We didn't plan to co-sleep with Abbie, it just kinda happened..she was quite a clever baby, especially when it came to bedtime, we got her into a good routine at about 8 weeks, but the one thing she struggled to do was fall asleep by herself, so we would take it in turns to rocking her/singing to her among many things, she would fall asleep rather quickly but as soon as she was placed in her cot... wide awake, we would leave her to hopefully put herself back to sleep (we never ever let her cry) but she would just lay there smiling and cooing...never underestimate the intelligence of a newborn! :)
So we ended up bringing her into our bed and she would sleep solidly for a few hours at a time, that's all we needed, we were literally trying to survive on about an hours sleep a night and it just wasn't good for anyone! Of course people made comments and judged our decision but in my opinion, unless you're going through the motions of those first few weeks, no-body has the right to judge! So you do what you need to do and focus on your happiness :). When she was about 3 months old she started becoming a bit clingy at night time, I wasnt allowed to leave her by herself (and I was always anxious about her rolling out anyway), so I'd have to stay upstairs with her, she wanted her legs against mine and a boob in her mouth for the whole night..it was becoming exhausting, I didn't mind staying with her as long as she would sleep next to me rather than ON me! So we looked online and found a huge selection of bedside cribs, the price range really varies but we managed to get ourselves a crib/cot which converted for when she got bigger, think it was bout £60! She wasn't too keen at first and we didn't force her at all, it was there if she wanted to scoot over but we just wanted to get her used to it at first...Make sure you buy a proper crib mattress, we assumed they were the same size as a normal cot mattress, but there's actually quite a big difference in width and length, so make sure you measure up to ensure the correct size! There are so many different kinds too, we didn't realize just what research you had to carry out, there re rules and regulations on materials, whether it's organic wool or natural coir! I'd recommend actually visiting a store to have a good look and feel and get an idea of wheat you want, then have a browse online at some good deals too, you're looking at spending around £80-£150, and believe me, that's a good price!17 months on and yes she still sleeps with us, although she now sleeps in her toddler bed which we use as our co-sleeper, we took off one side and it's up against our bed, she can do anything from an hour to 5 hours by herself now and things are so much easier! We know that once she's ready she will sleep by herself all night and in her own room, we are not rushing her and to be honest, we actually really like her with us, especially at around 2am every morning she crawls across and snuggles up to us, those are the moments I really treasure, before we know it she's gonna be a teenager and will be too cool for mommy and daddy cuddles!If you are thinking about co-sleeping, have a read online or speak to your HV or GP, just for safety reasons and to give you peace of mind too!
