s/o Okay, co-sleepers, how long?

[Farrar]

Since so many people in the other poll said they co-slept, I was curious for how long. Poll a-coming...

[Perogi]

We cosleep up to age 5. After that we start insisting that the dc stay in their own beds. After infancy our version of cosleeping is that if/when they wake in the night they can come and get in bed with us. Sometimes it also means laying in their bed with them at bedtime to get them to sleep.

[mommymilkies]

I put up to age 3. At 2.5 or so, I start trying to transitioning them to a "big kid bed". Sometimes they come in after that, though.

[Whereneverever]

My two year old still cosleeps full time. My five year old has special needs and sometimes does. My eight year old never does any more.

 

I think it's as needed and tolerated, by everyone involved.

[LibraryLover]

Until they got sick of us.

Edited June 3, 2012 by LibraryLover

[SonshineLearner]

I said till college visits. I'm slightly joking :) My son still prefers to sleep with someone; he'd be fine if he had a sibling to sleep with. He's going to be 9 yrs in July :)

[chepyl]

Regularly, until about two when they were completely weaned. But DD still snuggle with me at night some and if she wakes up in the middle the night we let her stay.

[Ali in OR]

It was about 6 or 7 months. Once they were down to just one feeding during the night, I moved them to their own room and just nursed them in there in a rocker when needed. I remember when my youngest was 7 months and I was ready to move her, I was really nervous that she would cry and be miserable. But she was moving into the same room as her 3 year old sister, and when I brought the youngest to the room, she was so happy and excited! They've been having late night chats and tea parties ever since!

[Seeking Squirrels]

DD will be 4 in a week and still sleeps in our bed 99% of the time. I was hoping she'd be in her own bed before baby got here just to make things easier, but that's obviously not happening.

[Dustybug]

I agree that it is as needed/tolerated. I'm still cosleeping with my almost 2 year old with no near end in sight as she still nurses at night. My DS coslept full time until he was 2 and then would sleep in his bed until about 4AM or so. He is 4 now and still occasionally comes in. My oldest likes her own space so it is rare that she asks to sleep with us, but she coslept until she was 18 months or so.

[kalanamak]

I would not co-sleep with anyone who wakes me by kicking me, so, after the first few weeks, kiddo trundled off to his own bed. This went fine until we moved and could hear the fort. Kiddo started talking about bad dreams. I held off for over a year, but last winter, when it was cold, I gave up driving him to his bed after our reading, and listening to him sniffle.

 

He's a great pal in bed. Quiet, considerate with the covers, wishes me good night in the sweetest voice possible, and wakes in the morning to wish me a good day at work. He even gets the bead bag warmed up in the microwave so we can share it on our cold tootsies on winter nights.

 

He falls asleep on a dime too. So, we STARTED co-sleeping at age 9.

[Mandamom]

I said until age 5. My older dd11 still hates to sleep alone. Her younger sister was gone on an overnight which left dd11 in her room all alone (they share a room and frequently a bed). That night dd11 entered my room and pleaded with me to let her sleep with me.

 

She ended up going to her brother's bed (ds6) and slept in his bed.

 

So, for her I'd suggest that the answer is "till college".

[BarbecueMom]

My kids each wanted out at 7 months. I don't know why that age, but they started hating our bed at that time and slept better on their own. I would have let them stay longer, but it didn't work out that way. They are almost 4 and 2 1/2, and have never ever asked to sleep with us at night or shown up in the middle of the night, except to ask for potty or Kleenex help. Nor will they let us stay in their rooms. We've asked, requests denied.

 

DS4 always sweats at night, and DS2 craves his alone time, so that's probably why they like to sleep in their own rooms.

