# Do you share covers with co-sleeping DC?



## happy2bamama (Apr 29, 2006)

DH and I co-sleep with DS who is 4 months old. DS sleeps in between DH and I - that way we know he won't roll out of there.









DS sleeps just a tad bit lower than we do (at breast height so I can just insert boob without really having to wake up and move him). For covers, we use our regular top sheet and comforter and we always make sure it's not too high up on DS - picture it looking like a V - DH and I are covered on each side, but in the middle the covers are pushed down to DS's waist. It has worked fine for us and we've never had any issues with DS's head being mistakenly covered in the middle of the night. And actually, DS is a hot little guy, so most of the time he has kicked off the covers completely.

I'm just curious - what do other co-sleepers do in regards to sharing covers with their DC - or do some of you not share covers at all?

I do some sewing from time to time and I'm tempted to make a comforter that looks like a big letter U so that DH and I can have the covers pulled up to our necks without it being too high and covering DS!


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## Kailey's mom (Apr 19, 2007)

When Kailey was that age, I swaddled her, so she was plenty warm and I had my blanket, and dh had his. Now she's 11 months and sleeps in the middle, and shares/steals/kicks off our covers lol.


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## khalilsmama (Mar 26, 2007)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Kailey's mom* 
When Kailey was that age, I swaddled her, so she was plenty warm and I had my blanket, and dh had his. Now she's 11 months and sleeps in the middle, and shares/steals/kicks off our covers lol.

my boy is 3 months now, he sleeps in the middle and papa and i each have our own quilt. i keep him at boob level (away from the pillows!) and generally put a corner of my quilt over him or dress him in a full pj. i also have a fluffy down comforter that i pull up about to my waist. works alright but i read the post because i'm curious whether others do the same!


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## katt (Nov 29, 2001)

we share covers. babe is slightly higher then us, between out pillows, enough so that we can have the blankets up at chest level with us and waist level for him. He's in a diaper and onsie or t-shirt at night, his always cozy warm.
I do pull him down a bit and push myself up a bit so we end up at boob-level.


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## rzberrymom (Feb 10, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *khalilsmama* 
my boy is 3 months now, he sleeps in the middle and papa and i each have our own quilt. i keep him at boob level (away from the pillows!) and generally put a corner of my quilt over him or dress him in a full pj. i also have a fluffy down comforter that i pull up about to my waist. works alright but i read the post because i'm curious whether others do the same!

That's exactly what we did when DD was that age.


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## WannabeaFarmer (Jul 7, 2006)

DD had her own covers at that age. We had her on my left side(at the open side of the bed where her co-sleeper was), and she had her own recieving blankie and we had our own covers. She now is 17mo and insists...LOL...on sharing the covers with DADA, not me and sunggles with him till she goes to her own bed.


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## MollilyPan (Apr 2, 2007)

Yup... share covers w/ 11 month old DS.







But he doesn't really like sleeping with us... he squirms after nursing until we put him back in _his_ bed. I liked co-sleeping when he was little... but I just have to tell myself that he must be pretty secure to like his crib that much.


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## mamadelbosque (Feb 6, 2007)

DS' 8 wks tommorrw and shares our blankets... He sleeps between me and "his" crib (tis sidecarred... and is good for keeping my water/birp rag/random stuff in







and me. I know its probably considerd highly dangerous to have covers on such a lil guy, but he's most happy that way (and sleeping on his tummy.. I finally gave in a couple weeks ago and quit trying to make him sleep on his back)


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## HoldensMama (Feb 25, 2007)

Ds has always slept under our duvet with us. Honestly it never occurred to me to give him his own blanket lol . He likes to put his arm on top of the blanket so it would never go up over his face (and it's very cute to see). He likes to cuddle while we sleep and I don't think he would like his own blanket. How would he put his feet on my belly and hug my boobies that way?


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## momuveight2B (Mar 17, 2006)

When I had my first daughter the recommendation at that time was to place children on their tummies. I'm not sure when it changed to back to sleep.

We have always just made the bed in the usual way and never thought to make any changes. I do keep the blankets at about chest level and the pillows away from them when they are little. We have never had a problem. Even a small baby will kick and carry on if they are hot or not liking their position in the bed.


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## larkish (Oct 5, 2006)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *HoldensMama* 
Ds has always slept under our duvet with us. Honestly it never occurred to me to give him his own blanket lol . He likes to put his arm on top of the blanket so it would never go up over his face (and it's very cute to see). He likes to cuddle while we sleep and I don't think he would like his own blanket. How would he put his feet on my belly and hug my boobies that way?

















:
DS has always just slept under our regular sheet and comforter. Most of the time we fall asleep nursing with his head on my upper arm and his feet up on my knees that are curled up. He also pulls his arm out of the covers and places it on top. He has to be right up next to me and I'm not sure how I'd do that with separate blankets.


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## christyp (Mar 23, 2007)

DD likes to kick off the covers, so often I wind up wearing a fleece or putting one of her blankets on my exposed arm and shoulder because I am cold.


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## prothyraia (Feb 12, 2007)

The first few months, he didn't share our covers. Now that he's a little bigger, he does.


