I love our Family Bed when...

[insahmniak]

...dd (9mos) crawls around and flings herself down face first, crawls some more and flops onto her back and jabbers, crawls around some more and collapses on the pillows, and on and on and on, all trying to find the perfect position and place to sleep. We have wall-to-wall mattresses (very small sleeping room) and I never have to worry about her hurting herself. She knows I'm right there and she's perfectly comfortable trying to put herself to sleep. :love How sweet!

How 'bout you?

[Monkey]

awww. i love co sleeping!

my ds 2 1/2 crawls all over too, i sleep at the bottom on the bed, next to dh toes:rolleyes: :LOL and ds is always crawling back and forth he does that to, throws himself up-down and around, dh were just talking the other day whats it going to be like when our new babe joins us.... get a bigger bed!:LOL

[ekblad9]

I love our family bed when it's full to the gills and there are kids spilling over onto the floor. It's so warm and there's always someone to cuddle with. :hug :heartbeat

[wordmama]

I love our family bed when my 16-month-old son and I wake up smiling at one another in the morning (dh gets up earlier than we do). Then my son reaches over to the nightstand, grabs my glasses for me, and hands them over so we can start our day together. So precious!

[mamacrab]

...when I just came home from work, at 10:30pm, to find dh, dd, and ds, all snuggled together and all sound asleep- warm, safe, and cozy in our family bed. :love :love :love :love

[Attila the Honey]

I love our family bed when I wake up in the morning and the first thing I see is her little eyeballs staring at me. As soon as I look at her she breaks out into a smile!

I love our family bed when all I have to do is latch her onto my breast and we both drift back to sleep.

I hear so many parents complain about nighttime parenting issues, and I am just so thankful and glad we have the family bed. Sleeping with a snuggly baby is the BEST! :D

[1jooj]

I love ours when dd (2.5 mo) and I go to bed at night, and I lay her down. As soon as she recognizes she's in our bed, she totally relaxes, and we chat and giggle for a little bit before I turn out the light and she nurses down.

No matter how much snuggling we do all day, or how used up I feel, I can always snuggle more with her once I'm in bed. :love

[Holland73]

I'm a single mommy and I love the fact that I don't have to sleep alone in my big bed.

Also, that as soon as I crawl into bed with DS (8 months), he immediately start to move towards me! And that big smile as soon as he sees my eyes are open...wow, talk about melting my heart!

[TeaBag]

I love our family bed when....

6 m.o. dd roots around in her sleep...eyes still closed...looking for that nipple. She just instinctively trusts that it (and I) will be there, just because we always have. And I love how instinctive it is to her. If the nipple isn't standing up enough that she can get a good latch easily, she nudges it with her nose a couple of times and then latches on with a sigh....Aaaahhh, the things non co-sleeping parents miss....

[perditafoster]

I love it right now because DD is teething like crazy and instead of listening to her scream all night, I just nurse her back to sleep and all is peaceful in our house :love I also love how much sleep I get...probably ten times more than I would if dd slept in a crib :)

[ekblad9]

I want to add that I love the family bed when the kids are all cuddled together. They may argue occasionally during the day but it's amazing how they cuddle together at night. :grouphug

[AllyRae]

...when I wake up to find my 3 month old plastered to me with a huge smile on his face...:love

[z-girl]

...I can hear the hilarious things that DD#1 says in her sleep, and when I wake up next to a grinning 4 month old with dried milk all over her face! And when DH and DD (dear dog) are all in bed too!

[MidnightCafe]

Oh, I second the being there to hear what they say in their sleep...and first thing when they wake up.

My DD (22 months) is often talking about ladybugs and dancing and pigs and boogers and trains....

[orangeglow]

[this thread is warming my heart ... i'm thinking i'm missing something right now as our little guy snoozes alone during his nap right now -- a rarity though]

i love how he meanders from nipple to nipple through the night, sometimes deciding to plop down right on top of me with his knees under neath him...

i love his dreams about the shovel & sand box...

i love how he stretches out between us after he's gorged on lotsa milk. he stretches his arms up above him, one on either parents' face or neck. snuggled in love...

i love how his one cheek is always bright red from leaning on my warm breast. he wakes up glowing...

