6 month old's crib in parents' room causing night waking?

Hi,

My 6-month old son's crib is next to our bed. He usually goes to sleep
on his own in his crib, but if he's hungry I do nurse him to sleep.
During the night I nurse him in our bed. He's been a bad sleeper since
birth but in the past week he has been worse, waking constantly (his
stretches range from 1/2 hour to 2 hours max). Whereas in the old days
he'd wake up crying with tummy discomfort or whatever, these days he
just starts talking and peering over at me, wide awake. If I ignore him
he starts crying. If I bring him into bed he goes right to sleep. Most
days he is in our bed starting at 4am or 5am because at that point he
really won't sleep in his crib (I don't mind this too much). I'm
wondering if my proximity is causing his waking, and if so, if we need
to put him in his own (or his 2-year-old brother's) room. I would hate
to see him go! It's so much easier this way. Anyone have any advice or
experience with this? If you moved your baby out of your room, how did
it go, and did it stop the night waking?

my theory is that yes, sleeping in the same room can cause sleep disruptions
for both parents and baby, it's probably not so much that it causes waking,
but that on waking the response is different, so personally I would consider
moving him. I don't think there is any magic way to do it, we moved ours a
bit earlier, so they moved whilst still sleeping in there moses basket, got
used to the new room, then went into the crib, so I guess you'd just want to
move the crib.

Anne

My advice after three kids, is to do what feels best for you and the
baby. With each of my three, 8, 6 and 1, they have each had different
sleep patterns and needed different arrangements. There is a lot of
talk and print out there about what the right thing to do is, and if
you looked long enough you would find an argument for all sides of the
story, and that is because each child, mommy, family is different.
The only way to see if night wakings are from sleeping in your room -
is to move him, but then there is the needed adjustment time.
Something else to consider here is that 6 months is BIG transistion
time. A lot of new development is going on in that little head,
sitting up, crawling, new foods, it's a big time. At six months, night
wakings usually increase - sometimes you'll find baby practicing new
tricks in his crib. I personally don't think 6 months is a good
transition time, because so many other new things are happening in
their little lives. I would have tried at four months, or wait until
7-8 months.

My first was a bad sleeper from day one and 8 years later he is still
fighting sleep. I let him sleep in my bed as an infant because then we
could both sleep - this was off and on until two.
Second born - great sleeper from day one, wanted his own space and
sleeps to this day like a prince, puts himself to sleep when he is
tired and wakes up with sun, sleeps where ever he is at the time.
Third - sleeps 50 - 50, his bed my bed, even at age one. Sleeps
through the night either way, but I let him be where he is comfortable.
If he is restless and not going to sleep in his crib, I try my bed.
He is weaning himself - so I am not nursing in bed anymore, but I did.
In 15 years when this teenager is pushing me away, I won't have regrets
for pushing him away at age 1 - just because someone else thinks he is
too old to sleep in my bed with me.
They grow up fast, and I think sometimes society is telling us to push
them to grow up, but really why shouldn't a baby sleep near their
parents if that's where he is comfortable?
Do what you and your baby need - and that may be trying another room.


wrote:
Hi,

My 6-month old son's crib is next to our bed. He usually goes to sleep
on his own in his crib, but if he's hungry I do nurse him to sleep.
During the night I nurse him in our bed. He's been a bad sleeper since
birth but in the past week he has been worse, waking constantly (his
stretches range from 1/2 hour to 2 hours max). Whereas in the old days
he'd wake up crying with tummy discomfort or whatever, these days he
just starts talking and peering over at me, wide awake. If I ignore him
he starts crying. If I bring him into bed he goes right to sleep. Most
days he is in our bed starting at 4am or 5am because at that point he
really won't sleep in his crib (I don't mind this too much). I'm
wondering if my proximity is causing his waking, and if so, if we need
to put him in his own (or his 2-year-old brother's) room. I would hate
to see him go! It's so much easier this way. Anyone have any advice or
experience with this? If you moved your baby out of your room, how did
it go, and did it stop the night waking?