Why do you co-sleep? - Page 2

[Gabe'sMummy]

DS is 2 years 10 months and was a crib sleeper when born (in our room).  He was an easy going baby and simply had no problem with it.  He has co-slept on and off since 7 months old but more or less every night since 2 years.  I think it's because once he had to go in a proper bed (due to climbing out of crib) he likes to sneak in with us.  Having said that, he starts off the night in his own bed, but comes into ours between 2 and 4am.  He doesn't bother me in there at all, though I am 21 weeks pregnant so am a bit worried that when I have the baby (planning on the baby sleeping in a crib in our room) DS will wake when I am feeding him or her.  Hopefully it will all work out!!  DS says lovely things when he wakes up, like "Ah, I give you a cuddle mommy, I love you so much" or he starts talking about strange things like asking when Santa is coming again, something he has not mentioned since December!

[UngeGresshoppe]

I have two boys, now 11 and 9.  My husband and I co-slept with our oldest in the middle until the second came along.  The oldest loved to hold noses as a comfort strategy--especially going to sleep and sometimes during the night randomly.  I still can hear my husband saying, "ah, Kiran...." then there'd be some shifting.  Luckily, my nose was never required.  We chatted about this at the dry cleaners once and a Korean man told my husband to switch the hand from now to ear and he'll go to that.  Well, 11 years later and my oldest still loves cuddling intimate family members' ears and occassionally his old best friends.

When my second son came along, I believe we just extended the floor mat we slept on so that our older son was still next to us.  My husband would have the oldest while I nursed or cuddled the youngest.  I nursed my oldest for 13 months (but had to stop because I wanted to get pregnant and I wasn't menstrating yet).  I nursed the youngest until he was five (mostly a quick one at home towards those last years and mutually agreed when we ended).

After we bought our condo and moved (boys were maybe 4 & 6), we had a two bedroom.  The little one would arrive in our bed occassionally those first couple years til there was really no room.  The boys co-slept until they got new bunk beds when they were 7 & 9 years old.  They still occassionally cuddle (but the younger one complains about the ear cuddling and the older complains about too active sleeping for the younger).

We all were really comfortable and happy with the arrangements.  I think it helped build the boys' own close relationship.  It also helped keep all of us together longer (now it seems my husband may have asperger's which means emotional connectedness is almost impossible for him).  We built up a family feeling that really helped.  It's still a personal decision.  I now have such bad joints that I can barely share the same bed with my husband because I need full freedom to move around to relieve all the pain.  I'm glad we did it though.