Co-sleeping, parents sharing the bed with their children

:-•:*"*:•.-:¦:-•* Greetings *•-:¦:-•:*'''*:•-:

The plan was to go sleep after watching the Olympics Opening Ceremony but nearly two and half hours later I’m still wide awake. Therefore, I decided I was going to talk you about something that has been on my mind since I’ve found out I’m pregnant, Co-sleeping. Co-sleeping is the term to describe a mother sleeping with her newborn or young children in the same bed.

The reason I want to talk about this is because I’m for sharing a bed with my newborn, I did so with my wild child and I’m planning to do so with this unborn sprog once the time comes. But, I’ve come across a lot of information that isn’t totally against co-sleeping but highlights the best place for a baby/child is a cot in the same room as the parents. This information doesn’t make me doubt my choice but does make me feel that my choice isn’t supported. I know that organisations believe that a cot is the best place for your child/baby because it reduces the risks of SIDs (Sudden Infant Deaths) and also any chance of the baby/child being accidently suffocated by the parents etc. However, statistically, the level of risk for children those die from SIDS while co-sleeping are the same as the level for children that die from SIDS while sleeping in a cot, so why aren’t we told that the risks are the same? As for children being accidently suffocated  by the parent/s, bedding or even the risk of dropping of the bed, all of these hazards can be prevented in the same manner parents take precautions even when a child sleeps in a cot.

I believe its personal preference but the idea of placing my child in a separate bed/cot/basket straight after he/she spent nine months in my womb doesn’t sit well with me. My wild child wouldn’t sleep unless he was in my arms and I tried letting him cry himself to sleep, talking to him, singing, walking around until he fell asleep then putting him in the cot but nothing worked, however the moment I got into bed with him I didn’t need to do anything he fell asleep and hardly woke up through-out the night. Now looking back I believe co-sleeping helped us bond stronger and helped us build a routing in sync with each other. And, those are some of the reasons I’m not even planning on buying a cot this time, just a bed rail.

If you think about the amount of people around the world that share a bed with the children, how we survived before cots/baskets/cribs were invented, you’d probably understand what I mean when I say it can’t be unsafe, it’s natural if anything. But the question is what do you think of co-sleeping? Are you for or against co-sleeping and why?

Well, that’s it for tonight my lovelies, until next time,

:-•:*"*:•.-:¦:-•* Ta-ra *•-:¦:-•:*'''*:•-: