There are three and a half years between my second and third child. I slept with both my older kids just so I could get some sleep. I did not plan it that way, if fact I said my babies would never sleep in my bed, because that would just be a bad habit. We struggle for the first week and then I said forget it! I need sleep and this baby will sleep next to me. Sleep is what we all needed.
Fast forward to the third baby. This time it was a girl. Excitement could not be contained and man did I go crazy. The perfect pink ballerina room. Martha Stewart Bonnet Pink on the bottom three-quarters and Magnolia White on the top one-quarter with a ballerina border in between. The dresser and changing table got the supreme pink and white treatment too. Apparently I forgot how much my previous two kids slept in their decked out nurseries. None.
Guess how much my baby girl slept in that pretty pink room with in the first year. None. Baby number four didn't get the nursery treatment other than a little bedskirt in blue for the crib that has seen more clean clothes that babies. Why I took the time to make it I don't know. Its not that my kids have never used the crib for a nap here or there, its just that those times were far and few between.
We now have that crib side-car onto our queen bed giving us all more room to sleep. It has been the best way to nurse at night, no need to get up and stumble in the darkness stubbing toes to get to baby and no more being squashed.
For more information on co-sleeping/baby sleep research from Peaceful Parenting click here
The Benefits of Co-Sleeping from Breastfeeding.com
Hobo Mama: How to Co-Sleep Safely: A tutorial in pictures
My "baby" is 27 years old. We slept with our 6 kids, too. My thoughts were, who cares where they sleep as long as they SLEEP !!!! And I miss those nights of a baby cuddled up by my back with it's hands in my hair. And you know what? None of them sleep with us anymore! LOL
ReplyDeleteLoved this post. Dh has mentioned several times that our crib was really just an incredibly expensive laundry basket. That is OK, though. :)
ReplyDeleteI started out not wanting to co-sleep but quickly realized that if I wanted to sleep he had to be with me. It is kind of weird admitting this but he will be four next month and still sleeps with us. I am hoping he will want to sleep in his own bed soon but I also don't want to force and make a big deal of it either. Oh the dilemmas of being a parent.
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