Anyone else love helping their baby to sleep / love co-sleeping

[justonesherryformedicinalpurpo]

Ever since LO was born I was asked how she slept on her own etc. She slept on me for a couple of months. Quite draining but equally previous and beautiful. I received a LOT of concerned comments. And not incase I suffocated my child. Just because I'd be making a rod for my own back. It was the only way she slept and once she hit 3m she grew out of it on her own accord.

I then rocked her to sleep for a couple a months and now I lay with her until she nods off (almost 1yr old). One because she'll scream blue murder otherwise and I'm too tired for that but two because I love it. She also sleeps a lot better in bed with us so we co-sleep. At first I kept telling myself "I'll get her into her cot soon.. I'll help train her to sleep on her own..." and after all this beating myself up and looking for tips online I have accepted that as a family we love laying together until she nods off and we love sharing a bed. It won't be forever so I'm going to ENJOY it!

Anyone else out there love helping there baby to sleep and/or enjoy co-sleeping?

I feel like it's frowned upon by many but perhaps that's just the mums I know!

[justonesherryformedicinalpurpo]

Urg damn typos!

[Casmama]

Yes but now ds2 is nearly 18 months I've had about enough

[raisin3cookies]

My 27 month old has never slept in a cot and is happy and healthy. :) It helps that we have a super king sized bed, but I still love laying next to her, watching her sleep. She's still bf, but doesn't always drop off with milk at night. If she doesn't, she'll lay next to me and drop off while I mess about on my phone.

[kittyvet]

Yes! I am feeding my LG to sleep now in our bed! We co sleep and my daughter is now 14mths. She refused her Moses basket the first 2 nights so we hacked her IKEA cot to be side car until she was 4mths when she wanted in with us. Now just have a bed guard my side of our king bed. Me and OH love sleeping as a family and we can't imagine changing the arrangement any time soon! I know a few other mums who do, mostly in a local natural patenting group. Maybe check out if any local groups natural or attachment to meet like minded mums!
I think the key thing as a parent is to listen to your instincts and ignore whatever anyone else has to say!

[53rdAndBird]

I love feeding mine (21 months) to sleep. I work full time and it's nice having cosy drowsy time with just the two of us as she drifts off.

Co-sleeping I go back and forth on. I like it much more than the realistic alternative of getting up several times a night, and it's lovely to see her sweet sleeping face next to me and hearing her giggle in her dreams. Could do without the feet in my face and the pillow stealing though!

[bigfam]

I Co sleep with my little one who will be 1 at the end of the month, we even still use a white noise app I can't sleep without it either

I also co slept with all my other children and they're now absolutely fine, in fact they like sleeping on their own and there were no problems getting them to, when it was time. (sometimes the 4yo still crawls into my bed)

[Fueledwithfairydustandgin]

Totally agree. I still feed DS to sleep or lie with him while he drops off and co sleep. Half the time I wonder why other people bother having kids. Surely it's to enjoy them and not leave them to scream until they're nearly sick

[Rosenwyn1985]

I was reading this thread and thinking it was lovely, I don't really co sleep although sometimes an afternoon nap with my boys (3 years and 4 months respectively) and I love it. Then I read that last post about why people have kids and leave them screaming. You do realise there are alternatives? Both my children liked their Moses baskets and then cot. My first slept through at 12 weeks my second at 9 weeks (with the exception of illness, growth spurts etc). I did nothing to encourage this, they're just like their mum and like their sleep! I also have a disability so permanently co sleeping isn't really an option. Really surprised it needed to turn into a judgemental post like that, all the other comments were so nice! All kids are different, let's live and let live!

[justonesherryformedicinalpurpo]

Yes fortunately we have a super king as we have number two on the way. I contemplated getting DD1 into cot by the time baby two arrives but the thought of kicking her out and having number two in our bed made me feel awful! So four in a bed it will be!

Glad there are other like minded mamas out there! I find the "concerned" faces so exasperating! Just because you kicked baby into their own room at 6wks doesn't mean we all have to! True sorry..

[Etak15]

Yep, I've co-slept/fed to sleep with all 4 they've gone into there own beds no probs (usually a few months before the next one is due!) got ds with me still (1) not planning on anymore babies so not sure when he'll move into his own bed but we're all happy for now!

[AbbyCadabby]

5yo still in with us. Enjoy.

[bigfam]

AbbyCadabby I guess that's not all shits and giggles?

