Our youngest “baby” just turned six, yikes! Obviously it's been a while since we were at the newborn stage, but a couple people we know recently had new babies and it brought to mind those first days of adjustment, so I thought I'd share some advice…
By the way, if there are no infants in your life and this topic really doesn't do it for you, will you forward it to someone who is pregnant or has a baby? Also, be sure to go check out my archives for posts you may have missed, or take a peek at my recipe pages for some new kitchen inspiration. 🙂
My tips on getting sleep with a newborn…
I'm so thankful that I listened to my instincts.
I didn't know a lot about parenting with our oldest (who just turned 19!), but by the time we were finally able to have our second child, after 6 years of infertility and multiple miscarriages, I was more confident. I knew that I was going to enjoy this baby to the fullest and do only what I knew in my heart was the right thing for him. That conviction only grew stronger when our third and fourth babies came along. (It wasn't until then that I got wiser about vaccine dangers too and realized the risks for learning and behavior issues, autism, and even SIDS–babies don't just die in their sleep for no reason! Have you seen this sad story about the triplets who were all vaccine injured in the same day?!)
“Babies need to cry, it's good for their lungs.”
That's was I was told, but I knew it was bull. While it doesn't hurt them to cry a bit if you are right in the middle of something, unless I knew the cry I heard was only the “whining right before falling asleep” cry, I'd go comfort them, feed them, or whatever they needed when they began to fuss. We always had super happy, content babies and I believe it was partly because of the security they felt knowing we were there for them.
THIS is what made nighttime so simple for us:
It felt so right when our baby would cry in the night and I'd just reach over to pull them next to me from the Co-Sleeper attached to our bed–this doubles as a travel crib/”pack and play” for later and it made ALL the difference. They'd nurse peacefully and I'd go right back to sleep!
The secret for doing this without rolling onto your baby…
My Mom freaked out when she learned we did this (“haven't you heard those stories of Moms suffocating their babies?!”), but the key to not rolling onto your baby and to being relaxed enough to sleep (so you're not holding yourself up) is this: proper pillow placement!
I had one pillow doubled and under my head so my neck could relax, one shoved behind my back enough so that it held me up onto my side, and another one between my knees for support and comfort. So if you can picture this, it was physically impossible to roll onto the baby in this position, and my whole body was relaxed enough to fall back asleep along with the baby. When he/she woke up to eat again a few hours later (remember how often they eat at that age?), we'd switch sides and drift back off again. I got really good at doing this while barely waking up! (Yes, sometimes diapers were really soaked by morning, or we may have needed to do a quick change in the night now and then, but diapers do hold a lot.)
Everyone was happy!
In the morning baby was content and full, I woke up rested and refreshed, and Kent got used to the minimal sleep interruptions, so he barely even woke up after a while. He knew it was a pretty sweet gig compared to the dads who wake up dead-dog tired after being up for hours in the night holding the pacifier in their newborn's mouth, or the dads who wake up to a Mom tired and ornery from sitting straight up in a chair nursing all night. (And this is obviously another reason nursing is so sweet, even besides that it is nutritionally far far better for babies, especially if Mom eats nutrient-dense foods, such as pastured meats, plenty of healthy fats like butter, etc. If you can't nurse for some reason though, skip the sketchy commercial formulas and check into this one!)
Transitioning to their own bed
After all those months in bed with Mommy and Daddy, you'd think they'd never transition into their own crib, but this was pretty easy for us, too. Right from the beginning, naps were almost always in their crib, so that was a very familiar place. As they got older and there was the risk that they'd roll off our bed or climb out of the co-sleeper, we'd start the night out with them in their own crib. When they woke up for a feeding, usually only once a night by then, Kent would bring them to me and we'd get the pillows just right to nurse, and afterward I'd usually take them back to their bed. Eventually they'd just sleep through the night… This was always bittersweet, I loved that middle-of-the-night snuggle time!
Some just can't pull this off
One of my friends co-slept with one of her kids, but wasn't able to with the next one–that one just wouldn't nurse with her lying down for some reason. And some husbands can't get used to this arrangement for whatever reason or maybe they move around too much at night for this to be safe. It won't work with everyone, but why not give it a shot?
Use common sense
If you don't feel comfortable with this or there is ANY worry that one of you would roll onto the baby (especially if there's anyone drinking or using drugs, or even if one of you is a heavy sleeper or you move around a lot), then use common sense and do NOT try this. But it worked for us and it might work for you too.
