Does anyone co-sleep with their baby?

[Kristy&Alex]

Hello Girls,

My son sleeps through the night & has done for sometime, but during the day I put him into bed with me to get him to have naps. I also do this if he wakes up too early in the morning & put him back into bed with me, where he happily sleeps in my arms for anywhere up to an extra 2 hours :D . I was just wondering if anyone else out there in bubhub land does this too? He is 5 and a half months old. Thanks in advance.

[JanetF]

I have coslept with my son since he was born. He's now 22 months and we still love it! There's a really good thread somewhere here that was started recently that has lots of great info about cosleeping. Enjoy! :D

[LittleBoysRock]

Hi Kristy,

I know it isnt reccomended but I do the same thing with my 8 week old son. He seems to like being cuddled up with Mummy. I think also that I dont actually sleep when he's in bed with me....more just get some rest. Good for getting some extra rest early in the morning though.

[Boston's Mum]

My son is 2 years 2 months and he wakes at about 4 in the morning and comes to our room. I could put him back into his bed but as my husband fets up at 5am and we have a king bed I just put him in bed with me and he sleeps until about 6.30 or 7. Not only is it good for an extra hour or two of sleep but I love having him there beside me. It is so nice to wake up from a little tap on the face from my cute little man!
I know he will grow out of it so I am enjoying it while it lasts.

Rhiannon

Mum to:
Boston 04/07/03
No. 2 due 26/11/05

[Rainbowbrite]

We've just started to co-sleep thanks to all the information and support given by the other mums in the Natural/Attachment Parenting thread. Although we only do it occasionally, its made such a huge difference to me & MJ :D We're both more relaxed and happy.

I put her to sleep in the cot at night then don't hesitate to give her cuddles if she wakes at night. I let her sleep in the cot of a day if she will, if not I will either hold her or put her in a sling.

I'm actually considering laying down with her during the day for a nap, just so I get some much needed rest.

RB

[AM]

I have co-slept with my son from birth, and he is 19 months old now.
I just love it, and it makes night feeds just so easy.
When no2 comes along in January, I will be co-sleeping with two, so that will be an experience!

Everything I have read on the subject really backs up my gut instinct that babies evolved biologically to be close to their mothers at night.

Here is a really nice article you may like to read.

http://www.naturalchild.com/james_mckenna/babies_need.html

[draught]

With DD1 the only way she would have a day time sleep from the time she was 6 months until she was 2 was to lie down on my bed with me. In anticipation of me going into hospital to have DD2 and me not being there my mum started putting her to sleep by holding and cuddling her and then putting her in the cot and that worked well. At some point between then and now (and I honestly can't remember how it happened but suspect it had something to do with me needing to put the baby to sleep) she has started putting herself to sleep in her bed on her own during the day. I don't miss out though as she appears in our bed every morning at 5am for a cuddle - some morning she goes back to sleep for an hour, other mornings we lie and talk quietly and snuggle. I love our mornings together.

DD2 on the other hand rarely sleeps with us - she thrashes about and gets the giggles and tries to leap off the bed from the middle, so I miss out on the cuddles in bed with her, which makes me sad. I make up for it in other ways with her instead.

[SugarBlossom]

Hey!
I sleep with my son too, and I love it! It makes nite feeding so much easier. It feels so nice to be close to him at night. I started in the hospital, I had to stay there for 5 nights, and he's nearly 10 weeks now, and we've co slept every nite :)

[JanetF]

Yay for cosleeping! My son was a bit unwell last night and woke to be fed every 2 hours like clockwork. Now he did that every night till 10 months but I'm out of practice now! And any time it happens I'm just so thankful that he's right there next to me and I don't have to get up to him.

[TobyMsmum]

We co-slept with Toby until just last week, because he hated his bassinette in our room, & we weren't comfortable with having him so far away in his own room. But, at 9 weeks, he was getting very wriggly, and we weren't getting good sleeps any more. He went into his own cot really well, and now sleeps through 9.30pm-6am. :) :) :) But I always bring him back to bed with me for a feed & another hours sleep, after my hubby gets up. It's great to see so many happy co-sleepers out there, as we got a bit of stick about it from some old-fashioned midwives. :(

[sasholi]

Hi all.
I think what you are doing is wonderful and beautiful. If you are happy with that - continue with this. His sleep and your sleep aren't suffering and that is what really counts... What's more, you are developing some beautiful memories here...

I am terribly envious (some of you may have read my previous posts regarding this) as when my DS was a new born I was "obsessed" with getting him to sleep "on his own" so that he would sleep through the night early. The porblem with this is that firstly, he didn't start doing long stretches overnight till he was 6 months old anyway (he does about 7 hours now), and secondly, he actually can't fall asleep in my arms now-ever (unless he is fed to sleep). Even if he is sick and is having difficulties settling and getting off to sleep, I try so so hard to cuddle him and love him and he wriggles and squirms and writhes until I put him down where he then cries for a bit while I pat him but then drifts off.

I have since thrown that book away (of course) and I would give anything to turn back time and cuddle my newborn to sleep all day every day if I could. And to bring him to bed with me for cuddles and an extra snooze in the morning.

Bubs who sleep in these ways actually can learn to fall asleep on their own when they are older, and then they never lose that connection and that feeling of trust and bond with their mummy.

I think you are doing a beautiful job.

Never doubt your own instincts and never let so-called professionals or books tell you how you should connect and sleep and settle with your bubs... Do what feels right for you! (cause bub can only be happy when mum is comfortable and happy!!!)

[Angel_baby_1982]

i often co-sleep with my 12 week old, when he has an upset belly its the only way we both get to sleep and I adore cuddling up to my lil boy!

Then again it says on the sids website that co-sleeping increases the risk of sids, and doing it in a waterbed is a big no-no, and we have a waterbed :(

http://www.sidsandkids.org/hot_topics.html

[nemosmum]

We did the whole co-sleeping thing with DS for about 3 weeks(for night time sleeps and up until DS was 6 months during the day time naps, as he started crawling and would no longer stay still in our bed LOL). From 3 weeks he went into his snuggle bed/cot in his own room as I just couldnt get a good night sleep with him beside me(kept worrying about him,sids etc)this worked for us but if co-sleeping is still working for you then go for it!


Yay for cosleeping! My son was a bit unwell last night and woke to be fed every 2 hours like clockwork. Now he did that every night till 10 months but I'm out of practice now! And any time it happens I'm just so thankful that he's right there next to me and I don't have to get up to him.


JanetF - you must have alot of stamina girl- every two hours :eek: WOW DS stopped that when he was about 10 weeks old and I am so thankful that he did LOL :D but good on you-you really deserve a medal, your like superwoman or something!

[JanetF]

LOL Sarah, thanks! I'm really not a superwoman at all, I just coslept! :D If I'd had to get up and trudge into another room I'd be dead!