[Fueledwithfairydustandgin]

FFS I said half the time. I obviously don't think everyone does "controlled"crying. I do get so many people including my health visitors and MIL telling me that I need to teach him and he's manipulating me. He was a newborn!! I'm very sorry if you felt I was having a go at your parenting choices. I genuinely wasn't, I really couldn't care less if you choose to co sleep or not. If you're happy and your children are happy. That's amazing. I really didn't want to derail the thread. It is so lovely and rare to find people raising their children similar to me. I am very much the odd one out everywhere I go

[PaulDirac]

DD sleeps with me and dp (we have a super king too which helps a lot.) If I could turn back time I'd have started cosleeping sooner. We wasted months trying to get her to sleep in her cot. We spent hours, night after night, rocking her, picking her up putting her down, eventually tried cc, then one day we just stopped. Tbh it was pressure from dp's family that made us try for the cot for so long. They always pull a face and say 'ooh you got to be careful' whenever it comes up that DD is still in our bed. Next time they say something I want to ask what it is they think will happen? Do they think we'll still be in the same bed when she's 30?

We both love DD being in our bed. She sleeps so soundly. No constant wakings. Smiles and laughs in the night and then in the morning. She feeds to sleep usually but sometimes just lies next to me. Only downside is we all go to bed together and sometimes id like some evening alone but we weren't getting that before anyway. Sometimes we get her to sleep then sneak down but usually just stay in bed.

[PaulDirac]

Oh she's 18 months old now.

[AntiHop]

I love co sleeping. My 16 month old starts out the night in her cot and comes into bed with me when she has her first feed. I sleep much better when she's in bed with me, even though I'm a bit uncomfortable as we've only got an ordinary double.

[Topsy34]

We started co sleeping with ds 1 when he was teeny tiny......and progressed to his own bed at maybe 4, he goes to sleep in his own bed each night but magically appears in our bed sometime around 1am. Whilst we dont mind, it means we cant safely co sleep with ds2 who is 7weeks.

I have found the sleepyhead brilliant at making ds2 snug in his crib after a feed

People will always criticise other peoples parenting choices, and i always try nit to judge others....its hard not to, but even if you think it, you shouldn't say it unless the parent asks your opinion, then be gentle

[Scattymum101]

My 11 month old usually comes in with us at some point during the night although she starts off in her cot. She was in our room until 10.5 months but we moved house and she was too big for the space saver cot we had. She does sleep well in the bed with us but I end up with a dodgy neck and shoulder because shesleeps in the crook of my arm.
We co slept the same way with dd1 until about 18 months but then we managed to get her into her cot as we only have a double bed and she is a thrasher sleeper.
I wouldn't ever leave them to cry but I don't think I could exclusively co sleep either. I cuddle dd2 to sleep and pop her in the cot but I couldn't trust her to leave her in my bed unsupervised and I need to do stuff once the kids are asleep before going to bed.

I guess I'm saying its a very individual thing and it's about what works for you as a family. I co sleep because I find it easier and better way for us all to get some sleep but I don't think I would choose to given the choice. It's great if it works for you though.

[agapimou]

DD 14 months has always co-slept with us and we're in no rush to kick her out. I gave birth in Greece where they keep you hostage in the hospital for four nights after giving birth and I was berated every night by the nurses for letting dd sleep in the bed with me. Co-sleeping is not really done here (that they admit) so when people hear that we do it they look at us like we're monsters. I don't care though, and can't wait for the next little snuggly bundle to get here so we will be four to a bed!

[NickyEds]

I find it a bit odd that you say that Fueledwioth-I literally don't know anyone who hasn't brought their children into bed with them at some point!! Anyone my age (thirties) anyway...everyone MILs age had their dc sleeping through in their own rooms at 4 weeks. We must have been very compliant babies.

Ds had periods of co sleeping when he was waking very early but hasn't for a year (he's 2 now) but now he really doesn't like being in with us and loves his cot. Dd is 5.5 months and starts off in her crib then comes in with us after her feed. DP doesn't like it, I don't mind so much.It's not ideal but it's better than being awake.

[cornishglos]

I love sitting with my toddler while he drops off but it is a bit inconvenient now he has a little sister and I wish he didn't need me there to go to sleep.

[NeitherQuietNorCalm]

Would have been a nice thread except the judgemental language about "kicking baby into their own room". I "kicked my baby" into his room at I'm7 months because he slept incredibly badly cosleeping, we kept waking each other up. I stay with him every time I put him to sleep.

[NellWilsonsWhiteHair]

I love it too. I planned to do it from birth (which was just as well as DS was a total Velcro baby and a v light sleeper who objected to sleeping anywhere but the crook of my arm), but I don't think I expected to keep going as long as we have. He's now 3.5 and slowly moving out of my bed and into his own room, at his suggestion which is a v lovely development to watch unfold.

Part of me will miss him when he's reliably in his own room all night every night. Part of me is now looking forward to having the bed to myself again.

[Funinthesun15]

Glad there are other like minded mamas out there! I find the "concerned" faces so exasperating! Just because you kicked baby into their own room at 6wks doesn't mean we all have to! True sorry

Maybe you should stop judging other people choices aswell then.

Using words like 'kicked out' is ridiculous!