Co-sleeping

[sausagecake]

HI
Can I have your views on this one mums and dads? Good or bad? If anyone has, I would be interested in hearing how the toddler has developed. Family members are telling me that it makes them very spoilt and clingy...is this the case? I Bf & co-sleep when I have to get up more than 3 times in the night which is quite a bit.

I've co-slept since 3 months as my dd was a terrible sleeper. Initially I found her all wriggly but after a couple of weeks I actually loved having her in bed and didn't sleep that well if she wasn't there!! I never thought I would co-sleep before I had a baby (SIL co-slept for years and I secretly though it was a bit strange - although he is now 8 and still co-sleeping!) However, when I started to do it - just to try and get a bit more sleep - it felt natural and lovely.

I've always put her to bed in her own cot at 7pm and when she woke - I would put her into bed with me - feed her (and myself!) back to sleep.

Over the months she went longer and longer into the night before waking for a feed. I often found myself going to bed and going get her from her cot to take her to bed with me!!

She's now 14 months and sleeps in her cot - if she wakes at all - I still bring her straight in with me. Often she will sleep until about 5am - and then come in with us and sleep until 7am.

She's not at all spoilt and clingy.. infact she's really independant. When I take her to toddler group she's off away from me like a shot. I work four days a week and she's looked after 2 days by my mum and 2 days by my dh - she doesn't seem to miss me at all - happily gives me a cheery wave as I leave the house in the morning.

Enjoy co-sleeping - it's fab and natural. Our babies are such nice warm snuggly little things. Oh, yes - they sleep better if their in with us too! Which is a BIG bonus in my eyes.

If family members are going to be negative (family members are ALWAYS negative about something you do with your child ie. breast/bottle feeding, weaning, discipline etc etc. ) just don't tell them - or lie .

Got to echo Reesie - I never thought I would co-sleep before I had dd and ds - but even I sleep better when ds comes into bed and wouldn't have missed out on those moments for anything (even more sleep!)

My dd is now 3 - she has made the transition to her own room and bed - not super smoothly but she is there. She is happy in her princess bed and comes through occassionally at 6am - she just climbs into our bed and snuggles in until about 8am which is lovely. And there is nothing funnier than being woken up by ds (now 15 months) who is still co cleeping from about midnight - he like to wake me up by blowing raspberries on my arm or whatever - we all actually start the day laughing and you can't say better than that (although I would recommend a king size bed!!!)

As to being clingy - neither of my lo's are clingy or spoilt or anything like that - in fact I think the confidence they have by knowing we are there when we need them and from the security of co-sleeping means that they are less clingy than a lot of other kids so definitely not experienced any negatives in that way at all - both are really happy to mix with other kids and adults.

I think you need to go with what feels right for you and just smile serenely at the extended family and go your own sweet way! If you do decide to co-sleep - enjoy!

Being woken up with kisses and cuddles from my 17 month old dd fills my heart with joy every day. She is in her own bed and has started to sleep longer and longer on her own. I think I'll be sad when she no longer needs me at night. My mum always said 'just stick her in your bed' and she's a pretty strict woman of the no nonsense school of thought, and she did it with all of her kids.

It makes sense to me that if you respond to your child emotionally and make them feel secure then they won't be clingy because they don't need to be. (All children will go through a clingy phase at some point but that is a developmental thing)

Enjoy your cuddles