Sleeping on me

Should I stop my baby sleeping on me? During the day she will sleep while carried on our shoulder or held sideway. Through the night she sleeps on my chest while I sleep, there is no other way currently she will fuss and scream in the cot even thought she’s slept on it before, and even on the bed next to me she just wants to be held and near us all the time which we don’t mind. I am aware that the recommendation is a flat surface and on their back. I know I’m not alone in doing this and many mums have and will do so for their own sanity, am I putting her in a lot of danger? I’m a light sleeper and always wake before she’s fully awake or while she’s stirring. She is only breastfed, sleeps so well on me and it allows me to get enough hours and wake up with energy. Will this phase pass? She’s 5 weeks old, do I really need to make that transition to cot now and avoid her sleeping on me while I sleep? Pls advise ❤️❤️

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You need to do what works for you 😊

Any advice I have read or seen says that newborns have no routine, we have to follow what they want. That said, we try holding in the day to help little one feel secure and pop him in the cot at night, he needs a little reassurance in the next to me cot sometimes but just a little rocking or a hand on him helps. I usually let him cry for about 2mins as sometimes he self soothes. But my main point would be, do what works for you. If you are worrying about safe sleep then take a look at lullaby trust as they have lots of advice :). X

It is so easy to fall asleep with them on your chest and I totally get that. No judgement at all! I never co slept with my first and vowed I wouldn't but this baby becomes unsettled from about 4am onwards and the only way I can get a few more hours is to co sleep. I have fallen asleep with him on me but it makes me so anxious so I read up on it and now I follow the lullaby trust guidance. I make a safe space for him - no pillows, no blankets, and I lay him next to me with my arm around him, kind of in the nook. It makes it much easier now he's bigger and I sleep better because I'm not worrying he will topple off my chest. There is an in between chest sleeping and the cot x

No judgement, as you say many many parents co sleep, myself included sometimes. Just wondering if the cot may be too big a space for them and making them feel unsettled? A smaller space like a Moses basket may help. Or a next to me crib where u can have the side down and baby has their space and u have yours but ur still super close? I used to have mine in my bed sometimes, more so my second, until one night, I’d pushed the quilt right down to the bottom of the bed when we went to bed but woke up with it up to my neck and had that split second where everything is fine and then I looked down at this little mound next to me, baby was fully under the quilt, head covered and absolutely baking hot, to the point he was covered in sweat 😳 thankfully he was ok but it still makes me shudder now and upsets me, thinking what if I hadn’t woken up when I did, I’d obv pulled the quilt up in my sleep. Defo look at advice on the lullabye trust altho I thought I was following that 😔

I do a mix of cosleeping and having her in the next to me crib. If I can get her to sleep into great if no she sleeps on my chest. Honestly DO WHATEVER FEELS RIGHT FOR YOU AND YOUR BABA! There is no right or wrong here. If you want to feel more confident in cosleeping research how to be safe with it and go for it. I personally love it and I feel I get much more quality sleep but I also love being able to sleep on the side when she’s in the next to me. Just remember you are doing amazing 🫶🏼

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