[smittenmom]

Originally posted by wordmama
I love our family bed when my 16-month-old son and I wake up smiling at one another in the morning (dh gets up earlier than we do). Then my son reaches over to the nightstand, grabs my glasses for me, and hands them over so we can start our day together. So precious! Umm.. just a warning. This used to be our morning routine too until dd broke my glasses a couple of weeks ago! It was what she had always done, so I wasn't paying that much attention until I heard a snap! $150 later, I have new glasses that I keep out of her reach!

Sorry, didn't mean to steal the thread! :love

I adore co-sleeping too. I think the best is the gradual waking in the morning. Dd will slowly start to move around and want her "num-nums" and I can still be half asleep and not have to jump out of bed to respond to a crying babe! I also love the cuddly positions she gets into during the night--sometimes I don't even sleep because I'm just too busy adoring her!

[aravinda]

when i work in the day and know she makes up for it (esp nutritionally) at night!

and when i roll in, give dd a kiss and she smiles and pats my face, all in her sleep

and when i see her big eager eyes light up when i wake up in the morning!

- aravinda

[MamaAllNatural]

I LOVE THIS THREAD!

One of the things that I just have to laugh about, although it really does irritate me sometimes, is the amazing and magnetic way in which my children gravitate towards me while they're deep asleep. I lay them TWO feet away from me, but within minutes they're crammed up against me like sardines! While it can be frustrating, I still am flattered that they love being so close to me.:LOL

I love the part about siblings not fighting in the family bed while asleep. It is a beautiful thing to behold!

Also, the best part is how LAZY we can be. I would be way too stressed out to get up all night and deal with the children in another room. No way!:eek Couldn't deal with it! I love being able to just roll over and plop a boob in a mouth (I have a couple night time nursers). It is so quick and easy and not to mention relaxing.

The best is, as mentioned above, the confidence of the babies who trust in you so much and never have any fear or anxiety at night (or other times). Mine would barely start movng, and I don't even know how I woke up, we were just so in sync, they never had to fuss or cry, the boob was in their mouth long before.

What a sweet thread!:love

[LambQueen]

Seeing DD's crusty milk mustache when she wakes up in the morning.

DD and DH snuggle up with each other, and I'm up later than them getting things done around the house.

[eilonwy]

I love it when Eli kisses me before he rolls over to daddy's side of the bed. :LOL I just think it's so sweet they way he goes back and forth when he wants to. What I don't think is so sweet (though it is very funny!) is when he takes my pillow away (which smells like mommy) and gives me the pillow from daddy's side of the bed (which smells like drool). Eli thinks it's hilarious, though, and it is very funny to watch him do. :LOL

[traixa2]

Just the other day, DS (3 yo) said we needed a bigger bed so Phoebe and Rose could sleep with us (DDs 10 and 12 yo). That would make 6 in the bed.:rolleyes:

[stonelove]

I love our family bed in the mornings when we sing Three Little Birds and my little guy cuddles and kisses.

I also love watching him sleep next to dh and rub his beard. My whole family right there next to me peacefully sleeping. I love both of my guys...dh and ds.

Thanks for this thread...so many times we hear the negative parts...or the scary scenarios and that is important because we need a place to vent with like minded mamas...but how nice to have a reminder of the beauty of co-sleeping. Way to go:thumb

[kama'aina mama]

On weekends when I sleep in Bonnie loves to snuggle and tickle when we finally both wake up. Then we have to hollar for Papa who is an early riser to come back to bed and join us. I love snuggling down with my child warm on the small of my back listening to my husband read her a story.

[phathui5]

The coziness. I love having the whole family in bed at night. We could use a bigger bed, but it's so nice having everyone together.

[Peony]

DD has started waking up in the middle of the night saying "dada" over and over, and then rolling over and going back to sleep. DH's heart just melts everytime she "calls" out for him!

[RachelGS]

Abigail does this great half-asleep, drunken crawl over to me, pats my hair, says, "Abby lufs Mommy," and conks back out. :love I could just burst.

[babyluvr]

i think i want to go to sleep and ds (3 mos) convinces me that socializing a bit longer is more exciting as he coos and does his best smiles and turns on the charm

OR

dd (25 mos) joins us at 5am and asks to hold my hand to sleep for a while longer and then wakes up with "dood morning, mama, holdyer mama'

I wouldn't trade those precious shared bed moments for any full night of sleep anywhere!!