How does your family co-sleep? - Attachment Parenting - tribe.netTribe.net. Local ConnectionsRe: How does your family co-sleep?Saratoninhttp://attachedparent.tribe.net/thread/456c2c8f-f090-46ca-a5a5-c24a418b6527#c9707e31-5ced-4894-bbcb-0f9f42391a132009-08-07T08:37:24Z2009-08-07T08:37:24ZMy set up is a Queen sized bed directly pushed against a twin bed(basically one giant bed). While I was still breastfeeding it was often my husband who ended up on the twin bed, but my son just stopped nursing (he's 2&1/2) and now our arrangement is finally perfecto. Kaden sleeps in his twin bed and occasionally crawls on my bed for snuggles. I did love breastfeeding and do miss it but I HAVEN'T SLEPT THIS GOOD IN SOOOOOOOO LONG!Saratonin2009-08-07T08:37:24ZRe: How does your family co-sleep?Melhttp://attachedparent.tribe.net/thread/456c2c8f-f090-46ca-a5a5-c24a418b6527#92628176-b9e2-4190-8fac-ee8db23dccc82009-07-29T06:34:13Z2009-07-29T06:34:13ZMy son is 1 1/2 and still sleeps with us. I didn't buy anything extra. I found that, especially when he was a little baby I was so in tuned to him that if there was any problem I woke up right away. There were a couple times when I just suddenly woke up and caught my husband's elbow before hitting the baby (on accident). I did use certain precautions though, I made sure pillows were away from his face, and blankets too. I also never took any drugs, drank, etc. I would be very cautious even with cold medicine, or having a cold, because it seemed to me like I was less in tuned with him then. I still breastfeed him in bed, laying down, and he has spent every night of his life cuddled against my body and safe. Probably even safer then not sleeping by me, because of what I found to be strong instinct even when asleep.Mel2009-07-29T06:34:13ZRe: How does your family co-sleep?HunnyDuhttp://attachedparent.tribe.net/thread/456c2c8f-f090-46ca-a5a5-c24a418b6527#b5ba3575-7129-4223-90e2-8f96f39bba962009-07-06T22:08:49Z2009-07-06T22:08:49Zshe is only 6 weeks, so not yetHunnyDu2009-07-06T22:08:49ZRe: How does your family co-sleep?Mama Beehttp://attachedparent.tribe.net/thread/456c2c8f-f090-46ca-a5a5-c24a418b6527#5edf9696-4c83-4b74-afac-b7f2360f0cac2009-07-06T21:50:18Z2009-07-06T21:50:18Zdoes she wiggle to the boob yet? like have you ever woken up to a nursing baby? that was so cool and convienient.Mama Bee2009-07-06T21:50:18ZRe: How does your family co-sleep?HunnyDuhttp://attachedparent.tribe.net/thread/456c2c8f-f090-46ca-a5a5-c24a418b6527#1e226ff6-dca5-495e-b29c-1ed1e4ccf41d2009-07-06T21:27:34Z2009-07-06T21:27:34Zyup, were side-lying nurser sleepers too.HunnyDu2009-07-06T21:27:34ZRe: How does your family co-sleep?HunnyDuhttp://attachedparent.tribe.net/thread/456c2c8f-f090-46ca-a5a5-c24a418b6527#3c809d78-40ad-4655-a363-3b658e95fd052009-07-06T21:25:27Z2009-07-06T21:25:27Zoh yeah, you know Im on it.HunnyDu2009-07-06T21:25:27ZRe: How does your family co-sleep?skadihttp://attachedparent.tribe.net/thread/456c2c8f-f090-46ca-a5a5-c24a418b6527#0555a266-bf18-4ff6-a780-430d5d73dfb72009-07-06T07:47:38Z2009-07-06T07:47:38ZWe have co-slept with our girl in every configuration possible. The best size bed we have found is definitely the king size (as so many others have said here), but we regularly use our double and a little less often the queen when we sleep-- I guess we like variety in our house.
We started out using the sassy mat and also a snuggle nest type deal between us in our queen size bed, but we stopped using these pretty early on (a little over a month's use in all). By the time we moved to the king size bed, we had dispensed with using any sleeping contraptions and had our baby just sleeping between us on her back or side (as she preferred) without bedding around her.
We did use the sassy mat longer than the snuggle nest but Delaney really liked sleeping on her side so I would put her down in that position and it helped to keep her from waking when I was laying her down. The positioners on the sassy mat allowed for side-sleeping which was very helpful to us.
If only one of us was in the bed with her in the beginning we used the positioner and nest to get our bearings with her in the bed. When we both were in bed with the baby the snuggle nest seemed large and foreign-object-like in the bed, so we opted for the sassy positioner or just laying her between us.
Since we breastfeed, co-sleeping is the only way for us to all get good sleep. I have noted that even now our daughter is a side-sleeper. When she was very new we tried to lay her on her back (as is recommended across the board for newborns) but our girl really slept better on her side and she was a side-lying nurser as well from the very beginningso perhaps that had something to do with her preference. Perhaps your girl has a preferred position.
Sweet dreamsskadi2009-07-06T07:47:38ZRe: How does your family co-sleep?Xiomarahttp://attachedparent.tribe.net/thread/456c2c8f-f090-46ca-a5a5-c24a418b6527#afe76aff-b063-4d8d-b189-46c568c7b2112009-07-03T23:37:09Z2009-07-03T23:37:09ZI'm guessing you probably did something to make sure there is no gap but just in case you didn't be careful. There was someone in this tribe (I can't remember who) that once described finding her daughter caught in between the mattress and the bedrail. Very scary.Xiomara2009-07-03T23:37:09ZRe: How does your family co-sleep?HunnyDuhttp://attachedparent.tribe.net/thread/456c2c8f-f090-46ca-a5a5-c24a418b6527#ae71b65d-124b-4e32-b6d5-209fb044f1562009-07-03T21:08:09Z2009-07-03T21:08:09Zwere using a bed rail now, and baby and mom sleep cozy, Daddy too.HunnyDu2009-07-03T21:08:09ZRe: How does your family co-sleep?Karlhttp://attachedparent.tribe.net/thread/456c2c8f-f090-46ca-a5a5-c24a418b6527#6c8b52a2-0461-47e9-b1e6-9b533a934cf02009-07-03T16:42:42Z2009-07-03T16:42:42ZMy kids have both co-slept with me. My daughter stopped around four and my son is still doing it. They just sleep in the bed with me, with no special contraptions. We have had a king size bed and smaller. I remember staying with some friends of mine once. They were from Jamaica. The whole family crammed (five of them) in their full size bed when we came to visit them. The oldest kid was eight. This was so natural to them. Normally they used the larger bed, but they offered that to us, since we were guests.
It just seems natural to me. I have never worried about crushing them. I sometimes worry about the kids falling out of bed, but I just put my body between them and the floor and have the wall on the other side. If I'm not there, a pillow seems to stop them from rolling. I did put the mattress on the floor when they were really young, just in case though.
I am a deep sleeper, but wake instantly when the kids do. I have always been aware of their body there, no matter how deep I was sleeping. My dreams even change when they start to wake and might need something.Karl2009-07-03T16:42:42ZRe: How does your family co-sleep?Cheriehttp://attachedparent.tribe.net/thread/456c2c8f-f090-46ca-a5a5-c24a418b6527#e2434394-4965-4705-8690-68914f2056502009-06-24T22:24:27Z2009-06-24T22:24:27Znow to break the pacifier habit. lol.
We just FINALLY got our three year old off of the "Pah"!
(but there IS an Emergency one in my purse just in case)Cherie2009-06-24T22:24:27ZRe: How does your family co-sleep?$item.owner.firstNamehttp://attachedparent.tribe.net/thread/456c2c8f-f090-46ca-a5a5-c24a418b6527#104d92b1-1c43-4ecf-87f7-a4cc35be0e3f2009-06-22T04:19:45Z2009-06-22T04:19:45Zco sleeping has been very natural we just kept her in the middle. at about six months we brought the crib in the room so we could put her to bed without qworryiong about her rolling off. then as soon as we would crawl into bed she would wake up! at 8 months we put her crib in her room. she would stay asleep until about midnight. then scream to come into our bed.
as she gets older she sleeps longer in her crib. she is now one and we are starting to calm her down when she night wakes and keep her in her crib. we enjoy waking up all together in the morining. one morning she woke my husband up with a kiss on the cheek. its a balance for us. we enjoy cosleeping but we like to have time to snuggle and be together as a couple.
i had alot of ideals during preganancey from reading so many crunchy books, that i thought i would just co sleep. but now that im a mama i really just do what feels right for us.
sabine is so big now! i am hoping that one night she will just stay the whole night in her crib. lol. a night of unbroken sleep would be so nice!!
