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Q:

Are there any specific considerations for co-sleeping with a premature baby or a baby with special needs?

Hi everyone,

I am a new parent and my baby was born premature at 34 weeks. I have been considering co-sleeping with my baby as I want to keep a close eye on him and breastfeed him during the night. However, I am unsure if there are any specific considerations for co-sleeping with a premature baby. Are there any additional risks or precautions I should take?

Additionally, I have heard that co-sleeping can be beneficial for babies with special needs, such as those with mobility or respiratory issues. My baby does not have any special needs, but I am curious if there are any specific things I should keep in mind if I do decide to co-sleep in the future.

Thank you in advance for your help and advice.

All Replies

andrew.daugherty

Hello everyone,

I have some experience co-sleeping with my child who has autism spectrum disorder. Our daughter is very sensitive to changes in her environment and often would have difficulty settling down in her own room. Co-sleeping helped her to feel more secure and settled during the night.

We used a co-sleeper that attached to our bed, and it has been a great solution for us as it allowed her to have her own space while still being close to us. We made sure to avoid using blankets or pillows that could pose a danger of suffocation, and we also ensured that our mattress was firm and flat.

Co-sleeping with a child who has autism spectrum disorder can be challenging, as they may have unique needs and preferences when it comes to their sleep. We found that it was helpful to create a consistent bedtime routine and stick to a regular schedule. This helped our daughter to feel more secure and relaxed during the night.

Overall, co-sleeping has been a great way for us to provide our daughter with the additional care and support she needs due to her autism spectrum disorder. However, as with any other special need, it's important to consult with a doctor and do thorough research to ensure that you are providing the safest possible sleeping environment for your child.

I hope this helps!

iwindler

Hello,

I'd like to share my experience co-sleeping with my infant who had special needs due to respiratory issues. My baby was born with chronic lung disease, which made it difficult for him to breathe at times. I was always worried about him during the night, so I decided to co-sleep with him.

Initially, I was very nervous about co-sleeping due to my baby's health condition. However, with the guidance of our pediatrician, we utilized a co-sleeper bassinet that allowed him to sleep safely next to me. We also used a firm, flat mattress and kept any pillows or blankets away from him.

It was crucial for us to keep his head elevated during the night, which helped to prevent any possible breathing difficulties. This was especially helpful when he was congested, as we could easily sit him upright to help him breathe.

Overall, co-sleeping with our son was a great way to provide him with the extra monitoring and care he needed because of his respiratory issues. However, as with any special needs situation, it's important to consult with your doctor and do thorough research to ensure you are providing the safest sleeping environment for your baby.

ebert.maximo

Hi there,

I can share my personal experience with co-sleeping with my premature baby. My daughter was born at 32 weeks and spent several weeks in the NICU. When we brought her home, I was nervous about co-sleeping but wanted to be able to tend to her quickly and easily during the night.

I consulted with our pediatrician and did some research on safe co-sleeping practices for premature babies. We ended up using a co-sleeper bassinet that attached to our bed, which allowed her to be close to me but still in her own safe sleeping space. We also made sure to keep any blankets or pillows away from her and used a firm, flat mattress.

As for co-sleeping with a baby with special needs, I don't have personal experience but I imagine that it would be important to consult with your child's doctor and do thorough research on safe sleeping practices specific to your baby's needs.

Hope this helps!

stracke.tyshawn

Hello everyone,

I would like to share my experience co-sleeping with my child who was born with hearing loss. My son has been wearing hearing aids since he was a few months old, and we've been co-sleeping with him since he was born.

We initially started co-sleeping because I was breastfeeding and wanted to be able to quickly attend to him during the night. However, as he started wearing hearing aids, it became even more important for us to co-sleep to ensure that we could monitor his hearing aids and make sure they didn't come off during the night.

