Who plans on co-sleeping?

[Willowrose]

I was reading the nursing thread and see that a lot of us co-sleep.
What will your sleeping arrangements be when you have your baby?

We have 2 queen size beds pushed together which makes one very large family bed. We all co-sleep and the new little one will join us.

[Camellia]

We are co-sleeping with our 12 month old. Dh really wants her in her crib by the time the new one comes. I'm slowly warming him up to the idea of keeping both of them in our bed. He was reluctant about co-sleeping at all and now he loves it. He just needs to realize that 2 babies is twice the co-sleeping fun! :LOL

[hottmama]

My 27 mo. old still sleeps with me and I plan on keeping him with us after the baby is born. We have a full-sized mattress now but i really want to get a king-sized. Or I was considering getting him a toddler mattress and putting it next to our mattress (which is on the floor).

[SMR]

I don't know that much about co-sleeping.. but I'm thinking our babe will sleep with us (probably next to us in a bassinette - we roll around a lot and already have two cats 'co-sleeping' with us! heehee) at first and then after they aren't waking up to breastfeed many times in the night, will probably be moved to the nursery.

[ozzyemm]

My DH totally surprised me by changing overnight from a "put baby in the crib in the other room" to co-sleeper! He spent time on MDC boards and decided it was a better idea to co-sleep! Crazy!

I am mainly in favor of co-sleeping because I am lazy and don't want to be getting up to feed the baby .

Shannon-- Our cats aren't allowed in our room anymore. Ever since I got pregnant our FIXED male cat has been spraying on MY SIDE of the bed grrr!!! in fact, yesterday, he peed on ME while I was napping! i think he smells my hormones, and doesn't like them

[mamazig]

definitely here! 19 mo dd is still mostly w/us and I'm considering looking into king sizes...We never planned to be co-sleepers-- didn't even really know anything about it until the time came and then it was the best, most natural decision we ever made . . . and then came the opinions of others. Watch out, new mamas . . . We learned the hard way to keep our mouths shut about sleeping in certain company -- including the in-laws and the ped...how sad. But now we revel in sleeping with Sylv and when I go to put her in her sidecarred toddler bed, Dh often stops me and begs, "let her be -- she's so sweet!"
Beth

[MuhajibahMama]

I know I will end up sleeping with the youngest two...as for DH and the oldest...well I guess we'll figure that out when the time comes.

[jayayenay]

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[rebx]

Oh yes! DD's been sleeping with us since the night she was born, and there's plenty of room for another baby in our king-size bed. We just have to work out the logistics...DD sleeps between us, but I think I may move her to the other side of me, or the other side of DH, if she night-weans. I'd love to get to an arrangement that has DH & myself actually next to each other at night. We just loved having DD between us so much to hear her happy newborn sighs, we couldn't imagine putting her anywhere else.

[JennInSeattle]

I definitely plan on co-sleeping for at least the first year with the new baby (whenever we have one). I want to side car a crib though - simply because we have a queen and Dan needs more room.

[SMR]

Originally Posted by ozzyemm

My DH totally surprised me by changing overnight from a "put baby in the crib in the other room" to co-sleeper! He spent time on MDC boards and decided it was a better idea to co-sleep! Crazy!

I am mainly in favor of co-sleeping because I am lazy and don't want to be getting up to feed the baby .

Shannon-- Our cats aren't allowed in our room anymore. Ever since I got pregnant our FIXED male cat has been spraying on MY SIDE of the bed grrr!!! in fact, yesterday, he peed on ME while I was napping! i think he smells my hormones, and doesn't like them

OH NO!!! I hope my kitties don't get any bright ideas about spraying!! YUCK! They haven't done anything strange yet.. just as cute and snuggly as ever!!

[SMR]

Okay, so most of you seem to be pro's at this co sleeping business..
How do you and your DH 'get it on' with a babe in the middle of you?? And, I mean... a newborn or 4 month old wouldn't really notice or care.. but a two year old would surely wonder WTF was going on, right??

I asked DH about co-sleeping yesterday just to see his opinion on it.. after I explained to him what it was.. he was like no way! He actually had a REALLY good reason though! Sometimes he does this shake thing when he's sleeping (rather annoying when I've JUST fallen asleep!) and on occasion I think he has visions or really vivid dreams and he wakes up punching and kicking the air!! So, he said, I might kick the baby or punch her! haha
So, for a while she'll be in our room - but in a different bed!

[ozzyemm]

and on occasion I think he has visions or really vivid dreams and he wakes up punching and kicking the air!!

That's what "sidecars" are for! Get a crib with a removable side (or one that adjusts VERY low) amd put it on your side. That way, you still have the "co-sleep" thing, but you also have the baby in a safe "non-kick zone!"

You also might find that your sleeping patterns change. i used to sleep with my baby brother (13 yr. difference... LONG story), and I ended up sleeping on a 1/2 inch edge of the bed, because I was afraid I would squish him in his sleep! I also became a very light sleeper .

[rebx]

How do you and your DH 'get it on' with a babe in the middle of you?? And, I mean... a newborn or 4 month old wouldn't really notice or care.. but a two year old would surely wonder WTF was going on, right??

I agree, a 2 year old would definitely wonder...That's why we get frisky anyplace BUT the family bed. One of the great things about co-sleeping for us has been the fact that we know our DD is sleeply soundly in our large bed, which frees us up to visit the guest room, the living room, etc. Co-sleeping has re-energized that part of our marriage; it wasn't in trouble before, but now it's even more fun. Anyone else find this to be true?

[Willowrose]

SMR, you simply find other places to "do it"!

If you think are thinking about co-sleeping, I would definitely do the sidecar. That way, it will give the baby his/her own place and still have the same effect as co-sleeping.

[hottmama]

I have sex in the bed with my 27 mo. old asleep. The Continuum Concept addresses this and says that parents should have sex in the family bed. It's totally natural and what people have been doing for millenia. Of course, if my son wakes up, we stop and I help him get back to sleep. As soon as he's old enough to wonder about sex I'll teach him the basics.

[gabry]

Still nursing and co-sleeping with 20 month old ds, not sure what we'll do when #2 gets here. We did get a kingsize a few months ago, and love it!
It sounds like most of the toddlers here have at least nightweaned, and i think I'll probably have to try for that, since I can't imagine ds crawling all over me from side to side while trying to nurse the baby as well..
Any suggestions about how to nightwean while keeping ds in the family bed?

[hottmama]

Gabry- When I night-weaned Julian, I had my partner put him to bed at night after I nursed him for a bit. He had a sippy by the bed, and I dressed in shirts that were nearly impossible to nurse in and slept on my stomach. He often crawled onto my back and fell asleep there! There were some tears at night for about a week but then he started sleeping through just fine. Both of us were much happier!

[Persephone]

I intend to cosleep. I'm kinda wondering how, though. DH and I have a full bed, and there's no room for a sidecar (and I don't really want that anyway). I'm thinking in the beginning, dh and I can put our pillows vertical, and put the baby between us, and then save up for a queen bed. Or we can buy a twin mattress and put it on the floor next to the full mattress, and not have a "real" bed for a while.... but I don't know.

[OhMel]

I currently start out with dh and then go sleep with 2.5 yr old ds (in a full) when he wakes up. When ds was smaller it was just the two of us in the other bed. DH likes the idea of co-sleeping, but he just sprawls too much for any of us (ok, me) to have enough room. I think I might get a twin mattress and push it up to the full and then have the wee babe and ds in there with me.