If you have any questions on how we did this, be sure to comment below.
What was it for you?
What were the baby-raising practices that you implemented because you knew they were right for your family, even though others thought you were nuts? (The comments below are interesting!)
More you might like:
- Know some friends who are pregnant? Here's the best week-by-week book for pregnancy by Genevieve (a.k.a. Mama Natural): Week-by-Week Guide to Pregnancy and Childbirth
- Here's an excellent podcast on babies and sleep!
- More posts on parenting are here–including info on how we handled the vaccine issue, and many more topics.
- If your baby can’t breastfeed for some reason, don’t use commercial formula, find homemade baby formula kits complete with everything but the fresh milk and cream here. Or learn HOW to make homemade baby formula here.
- Read more about why commercial formulas are so scary: Mom to the American Pediatric Association: You are Out of Your Subsidized Minds! { Homemade Baby Formula Recipe }
- Weston Price Foundation guide for feeding babies.
Laura says
Kelly, thank you, we need more moms sharing wisdom like this!
For myself, I am SO happy we started practicing elimination communication with our 2nd (mostly because toilet training #1 was the nightmare everyone says it is). We’re on baby #4, (#2 and #3 were potty trained before 2 sans the nightmare 😉 ) and I’m the “weird” mama friend who gives Go Diaper Free to all her expecting mama friends, because it has been THAT game-changing for us (and even my husband tells other dads about it, so you know its not just some weird “woman-thing”!!) I definitely get a lot of eyebrow raising, but, hey, I’ve been on the other side, and this works so much better for our babies and us!
KitchenKop says
Wow, I’d love to hear more about that. If you might want to write a guest post about it here, shoot me an email & I’d love to look it over!
Kel
Sarah says
Baby #4 is living an entirely different lifestyle than 1,2,3. Our age could have something do with it. Maybe I am finally learning to follow my instincts. I was debating to start having her sleep in her bed all night when you posted the the article on Kenyan babies. It seemed to confirm what I felt in my gut. Read your baby not books!
KitchenKop says
Yes, so wise!
Kel
Marie says
I sleep way too solidly to ever sleep with my infant. When my grandfather told me that his aunt rolled over and slept on her infant (who tragically died), I took his advice to not ever do that. The way my husband I work it is that when we have an infant, he gets up to get him/her and brings him/her to me. I nurse, my husband sleeps and I stay awake, sitting up. Since I stayed awake during the nursing (like during the day), if I know my baby is not nursing long enough for the hind milk because the baby fell asleep, I rub the baby to wake him/her up until it feels like a more fulfilling feeding (this helps the baby to sleep longer, too). When the baby is done, I ask my husband to bring the baby back to bed. This allows me to sleep more solidly to not get up and down (and I have to have c-sections, which helps with healing, too). My husband can stay sleepy between getting up to get the baby and returning the baby to his/her crib. Our room is right next to the baby’s room, so it’s not a long walk. Compared to moms who co-sleep, it always seemed like I would get longer stretches of sleep with this method and was more rested. It certainly takes a father who is willing to do it, though! Also, I highly recommend teaching a baby to fall asleep on his/her own from day 1 after birth. 30-45 minutes before a baby needs a nap, nurse, burp, wait a little, change the diaper, and then put the baby down for the nap; he/she will have food in his/her tummy, an empty bladder, and ready to focus on sleep. There’s 100’s of ways to parent, though, and I am positive lots of other ways work, too. Parenting is amazing how flexible it is.
KitchenKop says
That’s so true! Sounds like you had a great system worked out. 🙂
Kelly
Diane says
I am 62 and had my babies at 25 and 28, so it’s been a while. They slept in a bassinet next to me. They were nursed in a rocking chair, or at night in my bed and put back to sleep on their tummies. Nowadays, that’s a no-no. Babies have a startle reflex when placed on their backs so it’s a wonder they sleep at all. I bought a “woombie” for my second grandchild. It is like swaddling only more comfortable for the baby for a longer time. Grandchild number one was a poor sleeper as an infant and my son called him “the tiny tyrant” because he only slept when walked with. I wonder if the woombie, which I didn’t know about then, might have helped him to get comfortable.