[Ellie]

I voted "up to age 4," but it's complicated. :-)

 

We didn't co-sleep with dd#1 at all :sad: but I was wiser with dd#2, and co-slept with her from the beginning. We went to bed together any time after 9 p.m. when she wanted to nurse (I took a shower around then while Mr. Ellie got her ready for bed). During the night I'd just roll from one side to the other when she woke up and plugged her back in. :D

 

When she was about 8mo, one night she wanted to nurse and so I sat down with her, but she just nursed and fussed and nursed and fussed, so I put her to bed and she went right to sleep. 0_o She slept until about midnight, then I took her back to bed with me and we slept.

 

When she was about 12mo and eating solids, I tried waiting when she woke up at midnight to see what would happen...and she went back to sleep. She woke up around 6, and I took her back to bed with me, where we nursed and dozed until 8.

 

We did that until she was 2yo. At that point she was going to bed at 7 and sleeping until 7:30, in her own bed. Yay!!

 

But then she began to love the blankie her grandmother made for her. I didn't allow it out of the house, but when she was home, she took it with her everywhere. I didn't think much about it until we had guests staying with us for a week, and 4yo dd slept with us; during that week she didn't touch her blankie once. 0_o Apparently there was something in her little subconcience that substituted her blankie for sleeping with us, and I thought it was better for her to find contentment with her parents, not the blankie, KWIM? So I let her sleep with us for several weeks, and then she went back to her own bed. She still liked the blankie, but it stayed on her bed.

 

So that's my story and I'm sticking to it. :D

 

BTW, this was the world's most independent child. She was tough to homeschool because she wanted to do everything herself. Oy.

[Matryoshka]

My older two coslept till they were about 3? We tried to get them out before their little sister was born at 2.5, but it was a disaster. I slept on a trundle with the baby till she was somewhere between 3-6mos old (can't remember exactly). Then I moved back into the bed, and the 3yos would go to the trundle when they came in (they always started in their own beds). They transitioned to sleeping in their own beds by just getting up less and less.

 

Youngest got longer, as no one kicked her out. :tongue_smilie: She was a flailer and kicker, too. Good thing we have a king bed. We finally got her out sometime after 4, I'd guess, by having her cosleep with her sisters.

[DianeW88]

Somewhere between age one and two...whenever we got around to purchasing their new, cool big kid beds. Worked like a charm.

 

Now if I could just convince the cats that they do not need to co-sleep with us anymore. :glare:

Edited June 3, 2012 by DianeW88
Stupid autocorrect

[Calendula]

I put up to age 3. At 2.5 or so, I start trying to transitioning them to a "big kid bed". Sometimes they come in after that, though.

:iagree:

We lay down with them in their beds until they go to sleep until later than that (part of the transition), and lay with them when they wake up at night.

[Twilight Woods]

My 6 y/o dd still comes into our bed at night. We start off by putting her her bed but it never lasts long.

[Joanne]

Regularly, they all transitioned with various levels of "encouragement" by school age.

 

However, they have all wanted to sleep in my bed at various times since then. I don't allow co-sleeping with their step Dad, but even now, I will get requests or come home to a sleeping teen (if DH is in the hospital, for example).

 

We attach too much to the issue, as a culture. And I have found that's true of AP parents, also, in reverse.

[Mélie]

We moved both boys to their "big boy" bedroom when they were 2 and 3.

[Farrar]

I said till college visits. I'm slightly joking :) My son still prefers to sleep with someone; he'd be fine if he had a sibling to sleep with. He's going to be 9 yrs in July :)

 

I put that option in partly joking, but partly because I knew someone who told me she did this! Her kids were all grown up but they would come crawl in bed with her when they were home from college!

 

We made it nearly to age six before I suddenly wanted my bed back. They still come in when they're sick or have nightmares, but it's not too often.

[Rosie_0801]

"Yawn, I'm sleepy"

 

Mine still co-sleep sometimes. If there'd been an option for "Whenever it seemed a less unpleasant idea than leaving them in their beds," I'd have voted for it.

 

The only stretch of full time co-sleeping was when dd was a toddler. If she didn't share with me, she was feral during the day.

