With both babies, I've chosen not to co-sleep for many reasons. My first daughter slept in her crib from the outset; the seconf slept in a cradle in our room for two months, and move to her crib a week ago.
Most parents find training their child to sleep on their own to be one of the most challenging tasks of parenting. With my eldest, we ended up doing Cry It Out at sixteen months, because she wouldn't go to sleep without hours of rocking and everyone was dead tired. I'm starting to think about how to avoid a similar problem with Claire.
According to a little handbook I have by an American pediatrician, Brackleton, babies are capable of learning to soothe themselves starting around four months, but most parents miss the window because the rocking-to-sleep experience is still new and painless enough that they don't want to stop. He suggests putting the baby down drowsy but awake and patting her tummy or otherwise soothing without holding until she drops off. Gradually decrease the amount of time you spend soothing without holding until the drowsy baby can soothe herself to sleep consistently.
I think this is what I'm going to do with Claire. So I'd better make the most of my babe in arms now.
