what do you love about co-sleeping with a toddler?

[COgirl19]

I thought a positive co-sleeping post would be fun! DD is almost 3 and co-sleeping has gotten more interesting in this phase. What I am loving now is her totally random conversations as she falls asleep, such as....

"We don't eat poop, we just eat food. Ewww. Poop kind of yucky...SNORE...."

[kgreenemama]

Hilarious!

I love lying on my side and stirring in my sleep to find that DS has snuggled up with his back against my chest and belly and his head under my chin. Or when he reaches out and says, "Hold hands." I wish I could bottle that and save it for his adolescent years.

Fun post!

[Super~Single~Mama]

being half awake and rubbing his back so that he can fall asleep.

Him falling asleep with his head on my pillow, right next to me!

Waking up to him sitting up next to me saying, "Mama, Mama, Mama, Mama" with a big smile on his face!

[brbmake]

We still sleep with our 4 year old and almost 3 year old. My dh loves sleeping next to our 4 year old and she is a rubber. She rubs his arms and back all the time, even while asleep. He loves it, I hate it. I dont like the motion. When dh gets up to go to work she rolls over and holds my hand. I love that. I mostly sleep next to the soon to be 3 year old. She is still nursing at night. I love nursing her and I love when she is done nursing and she flips over and snuggles her butt right into my tummy! Heaven!

[Shanny2032]

My 16 month old is really into spooning which is so sweet. If she isn't latched on she is usually backing up to be "spooned".

I love on weekend mornings she slides off of the mattress and brings in all kinds of random toys from around the apartment.

OP - your post literally made me laugh out loud!

[DaddyM]

Woke up one morning to my daughter with her stuffed puppy. She stuffed it into my face, said "mmmmwwwwwaaaaaahhhhh!!!!", then pull it back, and gave me the biggest grin ever!

Its a sweet way to wake up, even if it is 6 am on your day off.

[verde]

Cuddling with her. Waking up to her bright smile.

Made potty-learning easy because we were right there. She wet the bed exactly twice and that was it. Now she just wakes up and takes herself to the bathroom.

[crunchy_mommy]

Cuddling. Not having to get out of bed to check on him when he sleeps a longer stretch than usual. The way he says "eat eat" with his eyes closed in the middle of a dead sleep when he wants to nurse. And the other random words he sputters out even when he's sleeping, I find his sleep-talking hilarious!! ("Cracker? BALL!!! Dada Dada... CAT!")

[Caneel]

Originally Posted by kgreenemama

Hilarious!

I love lying on my side and stirring in my sleep to find that DS has snuggled up with his back against my chest and belly and his head under my chin. Or when he reaches out and says, "Hold hands." I wish I could bottle that and save it for his adolescent years.

Fun post!

Yes Yes Yes!

We don't "hold hands", we "cuddle-cuddle" as in "mommy, I am tired I need to cuddle-cuddle now.

The new thing is family-hug and family-kiss. DS holds his arms wide open and says "time for our family hug" We all hug together. Repeat for family kiss.

Other great things - sleeping faces and checks and eye lashes. DS eye lashes amaze me, they are so thick and lush and when he is asleep is the only time I can stare at them.

DS is 4.5 and not a toddler anymore. We are torn about co-sleeping lately. On one hand, we feel like he is old enough to be in his own bed. He also takes up a huge amount of room and I sleep in a different bed about once a week.

On the other hand, we all love it so much and hate to give it up. DH and I have discussed it extensively and we both said how awful it was for us to go to sleep at that age (because of awful family issues - fighting, domestic disturbances, etc.) and that a loving bed is what we all need now, that going to sleep between two people that love you more than anything else is a wonderful gift to give a child and to each other - the security, the comfort.

[vegancat]

I love the snuggles and sweet little snores from her side of the bed.

[COgirl19]

Originally Posted by vegancat

I love the snuggles and sweet little snores from her side of the bed.

I love the sweet snores too! Except with DD it's not a sweet "little" snore...it's more like a wildebeast with a sinus condition

[~Demeter~]

I love that I can cuddle her without her pulling away. All day long she's going, going, going and doesn't need snuggles as much. I also love to stare at her sleeping face and kiss her sweet little forehead and the spooning is awesome.

[4Marmalade]

I like listening to my 21 month old twins sing and talk as they drift off to sleep. Dd recently learned how to say "mama" (finally ) so now she lies there saying "mama, dada, mama, dada" over and over again getting quieter and quieter. For the past two nights I've been trying to read with a headlamp while they drift off to sleep as they've been taking about 45 minutes to get to sleep so there's been a lot of me giving them "the eye" and telling them to lay down and close their eyes. I get the biggest grins and smirks. Little monkeys .

[calebsmommy25]

Awww! I love this thread! It is nice to be reminded of ALL OF THE GOOD things that come along with co-sleeping!


My favorites are without a doubt, listening to my DS sleep talk or smiling in his sleep. It is sweet when he nuzzles up, and without even waking says, "milk, milk or other side".

DS is the best snuggler ever, and I LOVE IT. The times he reaches out with his arm to hold me tight will forever touch my heart.

In the mornings, he pops up with a large smile and says..."Morning or looks out the window excited to say Sunshine!"

[Drummer's Wife]

I love that i the morning, after DH gets out of the shower he always stops by the bed to stare at DS. He'll comment on how cute he is sleeping, touch his hair and give him a kiss and say he wishes he could lay back down and snuggle with him.

[Thalia]

I love being able to watch DD sleeping when I wake up with pregnancy-induced insomnia: gives me something very peaceful and relaxing to do without leaving bed.

I love reading in bed with my tiny booklight in otherwise total darkness while DD is asleep. It is the reversal of reading under the covers with a flashlight as a kid!

I love knowing DD is safe all night long.

I love finding DD in a new position every time I wake up during the night, usually with some part of her body jammed up against me, and the rest flung away (she gets hot easily).

[Katie T]

I have a sleep sharing 21m old and 3 1/2yo. I love everything about it. How they talk to me and each other in there little voices about the day before they fall asleep, how they both have to be smashed against me, there sweet breath, when there little toes find a spot in the waist band of my pants looking for mama warmth. How cute they look sleeping in our big bed when I'm not in there yet. How instead of having there beds they have there "spots" and they can. not. be in each others spot or you will hear from the 3yo, "mom she is in my spot" lol.

Like I said I could go on and on, I will miss them when they no longer want to sleep with mommy and daddy.

[AmyKT]

DD moves my arm around like I'm a mannequin until I'm cradling her back in just the right way while she's falling asleep. It makes me smile. And this morning when we woke up (too early!), she tickled my face ever so gently and sang The Itsy Bitsy Spider.

I also love the random sleep talk: "more pancakes, please."

[marinak1977]

not a toddler but I love co-sleeping

DS is just over 3 months - and we all love co-sleeping! I love seeing his sweet little face next to me, how he snuggles up really close. I also love that he is right there if he needs me, he doesn't have to cry to wake me up, and with our sleep cycles synchronized we all wake up refreshed and in a good mood. And of course it's a great time to stare at all the sleepy faces he makes!
DH loves when he gets to snuggle with him too, he is almost jealous that DS is next to me most of the night.

[gagin37]

I love snuggling ds as he falls asleep. I like being able to put my hand on his back and feel him breathing and know he's safe next to me. I also love it when he puts his head up on my pillow next to mine. Sweet milky breath after he nurses back to sleep. Having family time in the bed before lights out. Hearing him giggle in his sleep. Being able to sleep between the two people I love most in the world, there's just nothing to compare!