Let’s talk about co-sleeping. Co-sleeping can be such a polarising topic, with a cocktail of opinions, advice, and “to-do’s” coming from all directions—enough to make a tired parent dizzy! But I’m here to share my own cozy little co-sleeping journey with our DIY co sleeper, and how it shaped our family’s zzz’s.
When I was pregnant I always intended to co-sleep, in fact I wanted him in our actual bed but after thinking about it we realised our double bed was too small and we would benefit better with a co-sleeper attachment
When our little one arrived, my sleep went out the window, as I’m sure most of you can relate. Cue the infinite nights of nursing, cuddling, and soothing. I found myself in desperate need of solutions to grab that precious shut-eye.
And then we discovered co-sleeping. It was like a warm embrace amidst the chaos. Our little one would nestle close to us, and those night-time wake-ups were less disruptive when they were only just an arm’s length away. That feeling of waking up to the softest baby breath against my cheek—just magical. The love and connection felt like a glow that enveloped our little family bubble.
But, oh, it wasn’t all roses. The nighttime wriggles and unsuspecting kicks reminded me that sharing a bed required some adapting.
Safety was our top priority: firm mattress, breathable bedding, and baby in a safe sleep position. Through the sleepless nights, co-sleeping eventually helped us find our rhythm. Each family’s journey is unique, and ours involved snuggles and a little more shut-eye—priceless.
If you’re navigating the magical, tiring world of co-sleeping, remember you’re not alone. Cherish the snuggles, and the connection, and may you catch a wink (or two) of sweet slumber.
I searched the internet for co-sleeping cots, there are a few on the market but the one I liked the look of best was ‘The Bednest’. At £299 it was far more than we wanted to pay so for a few months kept our eyes on Gumtree and Ebay for second hand ones. They came up very rarely and when they did they were still around £200. Considering their size we knew it was not something we would be using for very long and this being the case we would have to upgrade to some form of co-sleeper cot within a few months (and actually considering Wilf’s size this would have been sooner than we thought!).
A couple of months before Wilf was born we decided to make our own, Tom scoured the internet for tutorials about how to make a safe co-sleeper and we discovered it was very easy to do. We bought our cot from the ex display section at IKEA for £40, bought the sheet and materials for further £20, add some bungie ropes and you pretty much have yourself a co-sleeper!
Our cot came with adjustable heights so we raised it to the nearest notch (which was pretty much level with our bed) and then raised it slighter higher using a towel underneath the mattress. We then moved the cot mattress across to meet our mattress and in the gap that this created on the other side we used a rolled up towel to wedge secure.
as you can see it makes the mattresses completely level and is pretty much a continuation of our bed. After the first four weeks or so Wilf was happy to sleep in his little side of the bed, however at four months he started teething. I think this must have caused a shift in something as since then he has pretty much only wanted to sleep in my arms (or at the start of this month back on my tummy), which isn’t a problem (actually its rather lovely) although as our bed is not very large it does mean Tom has been relegated to the spare room, sorry Tom!
I am confident that Wilf will start to enjoy sleeping in his co sleeper side cot again soon, either way co-sleeping has really worked for us. It is a great help with breastfeeding (no getting out of bed, just roll over and nurse) and I cant tell you how lovely it is to wake up next to your baby gazing at you cooing away!
p.s you see that turquoise pot by the side there? That was another of one of Tom’s genius inventions! Its a bottle holder and means I am able to hold a water bottle within arms reach when I’m stuck under a baby!
5 Responses
thats really clever what you did there, it looks great, could of down with one of those for my son, he hated being in the bed, I had his cot wedged right up against the bed for months. my daughter wouldn't sleep anywhere but right in between us lol
Ah what a cute baby!!
so sweet! i love his little fox. xo.
Thanks Ladies!
@lil I know I guess it depends on the baby! Wilf changes his mind on a monthly basis! I cant keep up x
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