Who here co-sleeps?

**Keira** · December 3rd, 2007, 02:16 PM

Just curious about co-sleeping...

DD and I have been co-sleeping since her birth and we manage to get a good 8+ hours sleep, with a 3am feed & change in the middle. If I put DD in her bed next to ours, she wakes up... even during the day, she'll wake up as soon as I put her down! So lately, I've just been living by the motto: "do what works" and so far, the co-sleeping works!

Who here co-sleeps and what works for you? Does your child sleep in your bed with you, or sleep on your chest, or in their own cot/bassinet/hammock next to yours etc? What has been the best method for you?

**Ginger** · December 3rd, 2007, 03:34 PM

we co-sleep with our ds. have been since we came home from hospital. i love it. ds loves it. dp is more than happy with it. it works, we all get sleep, but we don't tell many people we're doing it as we don't like their reactions and we can't be bothered defending it to people. i'm reading 'sleeping like a baby' by pinky mackay atm and she has made me feel so positive and good about it. i think it's wonderful..and waking up next to my two boys is the best thing ever.

**Phteven** · December 3rd, 2007, 06:51 PM

We co-sleep with our boys and they co-sleep with each other.
They share a double bed and if they're restless we usually get into their bed or bring them into ours.

Pinky defines co-sleeping as anywhere that they're in arm's length so in a side car or so on is still co-sleeping.

**MummaBear79** · December 3rd, 2007, 07:48 PM

I have 3 boys and have always co slept. I co slept with my 2nd little man until he was 12 months, before he got to restless and I wasnt getting enough sleep having him in with me so I had to move him to the cot. I now have a 10 week old bub and we have co slept since the day he was born. I wouldnt have it any other way. My Mum hates it, but I tell her its my business and I love it!!. Most of my friends do it too. You form such a wonderful bond. I love falling asleep with my baby and waking up with him too. Its so special and is fantastic for your breastfeeding relationship.

I must get pinkys book...it sounds like a fantastic read.

**Yael** · December 3rd, 2007, 09:39 PM

We co sleep also and love it

I got this great co-sleeper made by the first years, that way she can be ontop of my blanket it in, and i can still be under mine accorinding to co-sleeping guidelines (but they aren't very long and she will be out of it soon

I co slept with DS (during the nights, he was in hammock in our room during day).. Night sleeps were always fantastic, and we did this until 8 months or so, when he started getting disturbed by us coming in at night etc, and we moved him into his own room - and he slept great.. i think we moved him when he was ready, which although i was sad, felt like it was the right way to do it

I also don't tell people because i hate their reactions & can't be bothered explaining, but we love it and it works for us.

There is enough stuff to worry about with babies, as long as they sleep well and it is working for you and not driving you crazy, i say do it (same with feeding to sleep etc.. its only a problem if it doesn't work for you, your baby, your family.. everyone else can go jump!)

**Karina** · December 3rd, 2007, 10:29 PM

We did co-sleep for a while. Claire slept in our bed and I really liked having her there. She woud go to sleep so easily, and when she woke at night, she would go back to sleep so easily!

We dont co sleep so much now though because she now crawls and I found she was waking up and crawling around the bed and I was worried she would crawl off the edge of the bed and hurt herself. I miss it! We still do it someimes though, especially if she is a bit grumpy or hard to settle, but most night she sleeps in her cot. When we started cosleeping, I did notice a change in her. She became more cuddly, and settled more easily. She also started sleeping slightly longer .. although she does still wake up a few times overnight loooking for a boob.

DH wasnt happy about cosleeping to begin with, but he warmed to the idea after a little while. He still goes a bit funny when I bring her into our bed though - he tells me he thinks he is going to roll over and squash her. I tell him he wont and that he would be aware of her being there.

I also never really told anyone. I casually mentioned it one day and got bombarded with stupid comments and judgement. I figured why should I have to justify myself? It worked for us quite nicely and I dont feel bad about doing it at all. If people ask, then I might mention it though. but I dont just tell people because I cnt be bothered with listening to their comments.

I;ve also got the Pinky Mckay book Sleeping like a Baby. It is a good book.

**pollyanna** · December 3rd, 2007, 10:34 PM

Ironically,

I still have an incredibly tender relationship with both of my kids. I still shower with them and co sleep with them,all by their own choice. Some nights they go to their own beds,or if i'm having a bad period or need some down time. Majority of the time though we are all snuggled up together and they are 10 and 7. lol

jaysmama · December 3rd, 2007, 11:02 PM

Co sleeping is working wonderfully for us, I spent only 1 night in hospital after the birth and DH was in bed with me there, I think we surprised the midwife who came in in the morning. DS has been in bed with us since his first night home and we get a good 8 hours with just a nappy change, now we are all settled in I don't really even fully wake up to breastfeed. It's wonderful, peaceful, bub just looks so content lying in the middle with mum and dad on either side, yep the only problem (not) is other peoples reaction. I do tell them we do it and we sleep well because, well, if nobody ever don't own up to doing it it will remain "weird or scary" when it's soo not.

jaysmama · December 3rd, 2007, 11:27 PM

oops that should have been be "DS" was in bed with me in the hospital, although DH in my bed would have surprised the MW as well