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## rmzbm (Jul 8, 2005)

Yup, shared covers from day 1!


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## Flower of Bliss (Jun 13, 2006)

We share. All three of us. DD switches from between us and on my side, but she's always under the covers with us. We sleep right against each other.


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## PNWmama (Sep 2, 2006)

Up until DS was about 4 months we swaddled him. Since then, him and I share a comforter and DH has his own comforter. We used to all three share, but DH kept accidently pulling the covers over baby's head.


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## TattooedMama (Aug 31, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *happy2bamama* 
DH and I co-sleep with DS who is 4 months old. >snip
DS sleeps just a tad bit lower than we do (at breast height so I can just insert boob without really having to wake up and move him). For covers, we use our regular top sheet and comforter and we always make sure it's not too high up on DS - picture it looking like a V - DH and I are covered on each side, but in the middle the covers are pushed down to DS's waist.

This is exactly what I do with 4 m/o ds too.


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## alegna (Jan 14, 2003)

We've always shared covers. Dd would never tolerate being swaddled and was always warm.

-Angela


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## wendylady (Jun 14, 2006)

All three of us share one blanket. DS is snuggled against me. I don't know how we'd do it with separate blankets!


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## Novella (Nov 8, 2006)

We have co-slept with all our kids and always shared covers. Although there was times (usually more when we started) where we would have baby higher on the bed (pillows well away) to ensure blankets weren't up around face, I now don't bother with this. I am sleeping on my side all night (the only bad things about nightime nursing and co-sleeping). Baby is snuggled in right against my breast as he/she fell asleep after nursing. I have missed that whole transition - already asleep myself. We don't use a top-sheet, just a covered duvet. I have it tucked right around my chin most of the time, so babe is completely inside. However, my chest and two arms above and around baby make a little "tent" and baby has lots of breathing room in there.

We stopped being so concerned about the blankets after our older BIL/SIL told us about co-sleeping adventures with their girls and how sometimes they "lost" one (the first episode was quite a thrill!) because she would worm her way down to their knees many nights as she slept.

There was a recent study warning against the dangers of co-sleeping. It was done at the University of Manitoba. Unfortunately, the study was basically (at least from what I can determine of the huge media coverage) a poll of parents about if there were any times they ever *thought* were worrisome. One parent, for example, had been horrified to one time wake up with her hand resting over the baby's face. Sounds like it could be scary. . . but I've seen how much even a newborn struggles when you simply try to do a nosewipe! There's a big difference between a parent's hand being on a child's face and the parent's body smothering the child and obstructing breathing. I am a very, very, solid sleeper. But I wake _easily_ if a baby is rustling/rooting/whatever in our bed. I don't think the fear of parents smothering a baby with bedding or with own body is realistic - aside from a possible incident with a highly intoxicated parent. You can never say never, but I think most of it is just paranoia.


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## Sijae (May 5, 2006)

We've always shared the covers. Basically wherever and however I sleep, my babies sleep with me. I've never done anything special for co-sleeping other than sleeping on the edge to prevent rolling off at those ages when it seemed worrisome.

Laura


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## GooeyRN (Apr 24, 2006)

DD sleeps between us, on top of the blanket.


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## AwakenedMama (Apr 16, 2007)

We sleep the same way as the OP. She gets so hot, especially now that summer is approaching, she usually is not really covered much.

When she was a newborn, she liked to be swaddled and we would put her on top of the blanket.

I do really like the idea of separate covers, not for all 3 of us, but one for me and babe to share and one for DH. We may consider that if we are ever concerned.

But one thing no one's mentioned is changing sides throughout the night. DH sleep on the right side of the bed and I'm on the left. There is a full-length body pillow on the edge of the left side. DD is either on my right boob, so between me and DH, or on my left boob, so between me and pillow. Her back is always to the pillow, so I don't worry about it.

How are you able to sleep and nurse with your DC in between you all night? Do people actually use the same breast for night nursing every night, all night?


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## stacyann21 (Oct 21, 2006)

Yep. It's just me and ds (5 months) in our queen-sized bed. Poor db has been permanently kicked out


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## MysteryMama (Aug 11, 2006)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *stacyann21* 
Yep. It's just me and ds (5 months) in our queen-sized bed. Poor db has been permanently kicked out









Same here.

Sometimes ds leaves the covers on, sometimes not.


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## iheartsofia (Feb 12, 2007)

nak

Cover sharers here.

I used to worry when she was a wee babe. I would only pull a blanket up to my waist. Around two months that changed. Now I only worry about actually falling asleep, and hope it happens easy, and quick.


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## dejota (May 4, 2004)

Yes, we share, but it's only a top sheet and a thin cotton blanket. He's positioned so that if a blanket comes up to my waist, it only covers his legs. He's a warm little guy, so that works for us.

He likes to be right next to me, so seperate blankets never worked well for us.


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## hibana (Jun 9, 2006)

At first, we swaddled dd and put her between us at chest- height, no pillows, and pulled our quilts to waist-height. (We co-slept 3 in a twin bed for the first month while staying with my mother) Once she would no longer stay swaddled, she had her own blanket.

