How to co-sleep safely?

amother

Cyan

Thu, Sep 24 2015, 12:25 pm

My two week old baby will only sleep either on his stomach which I only do in the carriage when I am awake to watch him, or on my chest/in my bed at night. None of these is the safe sleeping method the Dr told me about: on his back in empty crib. How can I resolve this so that I get some sleep?

amother

Ginger

Thu, Sep 24 2015, 12:52 pm

Mazal tov! Enjoy your newborn!

Mine is b"h 10 weeks old now, and for at least the first month she only slept as you describe.
We put a spare thin (3-4 inches thick) mattress we have on the floor against a wall, with a foam baby activity mat on the other side in case she rolled off. I found she was usually willing to sleep on her back next to me so long as when she flailed her arms around one would hit me, which also reassured me I was sleeping lightly enough to be aware of where she was.

Also:
-Make sure there are no pillows or thick blankets (I used a thin seersucker blanket to swaddle her some nights that nothing else helped)
-NO alcohol or anything else (like antihistamines) that could make you drowsy in your system. You need to be aware of his presence, which might not happen if you're sleeping too deeply.
-No older kids in the same bed as the baby. No one but you or your husband should sleep with the baby, and I'd give it a test run before letting him do it (like a Shabbos afternoon nap, you sit on the side with a book and keep an eye to see that dh reacts if the baby hits him).