 

 

Lol at "when they come home from college." My aunt is in her 40's and shares a bed with her mum when she visits. I like my own space, personally.

 

Rosie

[pbb119]

I put up to age 3, but that is really b/c that is about when they have all done it. Co-sleep weaning has been like nursing, self-led. They have their own room, toys, clothes, etc. At 2 they have to nap in their own beds. That has always led to them sleeping in their own beds. My dd is 2 and has never truly co-slept. She would NOT sleep with me after about 3 months old. I was super sad :(

 

My boys have weekend sleepovers though. dh is a pilot and usually is flying over the wkend, so all the boys pile in bed with me and we watch movies and read and stuff. It's fun, and I hope when dd gets old enough, she will want to be in here, too!!

[CyndiLJ]

We have 5 kids, all adopted, some at much older ages (8, 10 and 11). We co-slept with our infants off and on until about age 3 1/2. We have never really co-slept in the traditional sense with our kids adopted at older ages, but have a sort of "modified" co-sleeping arrangement that we feel has really drawn our family much closer together. We have "camp out" night once a week or so in our bedroom, and all five kids grab sleeping bags and pillows and cram into our room and sleep on the floor. There in the dark, the most remarkable conversations happen, a hand is held, stories are giggled over. It is the single best tradition we have as a family, and I wouldn't at all be surprised if it continues until college!! Hahaha! They are all 14, 13, 12, 12 and 9 and just tonight I was asked by two of them if we could camp out tonight, but I declined and said tomorrow night.

 

Our culture really has a huge hang up about this issue, and I feel at times we are missing out on something, especially after seeing how it has helped all our kids feel more connected.

[Melissa in Australia]

I voted up to age 2 but it was more like 12-18 months. Most of my children are 2 years apart, and I made a real effort to have one child out and in their own bed before the next baby arrived.

[dalynnrmc]

I voted for being sleepy. :tongue_smilie:

 

 

All mine have co-slept for different lengths of time, but I guess neighboring in the 2yo range or just under.

 

Still co-sleeping with twins. Trying very hard to kick them out of the bed. Not really, but sorta. 4 people is a lot even in a king-sized bed! Toddler bed is side-addled, as is their new bedroom (connected to ours by a larger than usual doorway)... but I haven't gotten them IN their bedroom yet. Workin on it. Mostly because I'd like to sleep through the entire night by the end of this year. I miss my sleep.

 

Speaking of sleep, did I mention that I'm sleepy? Yawn! :sleep:

 

Going to bed now. Gnight co-sleepers!

[dalynnrmc]

I voted up to age 2 but it was more like 12-18 months. Most of my children are 2 years apart, and I made a real effort to have one child out and in their own bed before the next baby arrived.

 

Only one thing to say here:

 

:lol:

 

Okay I lied. Also this:

 

:glare:

 

 

Gnight!

 

 

 

Lied again. Also:

(No, it is not two sets of twins!)

:lol:

 

 

 

I guess I get giggly when I get tired.

 

Going to bed for "reals" this time.

Edited June 3, 2012 by dalynnrmc

[Soror]

Ds was until 5, dd1 until 2 and dd2 until 2y5m. I had planned to move ds out sooner but due to life it just didn't happen but then when I got pregnant w/ #3 I couldn't take it anymore and they both moved out together, which I liked better anyway. I couldn't stand the thought of them being moved off alone. Dd2 was moved later as I got pregnant later. I enjoy sleeping by myself while pregnant and don't like to move them until they nightwean.

[Butter]

I picked Yawn, I'm Sleepy because none of the answers worked. My kids have all been different! Ani slept in her own bed part of the night starting at age 4. She quit coming in our bed at all during the night at 6 1/2 (this is our diagnosed insomniac child so sleep has always been an issue for her). Cameron started sleeping in his own bed at almost 3 and I don't think he's slept in our bed at all, even for part of the night, since almost 4. Fritz moved into his own bed at almost 4. He's almost 6 now and most nights he's in his bed the whole night, but he has been having a lot of nightmares lately and ends up in our bed if that happens. Adrian is almost 4. He's been in our bed about half the time since he was 2 1/2.

