Calling all moms! Did/do you co-sleep?

[Pembroke_Corgi]

I would highly recommend "Our babies, ourselves: How biology and culture shape the way we parent," by Meredith F. Small for anyone interested in learning more about this topic. It was fascinating! It discussed parenting in different cultures and one of the topics was co-sleeping.

I wish the book had been more neutral (the author tried, but you could tell which "side" she was on) but it did contain a lot of really interesting information. Based on what I learned through the book (and consequently through other research), I have decided to co-sleep with our baby, albeit in a bed right next to ours (you can buy co-sleepers that attach to the bed) simply because I would be afraid of squashing the baby and I don't think I'd get any sleep thinking about the possibility of it.

[Cataholic]

PC- sleep is awfully elusive in the beginning anyway. But, the comfort/knowledge that my little worm was within arms reach brought me alot of peace. In fact, I think one of those co-sleeper things is called "Arms reach" or something! And, you may change your mind/arrangement with time, too. Before birth, I was adamant that Jonah would sleep in a crib from moment one! We had to do a pit stop to the Toysrus on the way home from the hospital (with a broken bone in my pelvis, no less) cause I freaked out about him sleeping in a crib away from me! My thoughts changed so much after I had him. ")

What I did was remove all padding from my bed (I had a feather tick that I slept on), as well as all pillows but one- mine. I then built a barricade on the far side, which I later converted to the bed rail thing that Jonah has on his own bed right now. (When we slept at my fathers a few weeks ago, Jonah fell out of bed!)

I am a really light sleeper, and it was just he and I in bed. So, that worked for us, but, I can see a heavier sleeper, and a couple, wanting something a bit more distant.

[sparks19]

You know it's kind of funny.

I never co slept with Hannah but for months after she was born I would have nightmares that she WAS in bed with me and I was suffocating her or dropping her off the edge of the bed. Everynight I would have this dream.

I sleep with a stuffed animal (I know I know lol) and when I would start to wake from this dream I would think the stuffed animal was hannah.

was really freaky.

[Husky_mom]

I kinda co-slept...

for the first days I had him beside me in a crib/playpen type thingy... but I was constanlty checking him up to see if he was breathing.. then moved him into a bassinet and had it ON the bed... still on his "space" but closer... this was for a few weeks.... later on I moved him into his crib, once again right next to our bed.... this was for almost the whole year... then he had his own room... and once he had his bed (grown up twin bed) he has been sleeping in his onw bed in his own room...

[lizbud]

For what it's worth. Just today, yet another sad article.


http://abcnews.go.com/Health/story?id=6719916&page=1

[finn's mom]

I think we will be getting a co-sleeper to attach to our bed. I think our culture as a whole places so much weight on individuality, that we tend to forget about the basic need of NEEDING EACH OTHER, and that it's completely fine and appropriate. We're not solitary creatures, even though I do love my alone time. Luckily, David and I have many similar opinions on the matter, and we both want to try and make sure that we have family traditions, at least one meal a day together, playing together, etc. I definitely want my child to be able to take care of themselves one day, but I don't really think I care too much for the idea of teaching independence to a newborn. I don't know how long we'll "co-sleep", but for the very beginning, that's what we'll do.