**artemis** · December 3rd, 2007, 11:30 PM

I always tried to do this with all my kids but with my 1st one because of all the problems she was having & because my ex was nasty,she ended up sleeping in a cot.With my second i tried again & managed to do it alot of the time but again my ex complained & his mother was such a bully about it & told me off repeatedly for it & said i was a bad mother so alot of the time i slept out in the lounge room with my son.
When i had my 3rd child i was with my current (& much nicer)partner so she was in with me 95% of the time.She slept with me in hospital too which earned me some critiscism from the nurses but not as much as i thought i would get.
So now that i realise that i'm not a bad mother for doing it it will b co-sleeping all the way this time

**Barb Glare** · December 4th, 2007, 04:17 AM

Hi,

Happily co-sleeping here with Guan, 4 and about half time with Cassie, 9. Nothing better than waking up snuggled up to a lovely warm girl!
Barb

**Shellbelle** · December 4th, 2007, 05:39 AM

I too have co-slept with my kids! The girls were about 3 when they went to their own beds. Angus slept with us from birth, but now I put him in his cot till he wakes up for a feed then put him in bed with us. His cot is in our room anyway! I just find it easier cause he rolls and rolls in my bed even over the pillows I put aroundhim!! But yeah, I love knowiing my kids are safe tucked in bed with us!! I check the girls about 10 times a night cause I worry about them and they are only in the room together next door!!! Angus just helps himself to boob at night and I find I get more sleep! My DH doesn't mind either (only when Angus wakes up at 5am like he did this morning and starts trying to play!!) Cheeky boy!

**fionas** · December 4th, 2007, 07:11 AM

My four-month-old generally sleeps in a cradle next to my bed. I say "generally" because my partner is a shift worker so we are sleeping apart at the moment and sometimes she co-sleeps (in the same bed) with him in our other room or in a bassinette next to his bed. He is much less paranoid about squashing her than me and is totally pro co-sleeping! Mind you, I'm also a HUGE fan of teaching them (gently) to self-settle and I wouldn't be happy if she still needed me to physically be there to get to sleep.

I tell anyone who cares to ask mainly because I surprised myself that I would want to make this choice and I think it's helpful for people to hear the positive side. They can't really question my decision when I tell them that she sleeps at least 9 hours a night and has done since she was about eight weeks old. That's a great advertisement.

It's been absolutely brilliant for me. Occasionally she will be a little restless in the night and I just say "shhhhh... sleepy time" to her a few times and I hear her give a big sigh and then she goes back to sleep. I don't even have to get out of bed! If she was in a separate room, I'd be keeping myself awake listening to a stupid baby monitor and she'd probably not re-settle unless I went to her.

I don't think there are many cuter things in the world than hearing a baby rustle around underneath a little doona. Sometimes I deliberately lie awake just listening because I really want to savour all these great memories.

**Haydies** · December 4th, 2007, 08:02 AM

*raises hand* I co-sleep!

I never intended to. Prior to giving birth the plan was in her cot from the day we brought her home. Oh the naivety of a first timer.

When I brought her home, not wanting to let her out of my site, she slept in her pram most of the time. This allowed me to keep her beside me no matter where I was. I have a snuggle bed which we tried, but with two in the bed already, it didn't really make it comfy. I started leaving her in her pram to start with, pulled right up against the bed. Then after the first middle of the night feed she'd come into bed with me and that's where she stayed. Now I just put her straight in to start with.

DD and I sleep in the spare bed as DH has to get up early for work, and this gives us a queen sized bed to ourselves which makes it feel a little safer as well, room wise. She sleeps in the middle of the bed, and I alternate each side around her if we wake for a feed. IE I start on the left side of the bed when we go down, and jump over to the right side in the morning (or during the night if I wake). That way I don't have to move her or disturb her.

She won't go in there during the day unless I lie with her, so she spends most of her day sleeps either in her hug-a-bub or at the moment she's really taken to the bouncer with the vibrating on, so she's been there most of the time this past week. The bouncer is beside me at the computer. She sleeps longer if she can see me immediately when she stirs.

Currently I get at least 5 - 6 hours straight through the night, usually from around Midnight till 6am ish, that's usually her long one.

it works, we all get sleep, but we don't tell many people we're doing it as we don't like their reactions and we can't be bothered defending it to people.

Gracie we are two cut from the same cloth I think. Word for word how DH and I are. I tend to pick the generation age to tell - my Mother, MIL etc I will out and out lie just to avoid the "you shouldn't comments. But my friends etc I tend do... hesitantly.

**BellyBelly** · December 4th, 2007, 06:41 PM

me me me me me!!! Loving co-sleeping here too. Out of necessity when they were younger, and we have just loved it, waking up snuggled up with two gorgeous kidlets. Even when they go into their bed at night, it's divine waking up to them both snuggled in between us - they don't even wake us the cheeky things - have an art of sneaking in. But doesn't bother me because I enjoy it 99% of the time

The 1% is when I sleep awkwardly and have a very bad neck/back! Marisa's 5 and Elijah 3.

**kitten2b** · December 4th, 2007, 06:55 PM

we cosleep here as well. we have Maria's cot attached to our bed side car style, Maria has slept that way for ages but she generally stays in her cot area all night now. Sofia is in a bassinette close to DH, when she wakes for the 4am feed, he hands her to me to breastfeed lying down and she stays there until morning, works for us.

**Rouge** · December 4th, 2007, 07:00 PM

Awwww can I say I'm envious of all of you *sniff*

**Astrid** · December 4th, 2007, 07:25 PM

Co sleep here. Started from a combo of liking to and needing to. We have the cot with the side off strapped to the bed, so most of the night she will crawl in there to sleep and pop back into bed for a feed as she feels like it. I admit sometimes I hate it, but there are other times where it feels so right.