# How does a babysitter play into co-sleeping?



## amberg007 (Jul 15, 2008)

As of now Dh & I haven't gone out and left Dd with a sitter since we started co-sleeping. Currently I am not ready to do so w/o feeling guilty for leaving her but I realize that down the road we will end up leaving her with a sitter at some point. My question is...how would the babysitter get her to bed? Currently she falls asleep while nursing around 8pm and wakes within an hour and wants to be nursed back down. Before we started co-sleeping (about mth & 1/2 ago), we would just give her the paci and she would fall back asleep but now it seems that she constantly needs the comfort. While she used to sleep from 8pm to 12-1am before needing to nurse, she now needs to be nursed within an hr(or needs me in bed with her). Basically she cannot sleep good until I get in bed with her. We chose to do co-sleeping b/c we thought it was what was best for her but it seems that I have lost my only guilt free time w/o babe. Of course her needs come before mine but that time was therapeutic for me. Any thoughts on these concerns?


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## bremen (Feb 12, 2005)

i have babysat several cosleeping breastfed babies. i always give a bottle of ebm, holding babe in the position mama nurses her. then swaddle, rocking whatever the babe likes.
depending on comfort level of parents, sometimes i lay down with the baby, too.
if that's not an option, i just lay the babe in the parent's bed, usually with the parent's used pajamas next to the babe for smell.

usually it is not that difficult to get the baby to sleep, and often they sleep better for me than for mama!


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## readytobedone (Apr 6, 2007)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *amberg007* 
As of now Dh & I haven't gone out and left Dd with a sitter since we started co-sleeping. Currently I am not ready to do so w/o feeling guilty for leaving her but I realize that down the road we will end up leaving her with a sitter at some point. My question is...how would the babysitter get her to bed? Currently she falls asleep while nursing around 8pm and wakes within an hour and wants to be nursed back down. Before we started co-sleeping (about mth & 1/2 ago), we would just give her the paci and she would fall back asleep but now it seems that she constantly needs the comfort. While she used to sleep from 8pm to 12-1am before needing to nurse, she now needs to be nursed within an hr(or needs me in bed with her). Basically she cannot sleep good until I get in bed with her. We chose to do co-sleeping b/c we thought it was what was best for her but it seems that I have lost my only guilt free time w/o babe. Of course her needs come before mine but that time was therapeutic for me. Any thoughts on these concerns?

how old is she?


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## amberg007 (Jul 15, 2008)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *readytobedone* 
how old is she?

5 mo


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## amberg007 (Jul 15, 2008)

any advice? anyone??


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## vbactivist (Oct 4, 2006)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *amberg007* 
any advice? anyone??


Probably not what you want to hear, but I didn't leave my babies that young. They need to nurse every 2 hours or so, so that owuld be the longest I would leave. I've never had anyone put my kids to bed before age 3 (they still needed to nurse to sleep at that point.

I do have a friend who would leave her breastfed baby at night with a bottle from time to time. So hopefully someone with some btdt experience will help...


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