Know the pros and cons of co-sleeping

I would never sleep with my child I am a mother of a 3 year old and a new born I know some one who co-slept and their baby died of SIDS both of my kids sleep well at night my new born is 8 days old and only gets up 2 times a night and my 3 year old was the same way. I brest fed my oldest and am brest feeding my new baby so the people who say that baby sleeps better is just not true every baby has their own sleep pattern just like every baby has their eating habits. Both of my kids have a great bond with their dad that stated before they were born.

While co sleeping may be nice for parents and baby, it can be dangerous, as people have suffocated their babies by accident doing this.

I've had all my 5 children in the bed with me at some stage, I never slept soundly when they were in with me, as much as I love being able to hold their little hands & hear them breathing. I would never sleep soundly as I was always aware of the possible risks of co-sleeping. Being a mother who breastfed, I found having a warm, cuddly bub beside me even being hungry, it was too easy to go back to sleep. I would always get up to feed & could always get back to sleep. It's one of those things in life that you either do or don't. My youngest is now 3 & eldest is 9 & if any of my children want to sleep next to me, or if their sick, I happily let them. I can go the odd night of having broken sleep & being kicked, rolled into, arms on face etc if my kids are happy.

This is the longest I've had a baby co-sleep (he's 6mths old), and this is also the longest I've breastfed a baby (well, to be honest, the only one out of five). I don't worry that we will crush or smoosh our baby... the kid would just fight back at this point. I certainly think we are ALL getting more sleep with the baby in the bed. I barely have to wake to feed him (just lift up my shirt, though he does like to lock his toes in my jammie pants pockets sometimes). I adore waking up to his fat little hand patting my cheek.
Having the baby in our bed doesn't keep my husband and I from enjoying intimate moments. We just get creative about timing and places. My baby can sleep ANYWHERE... though he prefers to fall asleep in my arms.

It is a myth that heavy sleepers might roll over on the baby. Are heavy sleepers more prone to fall out of bed, or roll over on their partners?? The same instinct keeps your baby safe. Statistics have shown that the main incidents of rolling over and suffocating a baby happened when the parent was drunk or on drugs. Many OBs are paranoid to condone cosleeping, because of the risk of them being sued in the event of irresponsible parenting. It was a great experience for our family, and a great way for my husband and son to feel connected, especially since he spent most days at work and away from the baby. Closeness while sleeping really COUNTS as bonding time...believe it or not!

I was told specifically by the head OB nurse at the hospital that you NEVER sleep in the same bed as the baby, as some heavy sleepers have actually rolled over on their infant and suffocated the poor thing. Is this false, or are there any recommendations?

Your kids are only young once. We have 6 children who all bed-shared and left our bed. Now the 19 and 21 yr olds have both left the home. It all goes too quickly. When done safe, it's safe. Bed-sharing has it's risks, but separate sleep has more uncontrolable risks like positional suffocations, general unattended mishaps, abductions, and house fire risks. Check out what over 8000 familes said about it on a website called
co-sleepingsurvey

We have co-slept with all of our kids, and I don't understand why everyone doesn't. Way easier to deal with night-time things - we don't have to get out of bed - once I am out of bed, I am likely to not get back to sleep.

As they got older and started taking up more room (and having four of us in one bed (king size)) we moved the oldest to a bed right next to ours, effectively making a really large bed. Now the 5 and 2 year olds sleep in the same bed - heads on opposite sides of the bed, and the 4 month old is in bed with us.
The oldest has slept upstairs sometimes, and he likes that, and the special talking/cuddling time before sleeping that comes with that, but the attic room is quite cold in the winter, so we've mostly stopped that for now, until we figure out how have that room be warmer.

Our kids will sleep anywhere when we are out places, lots of noise, etc. so I don't buy the argument that says kids will have a harder time falling asleep without us.

We started co-sleeping with our first son, soon to be 3. He still comes to our bed every night after we put him in his toddler bed. He naps in the toddler bed, but won't sleep all night there. He does wake me up most nights kicking me or from snoring (yes, my two year old snores, but softly)
His 18 mo. old brother sleeps great, in his crib, all night, always has.
The boys are just different.

WE co-slept til my son was 5 months and started kicking me too much... transition was nightly from my bed to playpen, throughout the night and then eventally from my bed to crib in other bedroom... worked well for us as we were breastfeeding and i got to get plenty of sleep with co-sleeping

Parents need that intimate time when the baby is asleep in their crib. Your child also doesn't have the anxiety of being left alone.

We've co-slept with our two babies. We'd co-sleep at night but the baby would be in a crib for day time naps. Transition to a crib later was easy because they were already used to it. It makes breastfeeding much easier and the bonding is great. If you're concerned about hurting your baby while you sleep, the arms reach co-sleeper is great. We used one the second time around. It just hooks up to your bed, the baby is right there, but she'll have her own sleeping space. Another advantage, at least for us, was that we had to get a little creative with our sex life. Some nights we'd put the baby in her crib until we were actually ready to sleep but usually she'd already be in bed and we'd have to think of other places.

me & my husband slept with each of our 3 kids. I breastfed them all and it is just happens. We are happy with our choice because i could start breastfeeding right in the bed. when i sleep with the baby through the whole night i listen to baby's breath, and i feel the baby how she is doing,(it's like an additional feeling - you always feel your baby), i.e. you don't sleep that hard as if you would sleep with no baby in bed. i would recommend it to careful parents.

We've co-slept with our three children up to age two or so. The bonding is great, but I'm always paranoid, the infant is going to get squished by mom or fall out of bed one too many times. So, I recommend snuggle time for the bonding and crib/bed time for the child. ;-)

We sleep with our 11 month old in our bed and I believe we all sleep better. She never has a chance to cry for long because all of her needs are right beside her (Mom). I wouldn't do it any other way.

I would never sleep with a baby in the bed. It's just too weird.

I would never sleep with a baby in the bed. It's just too weird.