Article: Five Benefits to Cosleeping Past Infancy

So, cosleeping and bedsharing... A controversial topic...

As I have mentioned before, I believe in doing whatever works best for your family. Currently, this is what is working for us: Ari starts out on a mattress next to our bed. Sometime in the middle of the night, her and her elephant come over. We tried transitioning her to her room. It was not the right time. I could have forced the issue, made her miserable, and given up on tons of sleep. No thank you! There are times when nothing is working and you have to do something, try something different. But sharing our bedroom works for us, so we went back to that.

Yes, she is three. Yes, before she was born, I would have never imagined that she would still be in our bedroom. Furthermore, I never thought I would be ok with this.

Life as parents has taught me over and over again that I ought to do what is right for my family, regardless of what others think. I follow my gut. I do whatever keeps my family happy and healthy. That includes both my child and my husband. Finding a balance can be difficult at times. I am not saying it's always easy! Keeping everyone happy and healthy requires lots of adjusting and lots of communication. But it is definitely worth it. Right now, we wake up to a happy child telling us stories about pretend games or her plans for the day.

So, now that I have told you all about our sleep arangements, which is not what I set out to do, here is the article I wanted to share!

http://naturalparentsnetwork.com/five-benefits-cosleeping/

Co Sleeping: A Dad's Perspective

Check out this pro co sleeping article:
http://mannursediaries.blogspot.com/2010/01/co-sleeping-does-it-really-need-to-be.html#comment-form

The writer is a father of four and a nurse.

For what it is worth, I agree with what he is saying. Co sleeping, much like breastfeeding, is something we have done lots of, but something that is not the norm. Yes, it definitely is possible to do it safely. I did it from day one, almost!

When you become a mother, the way you sleep changes. You wake up very easily. You notice/hear things that no one else notices. You get used to sleeping on your side, with your baby's head on your arm. (Therefore, you cannot possibly roll onto baby.) And, in my case, you think it is the coolest thing on Earth! I am getting teary-eyed thinking about it! I wish I could remember more about those early days.

Different things work for different people. I am not saying that having your child sleep in her/his crib is wrong. I am simply saying, as I have said before, to do what is right, healthy, and safe for your family.

One more thing to keep in mind: what is right for your family today might be the opposite of what was right six months ago or what will be right for you in a year.

As for us, Ari naps in her crib and starts in her crib every night, but we get our precious visitor around 1:00am. Some nights are rough, but, mostly, I love it. There is nothing like feeling your little one's hand or leg on you. I cannot explain it, but when she is next to me I get this unique feeling. I want to smile. I feel like I know for sure she is safe because if she is uncomfortable/in pain, I know it immediately. I wish I could explain it better, but that is the best I can do.

Now, all I want is for her to sleep longer chunks of time and a king-size bed! Husband, you know what I want for Christmas!