D. says
@ Diane: I, too, had my babies at about the same age you did; I’m now 58 and had my first at 22, my second at 25 (but my 26th birthday was the next day!) and my third at 34. Oops! Best oops ever, though!
I swaddled them all with just regular blankets because we didn’t have fancy woombies and stuff back then. I breastfed in the same manner as you did, and also put my babies on their sides or tummies to sleep. We lived on a farm about 50 miles from the nearest town with a clinic or hospital, and we missed several “well baby exams” (Thank God we missed them, now that I look back) so they were missing vaccinations and the doctor was going bonkers. When I finally could get them there, the doc wanted to give them about 15 shots at once and I went bonkers. I took my babies, walked out of the clinic and never went back. They had and survived all the normal childhood illnesses, survived fevers because I left them alone and didn’t dose them up with junky meds, and they are now in their mid-20’s and early to mid 30’s and are healthy, happy, friendly, educated, productive members of society. I’ve read more books (good ones like Nina Planck’s foodie books and Dr. Mendelsohn’s advice books) since I’ve had grandkids than I ever did as a young Mom. I took the advice of my Mom and my two wonderful gramma’s who amongst the three of them raised a total of 18 children, so I figured they knew a little something about it! Sure glad I had them because I sure wouldn’t depend on today’s medical paradigm to give me proper rearing advice.
I now own and operate an infant childminding service (for normal and at-risk babies both) and I have had to bite my tongue so many times it’s not even funny. But I have had the wonderful opportunity of sharing some valuable information with the new parents who are really interested in learning, too, so it’s a trade-off, as it is with most everything in life.
D. says
@ Rebecca: Did you try the kefir as one of your “alternative treatments”?? Most doctors (useless pediatricians who recommend drugs) won’t recommend a dietary modality like kefir because it’s made with raw milk, usually raw goat milk. They are in the business of avoiding malpractice, not making people or babies healthier.
Yes, modern medical approaches turn my stomach.
Rebecca says
I believe we live in an imperfect world, and despite the mountains of real food and probiotics one can take, some people still struggle with illness (my own health is evidence of that). After my daughter failed numerous alternative treatments we put her on medication. D. if this “makes your stomach turn” then you know exactly how my daughter feels without her Zantac.
D. says
Boy, some of the comments I’ve read here make my stomach turn. I’m from a different generation but we didn’t give our babies drugs for colic. Zantac will not help babies who have reflux because you are creating collateral damage by giving it to them in the first place. Give them a probiotic not a drug. I breastfed my babies but I would use my now old-fashioned breast pump (it looked like a bike horn and you used your hands to pump it, imagine that) and get about 4 ounces of milk and put it into a bottle and mix in some of my homemade goat milk kefir. Best probiotic there is.
Also, there is a book called Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Baby (or something akin to that but I don’t know the author right off-hand) but I would recommend the reading of it to all new parents and even some old parents. Very sensible information for baby as well as parents and it will keep you from pulling your hair out by the roots.
Ellen - A Mom on a Mission says
Thank you for the great post, and the way that you encourage moms to follow their instincts. My first baby is due in October, and my husband and I are planning to have a family bed. Much to my (very well-meaning and concerned) family’s consternation, we have not even purchased a crib. Sleeping next to my baby seems like the most natural thing for me to do. I found the book ‘Sleeping with Your Baby’ by Dr James McKenna (he runs the sleep laboratory at Notre Dame) to be a wonderful resource for confirming my instincts, teaching how to safely share sleep, and calming the fears of other family members. I would suggest it to new parents who are thinking about trying a family bed. Hopefully in a few months I will be able to report cosleeping success, and a happy and rested mom and baby!
Sigrid Rogowski says
Great post,I will share it with my younger friends.
Rachel (Girl In An Apron) says
Great post Kelly! Such an interesting topic!
We have a very happy 5 week old and have been sleeping beautifully using the same exact technique you used. We have the same co-sleeper too, but it hasn’t gotten much use. Our little one sleeps soundly with us, I prop a pillow between my legs and switch sides to nurse laying down throughout the night. We wake up pretty darn refreshed and happy. Every child (and parent) is different indeed, but this works great for us as well.
