What position do you co-sleep with your baby?

[lkmiscnet]

I have a 9 mo old DS and started co-sleeping with him when he was 4 mo old. The crib next to the bed is gathering dust! He still wakes every 2-3 hours and I nurse him quickly back to sleep, though I'm hoping I'm not cementing a habit. My husband has been relegated to sleeping in the guest room because he has erratic sleeping habits and none of us would get any sleep, until we get through this phase.

I sleep on my stomach on the edge of the bed with my comforter tucked all around me like a sleeping bag. My DS has the other half of the bed and is in a sleep sack. I've always been worried about covering him up with the comforter since I pull it all the way up to my chin.

While I'm sure my DS can sense my presence, giving him the feeling of security that I'm there, and I easily roll over to nurse him, I've read about how other moms cradle or hug their babies while they sleep. I can't imagine how they do that without their arm getting numb or sore.

So, I'm curious as to how that's done and wondering if perhaps my having my back/head turned away from him at night might be why my DS wakes so frequently and whether some other position might work better.

[kayabrink]

I sleep curled up on my side, with dc facing me and lying on their side.
If on my left side, i have my left arm tucked under the pillow, and babe's head stuffed into my armpit. I kind of curl my legs up, and as babe gets bigger, often drape their legs over mine. Kind of the same position I would be in if sitting on a chair, with dc sitting on my lap with their legs to the side of the chair. both my dc like to have actual physical contact while sleeping, though honestly they wake more often when touching me vs. when not touching.
And yeah, dh slept on the couch for two years when ds was born. This time, he developed a new technique. He lies on his side, facing away from us, and sleeps with a pillow over his head so he doesn't have to hear the 'glug glug' when dd nurses. And I sleep with the covers all the way up to my chin, too, but kind of tuck my upper arm over dd to keep the blanket pushed away from her face. Honestly, I don't think I'm a model of safe co sleeping though, and what you're doing sounds safer.

[lovepiggie]

We sleep with DS in the middle, between DH and I. I usually start off curled on my side, like kayabrink described, with DS in my armpit. (Poor baby :P ). My hips usually get really sore from sleeping on my side though, so I will usually roll over to my back when DS is sound asleep, but I keep my arm up overtop of his head to protect him from pillows!

We do share a blanket, all of us, but we have a giraffe pillow between DS and his daddy, that keeps the blanket up off DS, and we sleep with the blankets down further on our body. If we want to sleep all tucked up, we usually wiggle down a bit further so that the blanket stays in the same place..

[beebalmmama]

I sleep a bit like lovepiggie described. Although I will move a way and roll a bit onto my stomach but with my upper body still a bit turned towards ds. I can't stay right on my side or my shoulder starts to hurt.
Later in the night I often find myself on my back with my arm up above ds's head. We share a sheet and light cotton blanket and our comforter stays around our waist, although I know by morning it shifts up over ds's legs.

Dh usually sleeps on his stomach or on his side facing away from us. (until I nudge him to move when he's snoring )

[CherryBombMama]

my ds is almost 11 months, and he sleeps in between me and my dh. most of the time i start off on my right side facing in towards him, with his feet touching my thights/belly and his head touching my dhs head. he sleeps slightly at an angle lol

whenever he fusses is when i pull him into me, usually at the crook of my neck or right in between my boobs, and my knees are drawn up so its like he is being craddled. at some point during the night i sssllooowwlly move to my back.

we also arent model co-sleepers - we dont take much care into blanket/pillow positioning mainly because ds *loves* being surrounded by them. and we sleep so lightly cuz he is there that i still feel safe.

[ann_of_loxley]

We avoid anything but light baby blankets for at least the first year for safety reason. A 'comforter' or a duvet can be pretty 'heavy' to a baby and I would not cover them with one - even though I too like to be all snuggled up with one wrapped around me!

I also don't sleep that close to my son. We cuddle sporatically through the night but generally I also sleep on my stomach or simply on my side (certainly one side or the other now that I am heavily pregnant! lol). My arm would go numb if I slept with it out the side of me or cradling my baby - they simply just sleep beside me. I am not really worried abour rolling over onto them (which having your arm out to the side can help prevent if that is your worry - cause its impossible to roll over with your arm out at a 90 degree angle! lol)

My DH also sleeps in another room. This is because he hears all the sounds my son makes (and would with this baby too I am sure) - all the sounds that don't wake me and I can sleep right through as they are not important sounds....the sounds I need to know, I wake for! lmao Men and woman differences I guess! - AND because he wakes super early to get ready for work and we are still asleep. It was much better when he started sleeping in his own bed in another room because then he wasnt waking us up either! We all get better sleep this way! I know some people might think 'how sad!' - but in all honesty, I prefer it this way! He hogs the blankets, farts, is a perfect man whilst sleeping... he can have his own bed thank you very much! lmao

So - it is just my son and I in a bed - when this baby is born it will be me in the middle with a child either side for safety reasons.