 

Last night was a good night. Both little boys stayed in their bed!

 

I co-slept with my parents full-time until I was a bit over a year. Then I moved into my sister's bed (she was 5 at the time). I was still welcome back in my parents' bed any time I was sick or scared.

[Momof3littles]

DS1 and DD coslept for about 3 years. DS2 is just over 2 and in his own bed now, although I go in 1-2 x a night and he still nurses, and I'll sometimes fall asleep in there. So he's still cosleeping but in his own bed ;) It gives DH and I a good chunk of time together though, which is nice after 8 years of cosleeping! :D

[AdventureMoms]

Really depends on the kid. DD is 4 and still prefers someone to sleep with her. In reality someone lays with her until she falls asleep and if she wakes in the middle of the night someone goes in with her and usually stays the rest of the night. The twins are 18mo and haven't coslept since 9mo or so. They prefer to sleep alone. Once in a blue moon if one of them is sick they'll sleep with us for a couple of hours, but usually not even then. One twin hates to be held at night, even if he is sick (ie will vomit alone in his crib and scream at you when you pick him up, but be completely happy to sleep alone and dry-heaving. The other twin is more of a snuggler, but still not really a cosleeper. DD was a cosleeper from day 1.

[AdventureMoms]

I would not co-sleep with anyone who wakes me by kicking me, so, after the first few weeks, kiddo trundled off to his own bed. This went fine until we moved and could hear the fort. Kiddo started talking about bad dreams. I held off for over a year, but last winter, when it was cold, I gave up driving him to his bed after our reading, and listening to him sniffle.

 

He's a great pal in bed. Quiet, considerate with the covers, wishes me good night in the sweetest voice possible, and wakes in the morning to wish me a good day at work. He even gets the bead bag warmed up in the microwave so we can share it on our cold tootsies on winter nights.

 

He falls asleep on a dime too. So, we STARTED co-sleeping at age 9.

 

Older kids are better cosleepers for sure!! DD is so much easier to sleep with now at age 4 even, than when she was a squirmy kicky toddler. We fight over whose turn it is to sleep with her when she wakes up. (Though that may be partially because whoever is sleeping with DD gets exempted from twin duty in the night)

[LaxMom]

My three co-sleepers took to their own beds around 3 1/2. The boys still sleep together in a full sized bed.

[Pamela H in Texas]

I put "after 5" (like *way* after five), but...

 

If I had it to do right now, I'd be moving babe between 10mo and 24mo depending on kid.

[Donna]

I co-slept with oldest until I got pregnant with my youngest. He was almost 5yo. My middle ds decided he wanted to be in his own bed when he was 2.5yo and only occasionally came into my room once he was in his own bed. My dd still comes in my bed now and then to snuggle very early in the morning. I hardly ever even know when she comes in. She's very quiet.

[Greenmama2]

DD just turned six and has slept in her own bed (a bunk next to our bed) around 10 times over the last year. DS is three and has never slept elsewhere. So over age 5 for us. I don't think DS will make it to age 5 though, I can see them moving out to share a room in the next year.

[welovetoread]

all of my kids have naturally moved to their own bed in their own room around 4 or 5.

Currently, we have a 2 year old and almost 1 year old in our bed.

[StartingOver]

My daughter now 24 still crawls up in my bed every chance she gets. LOL But she lives in San Antonio so that isn't often. She is now joined by two grandbabies. ;-) My son now 23 stopped at about 9, and my son now 21 stopped at 7 when his brother did. The youngest two still sleep in our bed, they will stop when they are ready.

 

I think a lot of the reasoning in our home for extended co-sleeping is that my husband and I both came from broken homes. Building a sense of security with the kids is #1 in our books.

[Heather in Neverland]

We have an enormous bed so dd and younger ds are usually in there with us and we all sleep just fine.