Amanda L says
Our little bean is just about 13 months now. She goes to bed in a pack’n’play in our room at around 8 and then when we go to bed a couple of hours later she comes with us. She still wakes up to nurse 2 or 3 times before she gets up for the day at 8am. I LOVE sleeping with her, she’s such a little snuggle bug, and hubby barely notices her. We have our bed up against a wall so I stick a pillow there (so she can’t fall into the crack) and she sleeps between me and the wall. As she continues upping solids we figure she’ll eventually sleep through the night and we’ll make the transition to her crib. She has no problem going to sleep by herself at bedtime. It’s been a real blessing having her in the bed with us, at first I just woke up with her those 2/3 times during the night and it always took her forever to get back to sleep. Now she’s awake for about 5 minutes or less. She’s our first though, and we’re hoping to have a large family, so I can’t say whether we’ll end up doing the same thing indefinitely… but for now it works great for us! :o)
Rebecca says
Thanks KP. My baby is taking xantac for the reflux & it seems to help. I follow the WAP diet, but do not eat gluten or dairy due toy own allergies. I took nuts & eggs out of my diet when she was having souch trouble thinking she could be reacting to them ???? Her bm’s are daily & a bit explosive at times. She has terrible gas all the time. Shes not real snuggly either. At a recent LLL mtg all the other babies were cooing, blowing bubbles, & snuggling with their mamas, & my little firecracker was crying, head butting me & farting! Hahaha! I’ve tried mylecon & gripe water. I can’t figure out the co sleeper either. It’s right next to my bed, but the edge is a bit lower than the bed so I don’t know how people nurse & then just roll over & go to sleep. I have to pick her up & pit her back which wakes her & we start all over again! She was doing so much better until she learned to roll over. Ever since then she’s sooooo fussy!
KP says
Your baby has so many similarities to mine. He wanted to nurse all the time, but did not want to be touched. Can you imagine that? He would latch on so that only his face touched me and arch his back so the rest of his body was as far away as possible. Not easy to nurse that way. I remember feeling so sad when I saw other babies coo and smile and mine did not.
The bad news is that I did not get a good night sleep until my reflux/colic baby was about 2 years old. And he did not sleep through the night until one week before his 4th birthday. Whatever GI issues he had, they had a major impact on him. The good news is that he sleeps great now and he is a great kid and he SMILES.
My best advice is do your best to get as much rest as you can. Find trusted people to help you so YOU can take naps. If you get more sleep, it will help you cope so much better with this difficult season. We had moved far from family and friends and so I did not have help during this time and I was very sleep-deprived and cried every day. But I survived and you can, too. My hope for you is that you can do better than I did, though.
As for co-sleeping, I had my husband push our queen bed against the side wall. I stuffed the crack with a comforter so that there was no way he or any part of him could get stuck in there. Then he slept between me and the wall, so he couldn’t roll off the bed. My husband slept on the other side of me (because he was worried about squishing baby.) Seriously, I was too aware of him to ever roll on him. And I got more sleep than if I had to get up. I slept on my side and he would nurse off and on all night. My other option was too listen to a screaming baby all night long. And he could scream 8 hours straight. If she is with you, you could help her roll over before she gets fussy.
Have you tried GAPS diet for yourself? That might help both of you.
Tierney says
That sounds so hard, I’m sorry. I wonder if you shouldn’t try the non-dairy (liver-based) formula recipe from NT. Maybe there is just something she reacts to in your diet or in breastmilk. You can rent a pump so your milk doesn’t dry up, in case it doesn’t work. In any case, hang in there and remember it’s temporary, and do what you need to do for your sanity!
Melissa Boersma says
sorry, just saw this update – have you tried putting her to sleep on her tummy? I had a great pediatrician who said that reflux babies are much more comfortable on their tummies. I felt totally comfortable doing that and found that my 2 with reflux (my 2nd and 3rd) did MUCH better sleeping on tummies. Maybe try that?
Also, keep in mind that Zantac is based on weight, so the dose should need to be raised every couple of weeks. And they can take it 3 times a day – is that how often they have her on it? My 2nd needed to be on the max highest dose for her weight all along.
Magda says
Both of my boys slept with me – my 7 YO just recently started sleeping the whole night through in his own bed (he starts there but has been moving to our bed during the night for YEARS). He has very rarely slept through the night from the very beginning. My younger one at 19 months has been sleeping with us and now wakes up once, sometimes twice during the night. He nurses for a few minutes, then rolls over and back to sleep!! I love it!!! I absolutely love BF. I weaned my older son at 3 – it was just ‘the time’ for both of us. My younger one is still going strong! He’s very assertive so I can barely get home from work and take my shoes off before he’s on me and lifting my shirt!! Too cute… I feel sad for those moms that choose not to BF (not those that can’t, but those that just simply ‘don’t’). They are missing out on a lot of bonding.
