Ashleigh Warren-Lee didn?t set out to co-sleep with her baby, but she learned within the first few weeks of his life that wee Bennett slept best as close to her as possible. So, for much of the first 16 months, Bennett slept in bed with her. Warren-Lee?s husband, meanwhile, was relegated to a twin mattress on the floor.
After that, the couple moved his crib into their room, removed the rail on one side and pushed it up against the bed. That worked well for a few months, but Warren-Lee knew she had to move Bennett into his own room for good, and getting pregnant with her second child was the motivation she needed. ?I thought, ?We cannot have two kids with us in this one room,?? she recalls. So they got Bennett a new big boy bed and Warren Lee slept in it with him, then moved to a separate mat on the floor. By about age two, Bennett was successfully sleeping on his own in his room. Many parents fall into co-sleeping as they struggle to get enough sleep in the first few months with a newborn, says Allison Briggs, founder of Sweet Dreams Sleep Solutions in Vancouver. Others set out to co-sleep with their kids as a way to promote attachment. Regardless of why parents start, there often comes a point when they?re ready to stop. Whether you?ve got a new baby on the way, you and your kid are not sleeping well or you?re just ready to have your bed back, here?s how to make your child?s transition out of your sleeping space and into their own as smooth as possible, no matter their age...