I don’t remember exactly when it began. But I remember how…
I had just fallen asleep…or so I thought. I was just starting to dream about sleep (I dream about sleep because we always want what we can’t have). I hear the stir and rustle of my baby boy. He whimpers which turns into full fledged crying. It takes a moment to register that I’m definitely not dreaming. Hubbie nudges me that Josh is awake. I stumble in the dark to get our little boy. Gone are the days of warming up bottles. It takes too long. I nurse him to sleep and carefully put him in his crib so as not to wake him. No sooner does he hit the mattress when he wakes up whimpering again. “Just bring him to bed Caryn” hubbie says. I know I must be dreaming. You see, hubbie and I had this conversation long before Josh was born. Babies sleep in a bed separate from mommy and daddy. Co-sleeping increases the risk of SIDS. Babies need to learn to sleep and self soothe on their own.
I had to beg and plead to get hubbie to allow Josh to remain sleeping in our room in his crib. So for him to suggest that I bring Josh to bed must have meant that hubbie was just as sleep deprived and delirious as I felt at 2 am.
That night set the precedent for the last few months. What started as one innocent little exception became a habit that has been difficult to break. Josh is 5 months old and still doesn’t sleep through the night. We thought if we introduced cereal at 5 months like the Pediatrician recommended it would help him sleep longer.
Try again.
He gets cereal twice a day and STILL wakes up at night to nurse at least twice. Sometimes it’s more..sometimes it’s less. I stopped counting. He’s in our bed. We all sleep much better these days.
I know that co sleeping is frowned upon in the western world and I know the risks. What is a NICU RN doing co-sleeping? What kind of example is she setting for other moms? What about SIDS?
Josh slept in the co-sleeper for several months until he outgrew it. He actually slept better in the co-sleeper when he was younger than he does now that he is in his crib. He has not transitioned to the crib well. We thought wide-open spaces would give him more freedom to move, stretch, roll over…all it’s done is increase the amount of times he wakes himself (and mommy and daddy) up.
You’ll spoil him. He’ll never learn to sleep on his own. He’ll be in the bed with you until he’s 2 (5? 10?). All “advice” given to us about co-sleeping. Forget about all the warnings about how dangerous co-sleeping is. But is it really that dangerous?
Not according to Dr. Sears. His experiments with co-sleeping have led to several conclusions. The most profound is that co-sleeping is actually protective and reduces the risk of SIDS. Moms and babies also sleep better and safer together.
Every family has to decide what parenting style is appropriate for them after weighing all options. There is a safe and unsafe way to co-sleep which is covered in Dr. Sears’ article and I highly recommend reading it before making a decision to co-sleep. For now, the Bailey family bed is full!
Source:
Co-Sleeping: Yes, No, Sometimes?
Sleep Safety
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We co-slept with our Josh too. But only after we co-slept with his big sister. Back then, we slept on a full, but we were smart enough to transition to a king when Josh was little. 🙂
Andrea was harder to get into her big girl bed. Hubbie came up with a reward system posted on the fridge of a space ship flying to the moon and back. It translated into three successful nights in her bed earned one night with us.
Josh always loved his space and he was in a Big Boy Bed before he was two. He would ASK to go to sleep!
All to say, the kids are different and it will happen! Enjoy the cuddling while you have it.
Co-sleeping can be a very safe and peaceful option for many families, as the research by Dr. Sears states. You might also want to check out the University of Notre Dame site: http://www.nd.edu/~jmckenn1/lab/index.html. Dr. McKenna has found that there are countless advantages to co-sleeping…
Also, lots of babies aren’t sleeping through the night at 5 months so don’t worry too much. All little ones are different and the time flies by. Enjoy those precious cuddles while you can. 🙂
Just wanted to thank you for coming by and entering my giveaway last week! I host a new giveaway every Monday so feel free to come back often! Thank you again!