Co-sleepers/bedside cots and safety

I co-slept will all 5 babies, but with Kamron he was making my arm ache
which led to backpain, so we bought a pine cotbed, and removed one side (as
a bed you take the sides off), and pushed it up to our bed. He had his own
space, and now he is 15 weeks, and we have put the side back on as he has
been sleeping through the night for ages now.
I also found that the baby sleeping bags are wonderful, he doesn't get
disturbed like he did with normal blankets when he kicked them off in the
night.

--
Andrea mom of 5 - latest addition Kamron David 16lbs 5 (7lbs 9 and a half
born).

"Sidheag McCormack" wrote in message
...
Today is my day for asking questions, hope you don't mind :-)

We're planning on using what is called in the UK a bedside cot, or in US
speak a co-sleeper - i.e. a cot(UK)/crib(US) with one side missing,
fastened to the adult bed along the missing side, the idea being that
adults and baby have their own sleeping space, but it's easy to get the
baby for feeding and put it back afterwards.

Currently we use a duvet on our own bed. If we were fully cosleeping, I
know the advice would be to swap this for sheets and blankets. I'm in two
minds about whether we really should do this anyway. We could, but I
prefer
the duvet, and I suppose I'm not really convinced that a duvet is
significantly more dangerous than the equivalent weight of sheet and
blankets would be. Either way, you have to stop the baby ending up
underneath the covers.

What do any other co-sleeper users do? Any other tips?

TIA,

Sidheag
edd Oct 13th - full term tomorrow!

"toypup" wrote in message
news:e9ubb.403195$cF.125277@rwcrnsc53...
*snip*
Well, I've fallen
asleep with DS in my arms and he slipped down my belly once when I was on
the recliner. DH saw it and it was not a safe situation. Another time, I
awoke to find that DS was suffocating on my breast (we were lying side by
side, he was in the crook of my arm).

*snip*

Something similar happened to me and Audrey, she slept on pillows under my
arm in the foot hold (hard to describe) One night she started slipping
between me and the pillows and I woke up horrified.

I decided the point is *I woke up* immediately. We might think we were
unaware but we weren't truly. Of course, I don't rely on this to keep us
safe, but I think the awareness is there even if we aren't conscious of it
(assuming there's no drugs, alcohol or illness).

Leah


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Sidheag McCormack wrote in message ...

What do any other co-sleeper users do? Any other tips?

When Kivi was a newborn, we used a Snuggle Nest (this thing with
raised sides that went around the babies head and shoulders) ON the
bed, and she slept between us. The SnuggleNest was pushed up against
the wall, smack in the middle of the bed. We used our regular covers,
since she was so far up the bed (the snuggle nest kept her from
getting trapped) they didn't come past her her legs at all, and mostly
didn't cover her, so we still used baby blankets on her.

When she was 7 months, she got too big, and two mobile for the
snuggleNest (she was turning sidways and kicking me) so we built our
own co-sleeper. It probably isn't "safe" enough to pass the consumer
safety standards, but it's been great.

As for covers, when I make the bed, I make sure the sheets and
blankets extend approximately six inches past the side of my bed, onto
hers. Then when I'm in the bed, the bedding perfectly covers me, but
doesn't extend onto the sidecar at all.

I usually put her sideways in her bed, so that her feet are facing me.
That keeps her from rolling onto my bed, usually. But, she's gotten
so tall, that she's started kicking me again, so I've started
orienting her lengthwise again. I wish it had some sort of very low
barrier between her bed and mine, so she can't migrate onto my bed.
Not for safety - but because I'm such a light sleeper, I wake up
instantly if she touches me, and I really can't sleep with her
touching me.

Cathy Weeks
Mommy to Kivi Alexis 12/01