[4myfinn]

DS sleeps in my armpit for the most part. All of these poor kiddos in our armpits. He either sleeps between DH and me or just next to me depending on which side we're nursing.

I sleep with my arm above DS's head, either on my side or my back. I wear either flannel pajamas that button on the front or a fleece hooded sweatshirt that zips at the front. This allows me to keep our quilt at my waist so I don't have to worry about it coming over DS and I stay warm while nursing. I always fall asleep while nursing, so my front is usually open all night anyway. DH has the quilt pulled up over him, but with me keeping it so low it doesn't come over DS. Sometimes I'll tuck the quilt under his legs just to be sure that it won't come over him.

I love co-sleeping!

[noobmom]

At that age I slept pretty much as everyone else describes: on my side, facing DS. Usually alternating between tucking my arm under my head and sticking it straight out above DS's head. I kept the blankets low around my waist and DH would scoot low on the bed so that the blankets would still cover his shoulders (pretty funny considering DH is 6 ft tall).

[lguse]

So interesting to hear about all this cuddling, I never realized how common that is.

DD sleeps next to me with a sleeping sack. We built a low bed that's a king and a twin together with the wall on one side and a chest where we can put a potty, dipes, books, a lamp etc. on the other. DD sleeps next to the chest. We go to sleep about a foot apart, but I guess sometimes she rolls up against me.

Since it's still just the 3 of us, we have plenty of room to spread out

[IAMommy]

We sleep very similarly to 4myfinn. My DS is weaned and I'm pregnant, but he starts the night curled into my chest with his feet tucked between my legs and a hand in my hair, then he migrates over to DH and lays on his chest. I sleep on my side with my arm under the pillow, and it did get terribly numb at first and my shoulder hurt, but one day, that just stopped.
We have the comforter tucked in so it comes only about to our waists - we wear sweatshirts or fleece to keep our upper bodies warm when needed. DS runs hot and never wants to be covered up anyway, so the low blankets aren't a problem.
Not sure how all of this will change when our next DS arrives next month. DS1 will probably have to stay on DH's far side as much as possible, and I'll have a new guy in my armpit.

[Laur318]

Originally Posted by noobmom

At that age I slept pretty much as everyone else describes: on my side, facing DS. Usually alternating between tucking my arm under my head and sticking it straight out above DS's head. I kept the blankets low around my waist and DH would scoot low on the bed so that the blankets would still cover his shoulders (pretty funny considering DH is 6 ft tall).

THIS!
i do what you do, except i try and stroke my DH hair when i can reach, so he is being loved too, with out "monkey in the middle" taking up all my attention.

my DH is a little taller than me, but still, this is sooo awkward. WHY do they need the covers up so high? they don't have the instincts to let our children breath i guess

[Aliyahsmommy]

I usually start out the night with a child/baby on each arm and me on my back. Once my 2.5 year old DD falls asleep then she gets moved into her own bed as she is a very wild sleeper and no one gets any sleep when she is in the bed She does sometimes re-join us in the middle of the night/early morning. My 3 month old DS falls asleep best in my arm so I usually decide which side I want to sleep on and then put him on that arm. Yes, sometimes I do wake up with my arm hurting or wet from my sons sweat lol....his head sweats profusely when he sleeps. Sometimes once he is asleep I move him off of my arm and just next to me as then I sleep better. I do cover him with my blanket or with his own blanket, he kicks them lower on his body by himself
Whether your child wakes more often because your not facing him depends on the child. Maybe he wakes because he is a light sleeper and you moved as my children do. Maybe he would sleep longer if cuddled with you, but you won't know until you attempt
Honestly my daughter needed her crib and slept so much better once moved into it. I am starting to think my son will be the same way. Just follow your childs lead.

[ThundersCry]

didn't read the responses, but what we did at that age is similar to what you do. Plus I would line up my son, pull the blankets to about above boob level on me and tuck the rest under my legs so they wouldn't rise up.
I don't have to worry about it now. when ds gets hot he gets up and pulls the covers off of me. i have never been so cold in my life!