now to break the pacifier habit. lol.$item.owner.firstName2009-06-22T04:19:45ZRe: How does your family co-sleep?Mama Beehttp://attachedparent.tribe.net/thread/456c2c8f-f090-46ca-a5a5-c24a418b6527#60979266-12d8-4314-9703-5d5cdab6dd432009-06-16T01:36:14Z2009-06-16T01:36:14Zyou could use oneof those changing table pads (the curved ones)
pardon me if previously mentioned. I didnt read all the posts.Mama Bee2009-06-16T01:36:14ZRe: How does your family co-sleep?Jessicahttp://attachedparent.tribe.net/thread/456c2c8f-f090-46ca-a5a5-c24a418b6527#c83eaea5-a703-4bf8-9c3a-c8dcaf9331262009-06-15T04:12:00Z2009-06-15T04:12:00ZWe had a queen and i too was a little worried about hubby being a deeper sleeper so he slept on the outside on my side. Honestly he mostly slept on my chest the first three months. When he started to roll we got a rail and he still slept on my side of the bed.
We were given the family crib around 6 months and took off the side rail to use it as a co-sleeper. He never really slept in it but it did add some extra space for sprawling baby.Jessica2009-06-15T04:12:00ZRe: How does your family co-sleep?$item.owner.firstNamehttp://attachedparent.tribe.net/thread/456c2c8f-f090-46ca-a5a5-c24a418b6527#55daaa26-4acf-44df-bd33-98fd2fc2dba72009-06-13T20:03:17Z2009-06-13T20:03:17Zwas also really worried about cosleeping with baby from birth. being queen size mattress was difficult. a few months later we got king and that really helped. baby is now seven months old and continues to sleep in middle on flat crib pad with small sheets over it for easy cleaning. we'll upgrade to a larger size pad soon, he's rolling now and tripled in size.
we really enjoy cosleeping and will do so until our son is ready to have own bed.$item.owner.firstName2009-06-13T20:03:17ZRe: How does your family co-sleep?Katiehttp://attachedparent.tribe.net/thread/456c2c8f-f090-46ca-a5a5-c24a418b6527#3a9c6d76-e63c-4955-a4bd-d3869839bb842009-06-12T04:29:43Z2009-06-12T04:29:43ZFor the first year, I slept facing out, with Rocco in my arms. Now, I am less worried about my zombie-like sleeping husband, and Rocco is in the middle (and now almost 2). We also had cats, but not at the very beginning. And yes, the king size bed made it all possible.
Now I have the crib we bought (but never used) up against the side of our bed. The front part can be off, so it is like a bed extension. Although, Rocco still mostly sleeps in the middle, and I take advantage of the extra bit of space on my side! I often wake up half way in the crib. And Rocco does sleep in it sometimes, but not for long.
I love co sleeping. I never thought I would, but bedtime and baby cuddles are what I look forward to all day. Gonna go cuddle up now actually!Katie2009-06-12T04:29:43ZRe: How does your family co-sleep?Xiomarahttp://attachedparent.tribe.net/thread/456c2c8f-f090-46ca-a5a5-c24a418b6527#68888776-fcc4-4c32-a39e-91209064fc1d2009-06-12T01:18:21Z2009-06-12T01:18:21Z<<I'm a very light sleeper, so I didn't worry too much about the "she'll fall out, choke on the covers, get squished" business.>>
I've never worried about me because I am a light sleeper but my husband is a heavy sleeper so I think that can make a big difference when deciding on whether or how to co-sleep. Also (and this is just my opinion) I am not sure that most dads are as tuned into the being aware of your baby while sleeping intuition that most moms just seem to have which is why I liked having the baby on my side and not between us in the beginning.Xiomara2009-06-12T01:18:21ZRe: How does your family co-sleep?Xiomarahttp://attachedparent.tribe.net/thread/456c2c8f-f090-46ca-a5a5-c24a418b6527#a13059a1-e722-4ca8-ae98-aea2a07950492009-06-12T01:13:51Z2009-06-12T01:13:51ZA transition from co-sleeping to her own crib is totally possible. I know several people who have done it and eventually we did it too although there wasn't a full night in the crib until he was about 19 months (that is when we stopped breastfeeding) and then he ended up in his own twin bed just a couple of months later. The big plus (for us anyway) about having the King bed on the floor was that it allowed us to sleep in (well not really sleep but not get up) on some days. We childproofed our room and when he would wake up at 6am (we'd change his diaper) he would nurse for a bit and then cruise around the room and play with toys and neither one of us had to be up. Then when he had enough of the play time he would crawl back into bed with us and snuggle in for a morning nap.Xiomara2009-06-12T01:13:51ZRe: How does your family co-sleep?stephanie : philly jawn/abby's mommahttp://attachedparent.tribe.net/thread/456c2c8f-f090-46ca-a5a5-c24a418b6527#91f4b2d3-522e-4f9f-9d63-d302b21ecaba2009-06-12T00:44:01Z2009-06-12T00:44:01Zi was a nervous nellie about co-sleeping straight away, she just seemed so little i really thought she might break, so she slept in the arm's reach mini for like .. two weeks, then it became a $140. laundry basket/diaper bin.
