how to safely co-sleep w/ early bedtime?

[buena2711]

I have a 5 1/2 month old and we started co-sleeping from birth, but after 3 months he wanted to nurse all night and neither of us could sleep well.  We quit co-sleeping and tried to transition to the crib.  He flat out refused.  Eventually we discovered he would sleep in his car seat (and I'm not a fan of using the car seat for anything but the car ride, but it just worked).  Now, I'd like to try co-sleeping again but this time use an Arms Reach co-sleeper.  I'm hoping that this will help with the constant nighttime nursing.  My major problem is that my baby goes to sleep hours before I do.  I don't think it's safe to have him in the co-sleeper without supervision.  What do other parents do?  Where do you put your baby to sleep when you are not sleeping together??  I hope we can continue to co-sleep in a family bed situation through toddlerhood, so what do parents do when the little one can crawl out of the bed and fall on the floor?  I just want to be a responsible parent.  I'd really appreciate some help. Thanks! 

[katelove]

We have bed rails on our bed and, once she was more mobile we put our mattress on the floor, where it remains to this day  When she was little I would prop the pillows against the headboard so she couldn't get under them and fold the bedclothes down to the foot of the bed well away from her.

[aeterna]

Why don't you think it's safe to have him in the Arm's Reach unsupervised? It is, for all intents and purposes, a very small sidecarred crib. Unless he's to the point where he's pulling up and might fall over the side, I should think it would be quite safe?

[SuzyQ-ME]

I put my son down in his Arm's Reach alone - - is the issue that at 5 1/2 months, your child is able to sit and maybe climb out?  I've been concerned about this stage myself but my plan is to drop the AR mattress down to the play yard position.  It will make getting him out in the middle of the night more difficult, but I really don't think you can put a baby who can roll, sit and pull up in the AR otherwise - those sides are too low and it seems it would be easy for him to flop right over.

[GoddessKristie]

We put our mattress on the floor as well. We kept the box spring under it and I put DS to sleep in the middle of the bed. I don't recall him ever rolling off of the bed, but it was so low that if he did it would have been a non-issue anyway. 

I agree that an arms reach sounds like it could be dangerous. I would be afraid of a LO flipping over the side. At that age I would be comfortable with the baby in the bed, but if you're not then I'd second the pp suggestion of lowering the mattress to the play yard position.