STTN and co-sleeping

My boys are 5 months...and I don't see it happening anytime soon.

 

We only occasionally co-sleep--my DH was totally into co-sleeping at least for an hour or so each night in the beginning, but then he kept having nightmares about rolling over on them, so we mostly cut that out.

That said, they're in the same bassinet together in our room, and have started sleeping through the night most nights (from about 11 PM to 6 AM).

Good luck!!

 

We co-sleep and it took night weaning at 16 months before they slept through the night. Even now they wake up and will cuddle. I don't know if you bottle or breastfeed but either way, try rocking before offering either -- five months is awful young to expect them to sleep through if they are breastfed!

 

We co-sleep with the twins and we dd with our daughter too. OUr daughter started sleeping through the night at 2 weeks and the twins slept through at 8 weeks. When I say STTN I mean that from 10:00 pm to 3:00am Ethan sleeps w/out waking he eats and falls back to sleep until around 8:00am. Ian sleeps from 10:00pm through at least 5:00am and sometimes until 7:00am. Honestly if we didn't co-sleep I can't imaging I would sleep... I hate getting up in the middle of the night, or morning so feeding in the side-lying position is the BEST!!! Once the get a little older they can latch themselves on and sometimes don't even wake me (at least our daughter did)!! Our daughter did sleep in bed with us most of the time, but the boys sleep in the Arm's reach co-sleper until they wake for feeding in the early am... After that they are with me until I wake up! I honestly would not have it any other way!

As far as breastfeeding goes, not all breastfed babies wake at night... Mine are 100% mommy's milk babies (all 3 of them) they do a lot of cluster feeding starting at 7:00pm and then they sleep all night long. I got lucky with all 3 of mine though, some breastfed babies do need to eat during the night so if they are breastfed and want to eat, feed them... If they just wake to play and cuddle, don't respond and they will get the hint that it is sleep time. I will also say that there are times when mine are going through a growth spurt and they eat at night it is just not the norm for us!

 

After getting home from a week in the hospital all my dd wanted to do was co-sleep I let her and I am just now weaning her back into her crib. But she sttn when she slept with me. She still is sleeping through except for occassional paci drops.

 

My Victoria still wants to co-sleep. But I have put her in the pnp in our room right next to me. So now she goes straight back to sleep when she sees me. The night feeds stopped at about 4 months.

 

Thanks everyone. Yes, I am breastfeeding exclusively. I am also hoping that once I start cereal (I will at 6 months), maybe they will start to sleep longer. Both boys wake about 3 or 4 times a night. And they wake at different times...so I feel like I am nursing ALL night long! I guess I will just keep feeding them....I am so exhausted though...and my husband is kind of done with the babies being in our bed.

I don't really know what to do. One one hand I really want to sleep with them....on the other I just want a full nights rest.

Thanks

Manda

 

QUOTE
Both boys wake about 3 or 4 times a night. And they wake at different times...so I feel like I am nursing ALL night long!


Have you thought about waking the other baby whenever one wakes to eat? If they're nursing that often at night, it probably wouldn't be long until the sleeping baby got hungry anyway. I hate waking a sleeping baby, but hey, you gotta survive too!

Also, do they take a bottle at all? Would you be able to pump a bit and have DH take over at least one night feeding here and there so you could get a longer stretch of sleep?

Hope things get better soon! Hang in there mama, you're doing great!

And WTG on the BFing, btw! :clapping:

 

I know what you are going through...my two are almost 5 months old and sleeping in bed with me. DH is in the spare room as he gets rather grouchy without a full nights sleep. Wyatt usually wakes 2-3 times a nite and Kaylee 1-2 times. Just the last 3 weeks they seem to wake up with in 10 minutes of each other so that works out well for me.

I have tried to put them in there crib, but usually by 330am they are back in bed with me...their room is on the opposite end of our home so I confess that I get lazy and do not like getting out of bed lots at night...I prefer them to latch while I am lying down and they go back to sleep faster too!

Hope all gets better for you!