nothing fancy here, either. we're still co-sleeping at just shy of three ... she has her own bed, but she prefers our bed ( i would too! )stephanie : philly jawn/abby's momma2009-06-12T00:44:01ZRe: How does your family co-sleep?Judithhttp://attachedparent.tribe.net/thread/456c2c8f-f090-46ca-a5a5-c24a418b6527#dfda9aca-4162-4e52-813e-57252536e77a2009-06-11T23:40:26Z2009-06-11T23:40:26ZI loved co-sleeping and stayed with the family bed way longer than most people. didn;t feel i needed any particular 'set up" jsut tucked the baby into bed the night she was born.
I'm a very light sleeper, so I didn't worry too much about the "she'll fall out, choke on the covers, get squished" business. I nknew I;d wake up if there wree any problem and I felt fine with that. remember that somer esearchers feel the health advantage to co-sleeping is that the baby DPEN'T sllep too deeply and learns to regulate her breathing and sleep cycles by elarning from the proximity. I felt way more rested than if I;d had to get up at ight to soother my baby.
hope this is reassuring.
JGJudith2009-06-11T23:40:26ZRe: How does your family co-sleep?Carriehttp://attachedparent.tribe.net/thread/456c2c8f-f090-46ca-a5a5-c24a418b6527#ac7c3cf4-e06d-40ab-aef5-5ba7dfdc03fa2009-06-11T23:23:17Z2009-06-11T23:23:17Z" Im hoping to transition to a crib in our room by the time she is old enough to climb! "
Good luck with that.Carrie2009-06-11T23:23:17ZRe: How does your family co-sleep?Carriehttp://attachedparent.tribe.net/thread/456c2c8f-f090-46ca-a5a5-c24a418b6527#d38f5634-113d-4368-b944-e00d42f7d9b52009-06-11T23:22:43Z2009-06-11T23:22:43ZThanks, Cherie!Carrie2009-06-11T23:22:43ZRe: How does your family co-sleep?Carriehttp://attachedparent.tribe.net/thread/456c2c8f-f090-46ca-a5a5-c24a418b6527#c21c9c8f-20ef-4ece-9e79-fad6d175c8462009-06-11T23:22:28Z2009-06-11T23:22:28ZYeah. My girl has her own bed, too, but more likely than not she still ends up in bed with us. But we all sleep in the same place (a loft) since we live in a warehouse with no rooms.Carrie2009-06-11T23:22:28ZRe: How does your family co-sleep?Cheriehttp://attachedparent.tribe.net/thread/456c2c8f-f090-46ca-a5a5-c24a418b6527#56c1cd2f-39ec-4b86-a65d-aa29c1f4cfd12009-06-11T22:39:16Z2009-06-11T22:39:16ZThat was for Carrie up there /\
lCherie2009-06-11T22:39:16ZRe: How does your family co-sleep?Cheriehttp://attachedparent.tribe.net/thread/456c2c8f-f090-46ca-a5a5-c24a418b6527#59a02780-638a-4957-b3ac-037f5eb283132009-06-11T22:37:51Z2009-06-11T22:37:51ZAnd a wonderful girl she is!Cherie2009-06-11T22:37:51ZRe: How does your family co-sleep?Cheriehttp://attachedparent.tribe.net/thread/456c2c8f-f090-46ca-a5a5-c24a418b6527#62131f46-0c1e-43ad-9dff-dffd9c51170c2009-06-11T22:37:21Z2009-06-11T22:37:21ZWe are still co-sleeping with our three year old. She just sleeps between us. She is a bed hog and a cover hog, but I just love it anyway. Mostly we still co-sleep, though, because we don't have the space for two beds (one for her brother and one for her), and we cannot afford to get bunk beds for them right now.Cherie2009-06-11T22:37:21ZRe: How does your family co-sleep?ɐuıƃ ʎzzɐushttp://attachedparent.tribe.net/thread/456c2c8f-f090-46ca-a5a5-c24a418b6527#cb44eae8-7610-4e88-a27d-d8a083809c222009-06-11T22:22:13Z2009-06-11T22:22:13ZWe got one of the wooden fold away porta cribs for our room. It was about $100 and worked great.
The prices must have gone up since then as they are now 156.00 http://www.csnbaby.com/Dream-On-Me-627N-DOM1133.html
But, it's small enough to fit in our room but big enough for her to sleep in until she was a good 12 months.
