You could say also that where infants sleep reflects the parents emotional needs as well as possibly childrearing goals or philosophies. There is no one way to arrange your baby's sleep, before you retire for the night and how well one approach works is, as always, determined by factors pertinent to each family depending on what parents want, hope for, and see as reflecting the kind of relationship they want to share with each other and with their infants and other children. -- Dr. James McKenna
We are a co-sleeping family. We arrived at this choice because it was the best way for my son to sleep, which meant I got more sleep, which ultimately meant my husband got more sleep because if I didn't sleep, then no one would. Though it's not the sleeping arrangement we anticipated when we first got pregnant, I have grown to love it. Even if you don't co-sleep every night or all night, I bet you can agree that any moments your child snoozes in bed can be rewarding. Don't get me wrong, I could just as easily come up with five things that drive me nuts (getting kicked in the head, losing all personal sleeping space, being woken to nurse, having to be quiet in my own bedroom, and not getting uninterrupted sleep...whoa, those came quickly), but still, night parenting in this fashion really has some amazing elements:
Never having to get out of bed. I never get out of bed. Maybe to go to the bathroom (isn't aging wonderful?), but never to parent. With my son right there next to me, I can easily help him back to sleep, prop him up to breathe better when he's sick, or cover him with the blanket he refuses to keep on even though he's cold.
Listening to the sounds of sleep. Ok, maybe not the snoring of a stuffed-up toddler on those occasional nights of illness, but when my son is sleeping he's very amusing. For starters, my son talks in his sleep. Every now and then he'll yell out random demands ("I want book!") and never wake. I'm actually giggling at 2 am sometimes. Additionally, there's just all those cute noises that accompany a sleeping toddler: soft breathing, little sighs, and the occasional moan of contentment. I love all of it.
Being reached for. Most of the time, unless teething pains or other events occur, my son just needs to know I'm there to fall back asleep. He'll reach out his little arm, rest it on me, and then gently fall back into the oblivion. It's a brief moment, but a wonderful connection all the same. And, yes, I am ignoring the times a gentle reach becomes a smack in the face.
Never having to worry. Since my son was born, I've always known how his breathing sounds and whether or not it's stable. I never worry that he'll wake up fighting for air (like I've heard croup can do) and I won't be there. If he's sick, I usually know before he does. In the same way that he knows he's safe because I'm there, so do I.
Stealing kisses. Watching my son sleeping soundly and peaceful often overwhelms me with love in the middle of the night. I lean over and kiss him softly on the forehead so as not to wake him. Sometimes the joys of being a mother are astounding.
What do you love about the family bed?
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