My DS is 20 months and we still co-sleep for part of the night, but it's not our choice at all, it's DS's choice. DH and I don't like him in the bed with us and we don't get a good night's sleep with him in there.

He goes to sleep in his own bed beautifully but only stays in there until about midnight, then he comes into bed with us. DH and I know what we have to do to gently (but firmly) get him to sleep in his bed all night, what we're doing at the moment is just the best option we've got for the situation that we're in right now (we're in the middle of a major renovation and our house is freezing and we just don't have any extra energy to put in the effort that would be required to get him to sleep all night in his own bed). When the house is settled and the weather has warmed up we'll be encouraging him stay in his own bed all night.

There are so many different variations on the co-sleeping theme. Even though co-sleeping is not our choice we have totally accepted that this is how we function as a family at the moment and we make the best of it. Yes, it is lovely to all wake up together. The smiles and coos you get when they realise it's a new day (and Mummy's on one side and Daddy's on the other, the two most important people in the whole world are right there to share it with him) are wonderfully precious (but so is a good night's sleep!).