 

It is very common in this country for everyone to sleep in the same room. We have thought about putting two big mattresses on the floor and all sleeping in one room to save on A/C bills!!!

[tabrizia]

For the older two, around 15 months I night weaned and we moved them to their beds for at least the first part of the night. They wander into our room when they want to snuggle in the middle of the night though. Which means other then DS1's current month+ long hospital stay, he is still co-sleeping at 5, every night. DD normal comes into the bed with me about 2 times a week now at 3 (and has since before 2), though she will come in and snuggle after she wakes up most mornings.

 

DS2 is still co-sleeping since he isn't 15 months yet, but he also has been night weaned, thanks to that lovely hospital stay, so I could put him down alone. Only issue with that is he does not have a bed. We were going to get bunk beds and put him in with DS1 around 18 months, but we're not doing bunk beds now, so we are still assessing how we are going to arrange the bedrooms to get DS2 his own bed. He will likely be co-sleeping for awhile still before we figure it out, plus he'll always be welcome if he wakes in the middle of the night.

[kewb]

I couldn't tell you when it stopped being nightly. Probably around age 5 but they still crawl in on the rare occasion and they are a teen and a tween. We did it until they chose to be on the their own.

[Wheres Toto]

I need an other vote.

 

My oldest slept with me until she was 10 and I married dh. She had some security issues due to the divorce from her dad and that she was only with me every other week.

 

My son slept with us until he was around 5. He's always been a night owl and once we let him watch quiet movies with the lights out (he wasn't reading yet), he started staying and falling asleep in his own bed.

 

My youngest falls asleep in her own bed about 25% of the time (she shares a room with her brother so is also watching a movie), comes out in the living room and curls up with dh to fall asleep about 70% of the time and the other 5% we just let her come in to bed with us. She winds up in with us at some point most nights.

 

When we were first pregnant, dh was one of those who said "no kid of mine is ever going to sleep in my bed". Then ds ended up being the worst sleeping baby and kid ever. I was nursing which made it even harder but he just ended up being one of those kids who doesn't need a lot of sleep. It didn't take long before dh loved cuddling with his little buddy.

[cassiemc]

When my DH is not here (working), my 7 year old sleeps in my bed and my 10 year sleeps on the floor in my room. I don't really see this ending anytime soon. It works for us and they do sleep in their own beds the rest of the time. We are firm believers in co-sleeping and attachment parenting :)

[mama2cntrykids]

It's been different with all my kids. My oldest co-slept until he was four-ish. The next until he was two. The third until she was 4.5 or so. Even then, she didn't sleep with us, we would lay down by her until she was asleep and then leave. If she woke up, we'd go lay down with her again. The youngest is still co-sleeping and probably will until she weans.

[kricau]

Does anybody still sleep with their age 7 or older child??? Just want to see if I am alone on this one. Meanwhile I have a 3 1/2 year old who sleeps all night by herself. Is it just a personality thing, or is it trained in them?

Edited June 3, 2012 by kricau
spell check

[Cassy]

Does anybody still sleep with their age 7 or older child??? Just want to see if I am alone on this one. Meanwhile I have a 3 1/2 year old who sleeps all night by herself. Is it just a personality thing, or is it trained in them?

 

DS5 and DS7 still sleep with me. DS7 sometimes goes off to his own bed because he wants to be a 'big boy' like DS11 and DS12, but DS5 is very happy snuggling next to mummy. I think DS7 would stay in his own bed if he had DS5 with him.

[Rosie_0801]

Does anybody still sleep with their age 7 or older child??? Just want to see if I am alone on this one. Meanwhile I have a 3 1/2 year old who sleeps all night by herself. Is it just a personality thing, or is it trained in them?

 

I think it is a personality thing. I usually keep the kids in their cot in my room for at least a year, but ds got moved out before the year was up because he slept better alone. Dd got moved back in because she didn't.

 

Rosie