Safely co-sleeping

[nicolejshannon]

I you Mama's have any pointers on safely co-sleeping with your LO? I have a 6 week old and I'm always worried I'm going to roll on her or I worry about the sheets impeding her breathing.
Also for you moms who BF on your side while sleeping, do you burp them or just let them continue to sleep ?

[Blindbatbeth]

I usually have the sheet overme and up to her chest. The comforter I have tucked under my arm and holdin it dow around babies waist. I sleep while she nurses and I just pat her back and she burps fine. I sleep with her on the outside of the bed never in the middle because DH would cover her face

[mibarra]

I dress us both warmly for bed and only put covers on my lower body. You won't roll on her. I am a heavy sleeper and have never done it. But I do have to watch were I leave my hands. One time I started to drift off and realized my hand was over her face! I freaked out, and always make sure both my hands/arms are far away from her face. I do not burp after nursing laying down, but my LO hardly needs burping generally.

[Bentley'sMomma]

I dress ds in long sleeves and pants. I wear a tank top and have the covers up to my waist and ds's legs are on top of the covers. That way I don't have to worry about him kicking the covers up or wiggling down under them. I don't burp at night and he has always been fine... He does burp (and fart) a few times when he first wakes up in the morning though.

[wildsissy]

Same as PP's pretty much.. I do have a rail on my side of the bed so when DD is on tha side I'm not afraid of her falling. DH is VERY aware of her and I've never been scared with him in the bed. My DH has had to sleep in the extra bedroom when he drinks(even just a few beers) just to be safe. I have never burped and she has been fine,funny I always burped during the day until she was around 8 months. I also have to dress DD warm because she kicks off blankets/covers.

[happysmileylady]

Well, I am not going to advocate for bedsharing with a newborn like that. IMO, the safest way to co-sleep is to have your baby in her own sleeping space next to your bed. Crib, cradle, bassinette, co-sleeper, whatever. You can keep your child within arms reach, and 100% completely and totally eliminate any possibility of ever rolling over on her-you can't roll over on a baby when there are crib slats in the way, yet you can still touch your baby all night long if you like.

If you insist on having the baby in the bed with you, the safest way is with no blankets, pillows etc. Also, never ever if you have taken medication, including OTC meds and herbal remedies, and especially if you haven't ever taken it before.

[SimplyJoyful]

I agree with Kim for little ones that age - I didn't start bed sharing until our little guy was around 6 months. Arms' Reach sells co-sleeper bassinets that connect to your bed. They are literally right next to you - I would sleep with my hand on him for the personal contact. It's a great way to transition to whatever you choose down the road - for us it transitioned nicely into bed sharing, and I'm sure for others it helps when they need to make use of a crib.

[ERISAmom]

We used a co-sleeper until she was big enough to roll over (back to front and front to back) and I knew she was aware enough to move away from me when she was too warm ... About 5 months. Same as prior posters when it comes to sheets, etc. She is dressed so that she doesn't need covers, and I keep them down around my waist.

I burp her if she rolls around after nursing. If she drifts right back to sleep, I let it go.

[nicolejshannon]

Thanks ladies. We currently aren't really co-sleeping. Dd sleeps in a bassinet near the bed unless she's being fussy, then the only way she'll sleep is next to one of us. But lately it's been about an hour or so every am! Maybe that's more of a co-nap! I just want to make sure we are bring safe around her!

[faiths13]

I have co-slept with all 4 of my ds's with no real issues. Ive never rolled onto or hurt my ds's in any way like that. I co-slept from day one with each one. i even co-slept with a nb and a toddler with no problems. i keep the nb in the middle of the bed usually and have them snuggle up against me. ive never had any issues with them not being able to breath or whatever either. i personally think co-sleeping is safe. i never had any burping issues until ds3 - he had problems and always had to be burped so i did have to sit up and burp him or have dh burp him or he would spit up.