How much longer did it go on? How many others co-sleeping with a 6-7 year old?
Our ped is AWESOME and was reassuring recently (I wouldn't talk to most medical folks about co-sleeping with an older child, but she completely understands) when I brought it up at a well visit. I think what is throwing us off is that our older child was begging to sleep in her own room before she was 3 yo and pretty much has been fine ever since, with some brief exceptions when she had problems with environmental allergies.
So we have the twin next to the queen... my 7 yo used to have night terrors which terrified me and had me worried about her safety (she'd walk right off the side of a bed, we had tall stairs, etc). I noticed over time that she stays asleep if there is someone with her. When she was younger I'd nurse her to sleep or whatever we did, and sneak out... I'd get an hour or two before she stirred (sometimes dh could just lay her back down and she'd be immediately asleep, or I could, or other times I would just go to bed, etc.) The quality of her sleep has really improved, meaning I don't expect her to always wake up if I'm not there, but she really can't fall asleep alone, so I lay with her. Which is fine. She still stays asleep better if someone is with her. If she is sick I have no hope of sneaking away!
Her ped thinks that maybe the transition will be easier closer to age 8... I have to admit that if she was the kind of kid who if she had a hard night could come sleep on a sleeping bag next to my bed, that would be fine... but she is still pretty intense at night. She sleeps in the crack between our beds, and is basically touching me or throwing her body on me in some way throughout the night. Depending on the time of month, I can deal with it or not. I try to roll her or scootch her to the middle of her bed as much as I can do so.
We have tried about 8-10 times various approaches to encourage more sleep independence, but they have all upset her greatly. Her ped suggested that we not push for now, because by pushing her we may cause her to cling more tightly. (So perhaps that has happened in the past...)
Dh is kinda over this. He'd like her in a different sleeping space. If she was ready and excited and positive about it, I'm fine with it and I'm sure I'd quickly get used to it, but I don't feel the same urgency about it as he does. I would still sort of like to know, in that small population of 7 year olds who need to cosleep still, how long past 7 that transition seemed to happen naturally, how long it took, did you really have to instigate it, or did you follow your child's lead. I sort of feel like well we have done it for this long, might as well let her decide when she wants to move on. I just can't imagine her being 9 yo like my other daughter is currently and still wanting to sleep with us! But then, I thought she'd be done by this age, really, so I should stop comparing...
Thanks!
Our ped is AWESOME and was reassuring recently (I wouldn't talk to most medical folks about co-sleeping with an older child, but she completely understands) when I brought it up at a well visit. I think what is throwing us off is that our older child was begging to sleep in her own room before she was 3 yo and pretty much has been fine ever since, with some brief exceptions when she had problems with environmental allergies.
So we have the twin next to the queen... my 7 yo used to have night terrors which terrified me and had me worried about her safety (she'd walk right off the side of a bed, we had tall stairs, etc). I noticed over time that she stays asleep if there is someone with her. When she was younger I'd nurse her to sleep or whatever we did, and sneak out... I'd get an hour or two before she stirred (sometimes dh could just lay her back down and she'd be immediately asleep, or I could, or other times I would just go to bed, etc.) The quality of her sleep has really improved, meaning I don't expect her to always wake up if I'm not there, but she really can't fall asleep alone, so I lay with her. Which is fine. She still stays asleep better if someone is with her. If she is sick I have no hope of sneaking away!
Her ped thinks that maybe the transition will be easier closer to age 8... I have to admit that if she was the kind of kid who if she had a hard night could come sleep on a sleeping bag next to my bed, that would be fine... but she is still pretty intense at night. She sleeps in the crack between our beds, and is basically touching me or throwing her body on me in some way throughout the night. Depending on the time of month, I can deal with it or not. I try to roll her or scootch her to the middle of her bed as much as I can do so.
We have tried about 8-10 times various approaches to encourage more sleep independence, but they have all upset her greatly. Her ped suggested that we not push for now, because by pushing her we may cause her to cling more tightly. (So perhaps that has happened in the past...)
Dh is kinda over this. He'd like her in a different sleeping space. If she was ready and excited and positive about it, I'm fine with it and I'm sure I'd quickly get used to it, but I don't feel the same urgency about it as he does. I would still sort of like to know, in that small population of 7 year olds who need to cosleep still, how long past 7 that transition seemed to happen naturally, how long it took, did you really have to instigate it, or did you follow your child's lead. I sort of feel like well we have done it for this long, might as well let her decide when she wants to move on. I just can't imagine her being 9 yo like my other daughter is currently and still wanting to sleep with us! But then, I thought she'd be done by this age, really, so I should stop comparing...
Thanks!