Before I became a parent I swore that I would never co-sleep with my child. That was a lie. A huge lie. My first lesson in parenthood: Never say never.
I’ve always looked at co-sleeping from a professional level since I studied human development. There is a lot of studies about SIDS (sudden infant death syndrome) and injuries that could potentially happen while co-sleeping. That stuff scared me so I thought I would keep my son in my room for a little while but in a bassinet next to the bed. They even make co-sleepers that you can put in your bed to keep the baby safe.
We started off doing really well when we brought my son home from the hospital. We had a bassinet right next to the bed so that I could easily get to him during the night for feedings. About a month or two after my son was born he got a little congested and I freaked out. The doctor recommended elevating his head so that it would be easier to breathe. For some reason, all of this scared me and I wanted to be as close to him as possible so that I could monitor him.
Some people say they don’t sleep well with their child in the bed but I am the complete opposite. It is comforting to know that my son is close by and safe. I can just reach over to make sure he is okay and go back to sleep. I also think co-sleeping helped my son with sleeping at night. He wouldn’t completely wake up in the middle of the night and have to be calmed down or rocked back to sleep. I would nurse right when he would start waking up and he would go back to sleep instantly. It was also nice to stay in bed instead of getting up in the middle of the night. I had a c-section and it took a while to fully recover.
Well, my son is 15 months old now and we are still co-sleeping. I am also still nursing so it works out. I’m not sure when he will move to the crib in his room and I’m not in a hurry. He won’t be a toddler forever so I am going to enjoy the snuggles while I can.
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Love this ! This is simply why motherhood is a innate process because we know what’s best for our children!
Yes!! We were born to do this! 💙
i think every child is different and you have to do whatever works for you and baby and co-sleepiNg is working for you which is brilliant.
Rachael | https://rachaelstray.com
Thank you so much!! This is so true!
I actually have a 2 year old little sister (Star) who I babysit most of the time, while my mom and her father are working. My mother never actaully learned how to let Star sleep on her own, ever since she was about 7 months my mom tried to, but she would never let anyone else sleep with her crying. So basically she would sleep with either one of us in our bed, There was no use for her crib lol.
💙 she will eventually. I was the same way for a long time as a kid. It was scary being in my room alone.
With Every baby I tell myself the same thing, this one will be the one to sleep her crib! It starts out that way….lol. At this point I just accept that at some point me and THE babes will be cuddling in our sleep together lol. And its wonderful 🙂
Yes!! I started out doing so good. 😂I wouldn’t traded the cuddles for anything.