Around 4 months we switched to totally shared covers, doing the "v" thing as dd nurses constantly during the night.


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## bright-midnight (Mar 26, 2007)

all three of us share one blanket without any problems. dd usually sleeps in between us, so we just make sure the covers don't go over her head.


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## ABrez (Apr 4, 2007)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *hibana* 
(We co-slept 3 in a twin bed for the first month while staying with my mother)


Wow!! Cozy!


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## JamesMama (Jun 1, 2005)

DH and I each have our own covers (works better because I'm a bit of a blanket hog). I share with DS. Soon DS will share with Daddy and Mama will share with Wee One







:


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## ammasmama (May 4, 2007)

my dd is 3 months old. she sleeps most of the night in her sidecar, then she moves in next to me around 4-5 am, between me and the co-sleeper, on the edge of the bed. because she nurses on and off till i want to get up a little later, instead of waking me up for good at 6am if she were in her co-sleeper. i put her to bed in a onesie and a sleepsack, and when she gets in our bed i just pull the comforter to where it's down a little and kinda tucked inbetween us where it can't get anywhere near overheating her.
then napping sometimes she's under my covers, but not with the comforter. i worry she'll get too hot, but she's always fine!


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## tooticky (Mar 30, 2006)

I share a down comforter with DS that goes over our king and his twin. DD sleeps in the middle of our king with her own blankets, and DH has his own comforter on the other side.

I opted for this after waking to her kicking and squirming when my comforter had gone over her face. I now sleep with it tucked under my body.

I nurse her on the same side all night, but switch breasts for each feed. The lower breast is definitely more comfortable, but I can't switch her to my other side since DS is there.


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## kikidee (Apr 15, 2007)

Yep! We share the covers, too. Like other posters, when DD was younger I was more concerned about the covers being too high on her. Now I just try to make sure *something* stays on her -- she likes to kick the covers off!


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## camotyka (Jul 21, 2004)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *kikidee* 
Yep! We share the covers, too. Like other posters, when DD was younger I was more concerned about the covers being too high on her. Now I just try to make sure *something* stays on her -- she likes to kick the covers off!

Same here! I get the "I like to be cold" when I cover DS during the night.


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## Pepperdove (Apr 13, 2007)

DS was born in July and we had no a/c, so covers were no issue at ALL until he was4 m onths or so, thenI seem to remember DH stealing all the blankets anyway so I just got my own. DS just wore warm fleecy pjs and occasionally shared my blanket.

Now (22 mos) he shares blankets with us, but we are used to having him there so no biggie. He likes to use the pillows, so he's as high up as I am.


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## cheygirl (Jun 13, 2006)

We share covers just like the OP, with DD in the middle at boob height. DD hates to be confined even in her sleep, so she often kicks off the covers, while DH and I keep them up to our waist.

We tried putting DD in a sleepsack on top of our covers and in between us (or on my side), but it wasn't very comfortable for any of us, so we abandoned that after 2 nights.


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## happy2bamama (Apr 29, 2006)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *momtokaili* 
How are you able to sleep and nurse with your DC in between you all night? Do people actually use the same breast for night nursing every night, all night?

I don't just nurse DS on one boob all night (think of how funny that one engorged boob would look in the morning







- they need a smilie for that image!) - like a pp said, you can do either boob while lying on one side. For the first two weeks of DS's life, I didn't know this yet and I kept rolling over and then moving him over so that I could always nurse him on the "bottom" boob, but one night I got sick of having to move him (and me) so I tried to get the "top" boob to work and after some trial and error, it worked! I highly recommend you try it - you lay on your side of course, but also a bit on your chest too so that you can point the "top" boob down into DC's mouth. It will save you so much moving in the night and possibly let DC sleep a little more soundly. Good luck!







Let us know how it goes!


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## Marsupialmom (Sep 28, 2003)

When my children were small yes I shared the covers. I felt is safer because I was more aware of what was over them. Now that they are 12, 9, and 6 they can get their own blanket if they are in my bed. If I am in their bed it is just their cover.

I hate sharing the covers, always have. I love to snuggle and snuggle to sleep but some were in the middle of the night I get shelfish







and mumify myself with the blanket/s.


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## AnnesMoM (Jun 19, 2005)

We have always shared covers. Mostly a sheet and quilt. I keep a small light under my pillow so I can check on ds if I need to. If I'm cold I throw an extra blanket over my shoulder. I can't imagine *not* co-sleeping. I'm so used to it now after 18 months w/ dd that I'm more afraid for them if they're not beside me.


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## Cooking4Love (May 1, 2006)

We also co-sleep with our 4 month old and we just share covers. Like the original poster we pull the covers up some over us and down in the middle. I don't like to have my shoulders exposed (even when breastfeeding) so I always wear jammies with sleeves and keep dd at breast level. I used to always sleep in sleeveless jammies but have found that wearing more shoulder coverage makes me more comfortable and then I only pull the covers up to my waist. I also make sure she stays below my pillow level.

DD wears the sleeper type of jammies that keeps her feet covered. She used to like the sleep sacks, but lately will kick her feet and seem annoyed by the extra fabric.


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