Well something really quite unexpected has taken place this evening, and it has made me come down stairs and take straight to my blog to share it with you straight away. You may already know that we are a co-sleeping family if you have been following my blog for a while, but just maybe that is about to change.

A little while back I was struggling with it as bedtime had become very much hard work, and led me to write a post about some things that parents may wish to avoid at bedtime if they wanted an easier life than mine.

co-sleeping

 

Princess has been in our room more or less since birth.  She took a short holiday to her bedroom at about 10 months, but came back after Daddy decided her room was too cold.

She had been fine in her cot too.  From 12 weeks old she found her thumb, and would self soothe herself to sleep and was quite happy in her own little bed.  We hit trouble when she was able to pull herself up.  As soon as she was able to stand in her cot she refused to self settle.

All this hit around the time my son was preparing for his GCSE’s, so we did what we had to do for him not to be disturbed which resulted in our co-sleeping journey. Before Little Pudding was born we tried, with some gentle encouragement, to get Princess into her own room.  She would lay in her bed eyes fixed on either me or Daddy, whoever was staying with her, and made it quite clear she was not going to go to sleep until she was back in her ‘big’ bed as she called it.

So we resigned ourselves to more co-sleeping, which was fine.  I knew she wouldn’t want to stay in there forever, but she was showing no signs of giving up her coveted spot anytime soon, until tonight that is.

So everyone is ready for bed as usual for about 7pm, and we all head upstairs to begin the challenge of getting everyone settled down.  Before we made it to the bedroom, Princess announces she is going to sleep in her own room in her own bed.  To say we were shocked by the announcement was an understatement, and it took a few moments for me to find my ‘praise good behaviour’ head.  My snoring has finally driven her out!  I knew it would eventually 😉

She climbed into her train duvet cover, and snuggled down.  She didn’t want the door shut of course, and the safety gate could not be closed, but she was in her own bed.   There was a little to-ing and fro-ing as she decided she needed another wee and had to have the teddy she’d left down stairs (despite there being 3 tubs full of them in her room), but she did it.

She knew we were close by if she needed us, and she got herself off to sleep all by herself.  This was nothing short of a miracle I can tell you.  It might only be the first night, but it’s a huge step for our little girl.  Now we just have Little Pudding to sort out, but the fact that there definitely is light at the end of the tunnel is a huge relief.

Do you co-sleep?  When did your children decide it was time to take to their own bed? I’d love to hear about it in the comments and if you think your followers would find this post helpful, please do share it with them.

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22 COMMENTS

  1. Aww that’s such a big step! My 2 year old little bro still sleeps in my mums room and isn’t too keen on his ‘big’ bed yet! x

  2. bless her little cotton socks! I’m wishing you all a restful night & hope she loves her big bed so much she wants to go back tomorrow night! Xx

  3. That is so exciting!!! My family has 6 kids, and I happen to be the oldest. I have seen the constant battle of trying to “kick” the little ones out of my parents bed. They finally have gotten them all out as the youngest, 6 years old, has gotten older.

    This is the first time I have been to your blog, and i’m curious is she your first co-sleeper?

  4. What a clever girl! We don’t co-sleep, we did in the early days but with Toby’s reflux he needed to be more upright. My philosophy was always that you don’t see teenagers co-sleeping with Mummy and Daddy, but it must be something of a relief when you start to get your bed back!xx

  5. Aw well done big girl!! 🙂
    I didn’t co-sleep with my eldest and said I never ever would. Until my littlest arrived, and I fell into the co-sleeping bubble for an easier life, and at 7 months he still spends a good few nights in with us. Its self soothing, or lack of, that’s the problem. He’s still in our room at the mo though which i think is half the problem. We’re moving next month so I’m hoping he’ll decide to stay in his own bed longer. Fingers crossed.

  6. I’m co sleeping, well part time anyway. Our baby starts off in his own cot then comes in with us when he wakes between 10-11pm I ended up doing it with my older 2 so just went straight to it this time and feel so much healthier & less sleep deprived & it’s resulted in a rediculusly happy baby! I know the time will come when he wants his own bed, like Princess, all night do really don’t worry.
    #binkylinky

  7. I haven’t had experience with co sleeping with either of my two but I know alot of people do it and it works for them. I think children all go back to their beds at different ages and when you feels its right for all of you. Follow your gut hunny. Thank you ever so much for linking up to Share With Me #sharewithme

  8. That’s monumental news! Woweeee! Congrats well done little one! Well done you guys. I’m still in my cot but my mummy and daddy have the feeling that I might prefer their bed once the bars go down….#PoCoLo

  9. We co-sleep. My son is going to be 5 this June and we will train his to sleep on his bed by vacation time. This is such an inspiring story for me to start =) #pocolo

  10. Aww well done to your daughter! I hope she continues to want her big girl bed for you.

    X Becca #binkylinky

  11. out of 5 kids only my 1st child refused to sleep in his own bed but that didn’t last long. I think I’ve been really lucky to have all my kids into their own beds pretty early on in their lives although my youngest who is now 10 still wants to slide in now and again to cuddle her mummy.

  12. Awww that’s so cute that she decided herself, I hope the nights since have gone well?

    We didn’t really cosleep, except for the odd night when Boo was really unsettled poorly. She was in our room in a moses basket then her cot until she was about 5 months and then she moved in to her own room in her cot, and I went in there with her (in a bed – I wouldn’t have fit in the cot hehe) until she was 7 months and then I moved back in to my own room. The reason we did that was because 1. I wanted to escape my husbands snoring for a bit! and 2. I wanted the transition into her own room to be a gradual thing, rather than just moving rooms and being alone in the same night.

  13. Awwww. Whilst it’s sad for you that those days might be over, it’s a massive thing for your little one. You should be very proud of her that she has made the decision herself and that you have allowed her just to be herself. xx #BinkyLinky

  14. We – well my husband co-sleeps with the kids. I don’t like it because I can’t sleep with two wriggly toddlers in the bed, but I must admit when I wake and see their little faces first thing that is pretty cute! Thanks for linking up to the #BinkyLinky

  15. Aawww well done Princess! I have just spent the second night in my own bed in my own room 😀 High five to us! x

  16. What a lovely post. It’s nice to hear a positive child-led end to a co-sleeping journey. Sounds like stuff dreams are made of! A great response to those ‘you’ll never get them out of your bed’ stories people keep telling me. We currently co-sleep with the Madam (16 m/o). Although even she has been falling asleep in her toddler co-sleeper bed of her own accord now and coming in with us when she wakes.
    Well done.
    Bx

  17. What a nice post. 😀
    We co-sleep and bedshare. 🙂 I have both of my small ones in bed with us. One in the middle and one on the outer side. 🙂 I wouldn’t have it any other way tbh we love it. I have a cot bed on one side that I usually will put my daughter in when we get up to bed which leaves us more room in the bed. She also has her own bedroom which she shares with her older brother, and her own bed, and she does sleep there as well, but her fav thing is to sleep in our bed with “HER Henry”. 🙂

    They are only small a short while, it might seem like “for ever” now, but before we know it, they are on their way out and we will miss these days. 🙂

    #PoColo
    #brilliantblogposts
    #binkylinky

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