Big Girl Bedroom

 

I actually can't believe i am typing this, but my big girl has gone into her own bedroom this month! 

From bed sharing, to sleeping sidecar, and now into her own room: it can be done. I didn't think it possible, and people who knew we co-slept told me it would never happen. But it has! 

What made us make the move?

Now this is the confusing part. I LOVE cosleeping! However, i really did feel like it was time. She was sleeping through in her sidecar bed since 10 months old (so a whole 10 months) only waking if she needed the toilet (which sometimes had her up hours). She was no longer climbing into my bed in the middle of the night, so she was used to her space now. 

On top of that, i felt that we were just disturbing each other too much. She would move around so much in her sleep, all over the bed, and it would wake me up. Similarly if i woke up to go to the toilet, or sometimes just rolling over in bed, she would stir too. I found that i wasn't actually getting much sleep as i was forever repositioning her or checking on her because she was making noises. 

When Ny sleeps at her dads, she is in a travel cot. I thought that would have been hard for her, but in fact she slept much later at her dads than at home. Here she was up for the day at 6am every day, at her dads, it was more like 8am starts. I was jealous! 

How did we prepare for the move?

I really did um and ahh about the best way to do this. 

My first idea, was to purchase a travel cot, and set that up in the room. This way at least if she didn't settle, i could put her back in her bed rather than my own. So i got a travel cot. Then found out that it is actually too low down and i couldn't get her in it asleep at all. She woke each time i tried to the point i gave up. 

So the next day i got her dad to help dismantle her bed, and we moved it into her playroom. 

She was at least familiar with the room, and she seemed so excited to find her bed in there, so i was hopeful she would be fine. I was really worried about her falling out of the bed however as she had never slept in a bed before (she slept near her cot when she was in my bed). 

So how has it been?

I have actually been very surprised by how well she has been doing. Tonight marks the 4th week of her having her bed in her room. 

Week One

I had mentally prepared myself for her to be waking up every hour and it taking hours to settle her. However, her first night she did amazing. She went to bed at 7pm and she woke up (crying for a change), around 11pm. I took her toilet, put her back in bed and laid my head with her for about half an hour and she was gone again. It was 3am by time she woke again and this time she wasn't going back in her bed so she got in with me. 

I decided that i am fine with her getting in with me half the night especially at first anyway, but i was proud that she had done 7pm-3am on her first night. The next few nights were the same. I think in the whole week she had 2 nights where she was done by 11pm the rest were a good 5-6 hours before she got in my bed, which for a first week, i was impressed.

After getting in my bed she then slept until 8am/8:30am!

Week Two

Week two was similar, waking twice for the toilet, and the second wake up getting in my bed. However one night i was shocked to find that she had actually slept 7pm-4:30am right through! Another night she did until 6am! Both of them she got in my bed after and slept until almost 9am! The other morning she would be awake at almost 8am! 

The problem that came in week two, was my fear, and she did fall out of the bed. One fall was at 10pm, i heard her cry and went in and she was on the floor with her duvet. I picked her up and she stopped crying and instantly fell back asleep and was put back in bed without any issues. The second one i just rolled over and looked and she wasn't in the bed. I checked the other camera and saw her awake and on the floor with her duvet again, just laying there playing with her hands. It was 6am. She didn't even wake me. The third fall was in the middle of the night and she was really upset so she got in bed with me. 

It was bound to happen at some point, but i was relaxed knowing that she hadn't hurt herself. 

Week three

Week three i made a change. I had a look at some tips for babies falling out the bed, and went with the pool noodle barrier. This is just 2 foam pool noodles tied together and placed underneath both her waterproof sheet and her fitted sheet. It creates a bit of a bumper which hopefully if she rolls into, she won't roll over. 

We had a rough night in this week where she was awake for a good few hours, but this wasn't something new or because of her own room, it just happens occasionally. Again during this week she was sleeping from 7pm until 3am-ish in her room before getting in with me again until 8am. 

Unfortunately during this week, the temperature dropped so much that her going in her own room became difficult. She would wake at 11 and not want to go back into her bed and her room felt cold even with the heating on. So she ended the week in bed with me an was sleeping right the way through each night. 

Week four

Tonight is the start of week four, and thankfully warmer, so she is in her own bed tonight. Finally her room is back in the orange (we have a gro egg). 

Tonight was a bit of a battle, as i am going to be starting to try settle her in her room now too. Usually we do story and fall asleep all in my bed, but i want to try and get her used to falling asleep in her room now. 

I know that she can, because i have seen her wake up, look around, and settle herself back to sleep. She has any naps she may have in her bed as well. 

So tonight i let her choose a friend for bed, laid her down with her boo boo (dummy) and tucked her in. I sat on the floor by her bed and read her her favourite story. She did keep trying to sit up, but i eventually got her to lay down and listen while she held my hand. Trying to get her to stay lay down after that was a fight and she cried too much for my liking. She came and sat in my arms and i stayed on her floor until she fell asleep and then i put her in bed. 

Hopefully she will do well tonight as she is so so tired. 

I honestly started to believe people "she'll never leave your bed" attitude for a moment, but look at my big girl!

Do you have any other tips for a new mum transitioning her first child into their own room? Am i doing this right haha 

Drop me an email or comment!