We used a co-sleeper bassinet that attached to our bed, which allowed him to be close to us while still having his own safe sleeping space. We made sure to position him on his back and avoided using any loose blankets or pillows. We also had to be careful not to accidentally dislodge his hearing aids during the night.

Co-sleeping has been a great solution for our family, as it allowed us to provide the additional care and monitoring that he needs with his hearing loss. As always, consulting with our pediatrician was important to ensure that we were following safe co-sleeping practices specific to our son's needs.

I hope this helps!

tania99

Hello,

I would like to share my experience co-sleeping with my child who was born with Down syndrome. We initially tried to have him sleep in his own crib, but he would often wake up frequently and have trouble settling down again.

We ultimately decided to co-sleep with him using a co-sleeper bassinet that attached to our bed. This was a great solution for us as it allowed him to be close to us while still having his own safe sleep space.

One thing we had to be mindful of was making sure we were following safe sleeping practices, such as avoiding loose blankets and ensuring that our mattress was firm and level. We also had to be careful not to place any pillows near him that may pose a suffocation risk.

Overall, co-sleeping with our child that has Down syndrome has been very successful for us. It allowed us to provide close care and monitoring throughout the night, which helped to ease our anxiety about his condition. However, as always, consulting with a doctor and doing thorough research is crucial to ensure that you are providing the safest possible sleeping environment for your child.

I hope this helps!

bwalter

Hello everyone,

I've never personally co-slept with a premature baby, but I did co-sleep with my child who has mobility issues. My son has cerebral palsy and cannot move around freely in his sleep, which made me want to keep a close eye on him during the night.

Thanks to safe co-sleeping guidelines, my partner and I were able to co-sleep with our son successfully. We made sure to use a co-sleeping bassinet that attached to our bed and kept him close but safe. It was important for us to ensure that there were no gaps between the mattress and the co-sleeper to prevent any risks.

Some important precautions we took were to avoid using any loose blankets or pillows around him, and we placed him on his back throughout his sleep. Anything we used around him had to be tightly fitted to prevent strangulation. We also made sure to keep an eye on his body temperature, avoiding any extreme weather changes and keeping him warm with appropriate clothing.

I hope this helps.

eichmann.estella

Hello everyone,

I have some experience co-sleeping with my child who had special needs due to medical equipment. My daughter was on a CPAP machine for several months after birth, which made it difficult to sleep in her own room.

We decided to co-sleep with her using a co-sleeper bassinet that attached to our bed, allowing her to be close to us while still allowing her medical equipment to be within reach. It was important for us to keep a clear space around her, so we made sure not to have any loose blankets or pillows near her.

We also had to make some adjustments to our bed and the space surrounding it to accommodate her CPAP machine. This included making sure there were no obstructions around the bed and that the cords and tubing were not in danger of getting tangled.

While co-sleeping with a child who requires medical equipment can be nerve-wracking, it was a great way for us to stay close to our daughter and provide the extra care that she needed. However, it's essential to consult with your doctor to ensure that co-sleeping is safe and appropriate for your child's particular medical needs.

I hope this helps!

carlee65

Hi everyone,

I have experience co-sleeping with my child who was born with a heart condition. Our daughter has a heart defect and has had multiple surgeries, so we decided to co-sleep as a way to closely monitor her throughout the night.

While co-sleeping provided us with the ability to monitor her more closely, it was also important for us to be aware of certain risks and take necessary precautions. We used a co-sleeper bassinet that attached to our bed, which allowed her to be close to us while still having her own safe sleep space. We also made sure that she was sleeping on her back, and avoided using any loose blankets or pillows that could pose a suffocation risk.

It was also important for us to make sure that we were not compromising our daughter's sleep quality or quantity by disturbing her with our own movement or sleep habits. We made sure to get up quietly and minimally disturb her when we could.

In conclusion, co-sleeping was a useful tool for providing additional care and monitoring for our daughter with a heart condition, but it is important to consult with a doctor and follow safe sleep guidelines specific to your child's needs.

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