Kate @ Modern Alternative Mama says
I have a newborn, 2.5 weeks old. Sleeping on me right now. 🙂
We’re flxieble — if he’s squirmy or I’m really tired, I’ll get up to feed him (his bed is right next to mine, and sometimes he doesn’t like to nurs side-lying so I’ll sit on the edge of the bed to feed him) and put him back. Other times I’ll snuggle him most of the night. It just depends. If he’s asleep in the day (in his bassinet) and I’m tired, I’ll nap next to him until he wakes up. I still have help with my older kids, and they do mostly nap around the same time, so this is usually possible.
When he sleeps mostly through the night, he’ll transition to a crib in his brother’s room.
Rebecca says
This post could not have come at a better time. I am a first time mom and my baby never sleeps! Maybe someone could pleeeease help me!! My baby is 3 months old and has reflux and according to her dr the worst case of colic he has ever seen. She begins crying late after noon and continues until bedtime. She goes to sleep fine, but fidgets and wakes all night. I am breastfeeding and I own a co sleeper. The only way she will calm down or go to sleep is if I nurse her. She takes a good morning nap, but fights the after noon one. She was sleeping better until recently when she learned to roll over. Now that seems to have her really upset. She CONSTANTLY rolls over every time I put her down, but the strange thing is that it makes her mad. She lays there, face down chewing on her hands and crying. She hasn’t figured out how to roll back and will roll over in her sleep and cry. I am afraid she will suffocate at night as she won’t turn her head to the side either. She is also chewing on her hands quite a bit, so I don’t know if she is teething??? Isn’t it a bit early for that? I’ve tried having her sleep with me, but it is like sleeping with a wild animal! Ha! I am soooo tired I am reduced to tears frequently. Can anyone relate or help???
KP says
Your experience sounds similar to my first child. Not exactly, though. He had reflux and colic, although I wonder if they did not cause each other. My first child had 2 teeth at 2 months old. So teething is not totally out of the question. I wish I could help you with the colic. My first had it for 10 months. With what I know and didn’t know then, I would have severely changed my diet (since I was breastfeeding.) I got more sleep having my baby with me because he could nurse and not be screaming. Although, I was not getting much sleep at all and was certifiable by the time he was a year old. On the bright side, it gets better. It really does. What are your baby’s bowel movements like? Is your baby on meds? I am not a doctor, but I can share my experiences with you. But like Kelly says, you need to do your own research and make your own best decisions. Ask lots of questions and learn as much as you can.
Melissa Boersma says
Sounds like my 2nd….so miserable. First of all, keep reminding yourself that it won’t last forever. I promise. Secondly, here are a few suggestions that made things a bit better for us:
1) eliminate dairy from your diet. I did that and it made a VERY big difference. It didn’t “cure” her from the colic but it certainly made it less severe. It is difficult, but worth it. Keep in mind that it can take a few weeks to see a difference.
2) get some GRIPE WATER. I got it when I lived in WA state and it was a miracle. It is basically fennel and ginger water, but it is called gripe water and you should be able to find it in health food stores. Seriously, helped a ton.
3) will she sleep in a swing? My colicky one had to do that for a while and I didn’t care. At least we both slept.
4) Also, “wearing” her seemed to help a lot too – do you have a Moby wrap or a ring sling? if not, see if you can borrow or find one and give it a try.
HOpe these ideas help!!!
Wildflower says
Re: Colicky baby..
I had the same problem with my newborn (now 4 mo). I eliminated all dairy and that helped a little, then I stopped taking my prenatal and that helped tremendously. For some reason there was a laxative in the prescription prenatal (!!!) and the one I got otc seemed to be a diuretic. Now I only take the otc prenatal every couple days and he seems to do better. Oh, and I cut out chocolate and caffeine – especially at night. He isn’t sleeping through the night by any stretch of the imagination, but at least he isn’t screaming from noon until dinner anymore.
Healthy Republic says
Fantastic idea about looking again at my prenatal! My LO has BMs only every 5 days. I wonder if the iron is causing it and making her solo gassy? Also thanks for the heads up on the gripe water. I might just make my own if I can’t find any.