I've seen them on craigslist, too.ɐuıƃ ʎzzɐus2009-06-11T22:22:13ZRe: How does your family co-sleep?HunnyDuhttp://attachedparent.tribe.net/thread/456c2c8f-f090-46ca-a5a5-c24a418b6527#030e78ea-df26-4147-93eb-c82e5b8cf8482009-06-11T21:31:08Z2009-06-11T21:31:08ZIm hoping to transition to a crib in our room by the time she is old enough to climb!HunnyDu2009-06-11T21:31:08ZRe: How does your family co-sleep?HunnyDuhttp://attachedparent.tribe.net/thread/456c2c8f-f090-46ca-a5a5-c24a418b6527#83fab2bd-8b50-4c93-a36f-fab3b701c9312009-06-11T21:30:22Z2009-06-11T21:30:22ZI wasnt planning on co sleeping either, hence the nice bassinet we have now being used to store laundry. Most nights, Lyra nurses and then sleeps on my chest or Dads until she is sound enough to be put in the middle, but sometimes we just fall asleep half sitting up, holding her on our chests...HunnyDu2009-06-11T21:30:22ZRe: How does your family co-sleep?Xiomarahttp://attachedparent.tribe.net/thread/456c2c8f-f090-46ca-a5a5-c24a418b6527#46068751-e6e4-4fa5-9367-61596801ed7a2009-06-11T20:58:59Z2009-06-11T20:58:59ZOh yeah, the king sized bed is the key.
Also we kept the mattress on the floor when Ewan was of the age where he would start rolling around and climbing.Xiomara2009-06-11T20:58:59ZRe: How does your family co-sleep?Carriehttp://attachedparent.tribe.net/thread/456c2c8f-f090-46ca-a5a5-c24a418b6527#8c7a5654-c149-428a-9597-609cfa90c5112009-06-11T20:54:40Z2009-06-11T20:53:40ZThat's exactly what we did. My daughter slept in the middle of our bed with nothing around her, on her back. No fancy contraptions, no nothing. This was awfully crowded when we still had a double bed, but once we got the California king it rocked. Two cats also shared the bed with us.
My girl just turned four. No adverse effects.
Just find what works for you and is safe. Good luck!Carrie2009-06-11T20:53:40ZRe: How does your family co-sleep?Xiomarahttp://attachedparent.tribe.net/thread/456c2c8f-f090-46ca-a5a5-c24a418b6527#661ed8b2-bdb9-4a71-b2ff-57cfdc4bb3012009-06-11T20:48:48Z2009-06-11T20:47:50ZPersonally I didn't feel comfortable with Ewan between us until is was a lot bigger (probably close to 15 or twenty pounds). I was just too worried about him getting squished or smothered. In the beginning I slept with him either in our modified co-sleeper or with him actually on my chest. He had reflux so I had him on my chest quite a lot just to keep him elevated. As that passed then he would get put down by himself in the co-sleeper while we (the parents) were still awake and then when he woke up later for feeding would move into the bed next to me with the co-sleeper acting as the buffer. Later he started sleeping in between his dad and I. These days he sleeps in his own room but if he has a nightmare or something he always just climbs in and gets between us.
I actually didn't plan on being a co-sleeper but it turned out that was what worked best for us.Xiomara2009-06-11T20:47:50ZHow does your family co-sleep?HunnyDuhttp://attachedparent.tribe.net/thread/456c2c8f-f090-46ca-a5a5-c24a418b6527#2d3e8d4e-fc65-43b9-b4eb-7c2901d9e68f2009-06-11T20:39:34Z2009-06-11T20:39:34ZPLEASE, if you dont believe in co-sleeping, refrain from posting any negative or judgemental posts to this thread. Co-sleeping is what works for my family, and Im not interested in hearing opinions about why it is bad, Im posting to ask other co-sleeping families for their input.
That said, those of you who do co-sleep, what is your set-up? I tried a Sassy ( mat with bracing pads on each side to keep baby from rolling over) and I bought a snuggle nest. With both, she can be limp and conked out, but as soon as I set her down in them, she wakes up, fully. So we just kind of modified our normal sleeping arrangement to make room for her in the middle, on her back, no bedding or pillows around her, and we just cuddle her down and she sleeps great between us. I am a little nervous about this because for some reason I feel like I need special equipment for my baby to sleep, but this really is the way that all 3 of us are getting good sleep. So do the rest of you just put the baby in the bed with you, or do you have tricks for getting them to sleep in a co-sleeper device, like a snuggle nest? I just want us to be safe and well rested.HunnyDu2009-06-11T20:39:34Z