Help! Refusing the Cot (Sidecar)

[titania]

my DD has co-slept with me in our queen bed for the past few months but for various reasons I have decided it is time to move her to a cot in a sidecar setup.

*(she seems to want more space, I want more space, dh and I want to snuggle more like we used to, she is getting more active and I worry about her rolling off the bed when I am not there)*

To this end I set the cot up next to my bed some time ago, to familiarise her with it. She is happy to lie in the cot and relax and often sleeps in it if I put her in there already asleep.

She breastfeeds to sleep most nights and once asleep, I used to put her down in my bed, but now put her down in the cot. When she wakes in the night, she won't go back in to the cot - she wants to stay with me and will continually wake every 15 minutes until I give in. That doesn't bother me, I am happy with having space for half the night and cuddling for the rest of the night

It all seemed to be going well the first couple of nights that I put her in to the cot with her sleeping there until about 4am. The next night was earlier as was the night after and the night after until she came in to bed at midnight. The next night she refused to go in at all, waking the minute I put her in the cot. This is exactly what she did with the basinet and why she ended up sleeping with me in the first place.

I really feel I need her to sleep at least part time in the cot, mostly for my sanity (I love snuggling with her, but like my space too and really want my space in bed for at least some of the night)

The last two nights I have spent over 2 hours each night alternatly feeding and soothing my DD to get her to sleep in the cot. I am so used to getting her to sleep within 20 minutes, so it is stressing me out a bit.

I have thought about upgrading to a king size bed, but we really can't afford that option and I think I would have a hard time convincing DH.

Does anyone have any suggestions for getting her to aceept the cot more easily?

[jessgray]

my ds1 ended up in our bed he was scared of the cot till early this year lol when he seemed ready to have his naps in the cot we would put him in there then slowly we started putting him at night. now he wont sleep in our bed at all now if only i could cure his insomnia
i used to put a hot water bottle in with ds1 at night coz he was used to cuddle-ing up to a nice warm mum and dad. i think that helped.

[titania]

Thanks jess, the hot water bottle sounds like a good idea! I'll try that one

[Mum2Lucas]

hi i dont know whether this would help but just recently we stopped cosleeping. DS refuses to sleep in a cot even for a few minutes. so what i did was put his cot mattress straight on the floor all made up with his pillow and everything. we have a rocking chair and he will go to sleep while im holding him in that and then i put him down on the mattress. it has worked really well he now only wakes up once a night and then when he does at 5 he just sleeps in my bed for an hour and then we get up.