KitchenKop says
Just my opinion, but I don’t think every 5 days is enough. Email me if you’d like and I’ll send you the info from my Googling on baby constipation. (If enough people want it, I could post it…)
Kelly
Amy Floyd says
I’ve always slept with my babies (#6 is 2 weeks old) until they were old enough to transition to sleeping with an older brother /sister (18 months or so). I LOVE the time next to my babies. They grow up so quickly!
KP says
My babies slept with me. About the fear of rolling on them: Babies are pretty large lumps, I think it would be near impossible to roll on them without noticing, unless you were in a coma or drunk. The other possibility would be if you slept on a water bed or a really really soft mattress where the baby would just sink in.
Personally, I slept better with baby with me. When he was not with me, I worried if he was alright. Next to me, I could hear him breathing and know he was okay. Also, he woke up so often in the night; If I had to get up and get him every time he woke up, it would have been that much less sleep.
I also went back and read several of your vaccination posts. I have a few stories to share about that, too. Not sure if I should do that here or back on the old vaccine posts.
Henriette says
Read ” so no worrying “
Henriette says
Well I just slept with my baby most nights = lots of sleep not much waking up.
– I am a single mum so now worry about a baby in the middle of 2 grown ups.
Here they only adwicea against it if you are very overweight, smoker or have a waterbed.
In the daytime I carried her a lot in a sling or she slept outdoors in her pram like all danish babies do 😉
When E was around 6 months I moved her into her own bed- she had started to wake up a lot and I found out she would sleep amazing good when she slept away from me. I think because of her age she was ok with it.
Now I only co-sleep with dog and cat and a looong teenager once in in awhile 🙂
Deborah says
I just had my second baby in May and we’re using Babywise. We do use a co-sleeper mostly because I’m paranoid and like him close to me all night, plus we only have two bedrooms and I don’t want him to wake his big brother up (although he sleeps through the night, he does still make those baby noises, you know?). I definitely get grief all the time for “scheduling” my babies, but it works great for our family and we’re all happy so I just ignore people:)
Amber J says
I have slept with my two daughters, who are thirteen months apart, since they were born. They recently, in February, moved to their own bedroom. However I feel its important to be available for nighttime parenting, so the family bed is available to them. My oldest who is almost four usually sleeps through the night although lately she has been waking up, I think because she starts preschool and she is nervous about it. Basically i have found it important to be flexible in relation to sleep and really most things.I am beginning to realize how fast the baby/toddler years go by, its really great to enjoy your kids and not rush them to grow up.
Katie says
I have three little ones, and I used Babywise with all three. It worked really well for us and all three were happy, content babies and slept through the night at 9 weeks (the girls) and 11 weeks (the boy). We kept them in our room in a cradle until they slept through the night.
Heather says
We just welcomed our 3rd newborn in a little over 4 years 2 weeks ago. I always tell new mamas to find a way that works well for you to nurse in bed–Mama gets more sleep, baby gets more sleep, Daddy gets more sleep, and everyone is a better person for it. I don’t do all the pillows the way you did…but neither hubs nor I move much in our sleep. I just cuddle the baby up where he has access to the breast & we go to sleep. When he wakes in the middle of the night, I roll over with him, give him the other breast, and we’re good till morning. Our kids sleep with us till they’re around 2, which is a good age to talk up the “big kid” aspects of sleeping in their own bed at night, for a reasonably smooth transition. We’ve honestly never had a problem with rolling off the bed. We bank a younger baby (under about a year) into our bed with pillows, if he’s there alone. Tiny babies nap in a baby hammock, rather than the big bed. Over a year…well, we all teach ourselves sometime to not roll out of bed at night, and kids as young as 1 seem to pick this up just fine. We skip cribs, toddler beds, bed rails, etc. My other advice to new moms–find a sling that works for you & have at least 2, so you still have one to use if one is in the wash.
Paula says
We feed our baby a full WAPF menu that fits her age.
She is the happiest, calmest baby we, and those that know us, have ever met!
On her own, she transitioned to sleeping about 12 hours per night about ten days ago. She just turned 6 months old!
We practiced family bed for about 3-4 months, and now just do it part time.
Putting her to bed awake makes a big difference too.
That way she is not relying on me to put her to sleep.