lot with my twins when they got bigger and that was awesome.  I'm a belly sleeper and I don't like being touched at night and I slept better when my girls were at arm's reach but also in their own safe space.

Good luck!

I've also had them directly in the bed and that's fine too but I was more comfy with them out of the actual bed but at arm's reach.

Answer 6

I have! A couple nights.

Ava slept in the pack n play next to my bed. She slept well. As long as she has her bear she will sleep anywhere :) I slept ok, not the best, but did sleep.

Answer 7

Well one side of my bed is against the wall and she sleeps between my hubby and I. (she's 11 months old) I love my baby but I can't stand sleeping with her and my husband bc they are both wild sleepers and I usually end up laying at the foot of the bed! LOL!  Well we got a new sectional couch a few weeks ago that is so comfortable ~ I have got up a few different nights and went and slept in there!

Answer 8

Hmm.. I sleep on my stomach all the time and sometimes on my back..

I just put her on one side of the bed and I sleep on the other. We have the bed pushed up against the wall and blocked off by her crib on the other side. Ask Hubby to sleep on the couch for the night : P

Answer 9

Our 8 month old transitions pretty easy from bed to crib, but we aren't really full time co-sleepers by any means.

If the bed is pushed up against the wall could you ask Daddy to sleep on the sofa so that baby can lay next to you but you still have space to spread out?

How about putting a pack and play next to your bed? If you can keep pets and your older son out of the room you could even put baby to sleep on the floor on top of a thin pad. My 8 month old took a two hour nap on a sheet on the floor last weekend while we were visiting friends.

To be honest, the first couple of nights that baby slept in his crib I did not sleep at all. I was listening to every little noise in the house. But my arms and back felt much better the next day.

No matter what you decide I would consider making the conscious decision that if baby wants back in the bed at any time during the night, he can come back. You might want to try putting baby down sound asleep. If nothing else you might get a couple of hours of alone time.

Answer 10

Tempted, but it never works out. My son will sleep for maybe an hour or two in his crib, but as soon as i get ready for bed... he wakes up and wants to sleep in my bed. I barely get any sleep sometimes, cause i usually wake up and make sure he isnt all over the bed. lol. when he falls back asleep, if i try and put him back in his crib... most of the time he wakes back up... wanting to sleep next to me. but there has been a night or two where he has slept through the night when i laid him back in his crib (since his crib is right next to my bed)... lol i didnt sleep much though.  

Answer 11

We have a co-sleeper (basically a 3 sided bassinet that attaches to our bed), so when I occasionally want some time off I put her in there instead of our bed.  We don't usually make it through a whole night either because she decides she wants to sleep in bed with us, or because I just can't take it anymore and want to cuddle with her =P  If we can get her to sleep in it (which hasn't been that hard) then she will sleep her normal stretch in it - she currently does a 5 hour stretch first and then a 4 hour stretch at night, so whichever time I put her in, she stays asleep for the 5 or 4 hours.  It's also great if hubby and I want to be intimate - we can just get her to sleep in her co-sleeper, and then we have the whole bed to ourselves.