Moving to Her Own Room

Are you nursing her?
We co-slept with our son for years. When he was a little over two and still in our bed, he thought that it was an all you can eat buffet. So during the night he would help himself. I had to put a stop to that right away.He's now 5 and still wants to sleep in our bed.
I would go in if you feel like she's hungry etc.
Good Luck

This is something I've been tempted to start now since my DS is about 6 months as well. I KNOW it'll be way harder on me than it will be on him, but he BARELY nurses during the night anymore (since I switched to formula feeding right before bed). M. when you start let me know how it all works out with you and your daughter.....Hope the transition is easy...take care

Hi M.,

We decided to move our daughter to her own room around 6 mos. old - we wanted to do it before she became "too aware" of her surroundings. I had a really hard time moving her because I liked to wake up a couple times a night look over and SEE that she was ok. We started by just moving her bassinet away from our bed, over by the door and kept it that way for a couple weeks. Then we finally moved her to her own room/crib - it was WAY harder on me than her, she didn't even care! At first I would wake up 2-3 times a night and go in and check on her. I also had a baby monitor so I could hear her breathing, that made me feel better. After a few weeks I got more used to it and more comfortable that she was ok. We all get a better night's sleep this way - she is now 18 mos. old and goes to bed in her own room no problem. It really was a great decision, so I think it's great that you are thinking of doing this now. Good luck!

p.s. We also started out putting her down for her naps in her own room/crib which helped her get comfortable with sleeping there on her own.

my son switched at 3 months. When he stopped sleeping well in my room i moved him to his own. He was a baby that still woke up a lot at night so i went to his room whenever he woke to nurse him and put him back to bed. by the time he was your daughters age he needed his monkee and pacifier to go to sleep. we continued on with his normal bed routine jammies, stories, song then off to bed. took him 3 days to be used to going sleep "alone" by 7 months he was sleeping 12hours a night waking a few times a week for comfort (quick hug then back to bed) If you don't already know the difference in your daughters cries you will learn quickly which ones need attention and which ones are just sleepy squeaks. some moms will not answer any fusses after bedtime. I almost always answered my son sons cries and now at 16 months i have to get up with him (quick hug) only once or twice a week. It might take your daughter a while to adjust to the new room or she may find it nice. You can set up a cd player with soft music for her to help with he transition. I recommend that she have a "lovey" of some sort a small blanket or stuffed animal(just one will be fine) my son has slept with his monkey ever since he got his own room and now as long as he has monkee he will sleep anywhere away from home with out trouble. Good luck with your little one. It might be a long few weeks as she adjusts but in the long run everyone will sleep better :)

I don't think there should be an issue with your daughter in moving her to her own room at her age. I would suggest getting a good baby monitor so that you can hear her without having to disturb her sleep. She will probably adjust faster then you will. You know your babies cry and will respond just as if she was in your room.

She is fully capable of being in her own room. My kids were 3 months two months and my last was never in our room. If it makes you feel more comfortable get a monitor so you can hear better. I usually check on my kids once before I go to bed. and by 6months she should or is capable of sleeping through the night.
Good luck!

I would move her soon and I would not check on her and would not answer her cries. I loved the book by Marc Weisbluth.....healthy sleep habits, happy child. it is very informative and tells you what to do at each stage. Our son is 2.5 and sleeps 12 hours every night and takes 2 hour naps. You need to let the youngsters learn how to soothe themselves. Good luck!

It's your choice as parents how to sleep as a family. Whatever you feel comfortable with and allows everyone to sleep as best as possible is the solution for you. What works best will likely change over time. You will know when she needs you whether you are in the same room or not.

For me, at some stages my daughter slept with me, some she slept in her own room. When she was in a different room, I usually woke up more often than when she was with me. I always answered my baby's cries. And she had a 1 a.m. feeding (BF) until 13 months (I enjoyed that quiet time with her so much).

Congratulations on your new baby. If you are going to move your baby into her own room, you need to get a baby monitor so you can tell when your baby girl is crying for you. That is when you should answer her cries. She is a baby and yes, life is inconvenient (especially at night) when we have babies. A good investment is spending time being responsive to their cries because this makes them feel like their world is secure. They do not have words to tell you how they feel or whether they are sick, so they cry. This is the primary form of communication that babies use.

I coslept with my babies until they were toddlers and they are fantastic sleepers. This I believe is largely due to the fact that I studied attachment parenting and followed the advice of Dr. William Sears.

We moved our first into his own room at 6 months. It was the first time he slept through the night! I wish we could have done it sooner.
With our second, we moved him out after 2 weeks, I think.
The third baby, born in March, had his own room from the very beginning. I slept in there the first few nights, but then went back to my own room and shut both our doors.

I check on the babies frequently until I go to bed, and then again if I get up during the night and they are still sleeping. I only go in if they cry for more than a few minutes. I close both of our doors so I don't hear every little whimper, but that doesn't stop me from hearing their cries when they are awake and ready to eat.

My youngest is almost 4 months and sleep 6-10 hours in a row at night- mostly 8 hours at a time. On the nights he only sleeps 6 hours, I feed him and he goes right back to sleep. He slept 4 hours at a time after being home only a week, and I think having his own room had a lot to do with that. He likes his peace and quiet.

I can't believe this, but I've already forgotten when we moved our (now 16-month) daughter from a co-sleeper at the foot of our bed to a crib in her own room Probably about 4 months. We kept her in our room mostly for my own convenience so I could nurse on demand. But she was such a good sleeper from the very beginning that she was soon sleeping through the night.

Truly, this decision is whatever you're comfortable with. Follow your instincts. You know your daughter and her needs best. You will learn to know the difference of her cries for her different needs, and you'll have to rely on your comfort level of whether to let her cry or not.

My son went to his own room at about 4 months - it did help with everyone's sleep (for us). I was still nursing him at night, but it did work better for me to get up and go to his room. As others have said it really is a personal decision. I don't think there is a "right time", but there is a right time for you family and you will figure it out. Good luck.

This is entirely up to you and what you can handle. I am an avid "checker" and my daughter is 2! At six months, she can handle crying to sleep. Put her in her crib with something she likes, maybe play some soft music and get her as comfortable as you can. (Maybe rock her in her room first to get her used to the room). Then leave the room and wait. I suggest having a friend with you that will stop you from "saving" your little one. You will find that after a few nights, she will no longer cry as much if at all. She needs the transition as much as you do. But wait until YOU are ready for this! It truly works, and believe me, you will thank yourself later for it. I check then before I go to bed. One night, my daughter refused to lay back down, so I found her sleeping sitting up when I checked her. That was creepy, but funny. She is much more independent now because of this. Good luck!
Christa