Why we co-sleep
First off… Can I just say how fast time is passing by? IT’S SEPTEMBER!!!
Alright, let’s begin. As a mother of a 7.5-month-old baby, I know how being sleep-deprived can make us resort to things we wouldn’t normally do.
Being a parent is not about what’s convenient to us, it’s about what is best for your child.
Maybe you have a baby that just falls asleep at the drop of a hat, you just plop him in his crib and he’s out cold. Maybe you have a screaming baby and plopping him in a crib all alone will just stress him out and you.
Nicolas slept on my side of the bed in his bassinet until he was about 3.5/4 months, He was way too big for it and I had to get him out. Well, putting him in his crib was the next option. That did not work for us.
Since I was not okay with leaving him in his crib to cry until he fell asleep, our option was to simply put him in our bed and that’s where he’s been for these months. It’s important to practice this method safely.
Keep blankets and loose items away from the baby and always be aware that there’s a baby next to you. I’m a light sleeper and I do not move at night unless awake. My husband on the other hand had to learn how to stay put (he succeeded).
I do miss having our bed to ourselves but for now, co-sleeping with the little guy snuggled up in between us works just fine.
I do see a lot of parents saying it will be better in the long run if you put the baby in his crib and let him cry. Honestly, that makes me cringe.
I wish I had a baby that would peacefully lay in his crib and dose off, that is not my child. My child needs to be held and rocked to sleep (mostly naps, he’s a terrible napper).
Our bedtime routine usually puts him in a very sleepy mode to which I just sit in an inclined position while he falls asleep on my shoulders. It works for us, I love it and he loves it.
We used the Contours Classique Wood Bassinet in Orion, it doubles as a changing table ( which we still use, especially for his baths, this is also where I store his bathtub, I’m working on a review for his tub coming up)
Learn more about co-sleeping here. and here reasons to not CIO.
Learn more about CIO here. (Ferber method, not something I recommend, but worth reading up on, not to be experimented with on babies younger than 6 months.)
Thanks for stopping in, let me know in the comments below what has worked for your family.
Books To Read:
*These are affiliate links, by purchasing through the links below you help me keep up with costs associated with running a blog at no additional cost to you. Thanks in advance!
1.For the Love: Fighting for Grace in a World of Impossible Standards by Jen Hatmaker
2.The Absorbent Mind by Maria Montessori
3.Bringing Up Bébé: One American Mother Discovers the Wisdom by Pamela Druckerman
4.Praying Circles Around Your Children by Mark Batterson
5.Motherhood Realized: An Inspiring Anthology for the Hardest Job You’ll Ever Love by Power of Moms
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Tenho amigas que são adeptas da cama compartilhada tb, mas aqui em casa a gente não aderiu a ideia… A Ana Luiza também não dormia assim de primeira e ela é de OPINIÃO (rs) e eu sou adepta do CIO…foi uma semana difícil, mas foi!!! Confesso que uma noite dessas tentei dormir com ela e foi péssimo…ela se mexe pra lá, pra cá e eu acabo não dormindo bem porque ela me chuta e eu fico com medo de rolar por cima do travesseiro e esmaga-la! hahahaha Exagerada, né?! Aposto que o Nicholas deve achar a coisa MAIS MARAVILHOSA do mundo dormir assim aconchegado!!!! Bjs!
Como voce conseguiu escutar ela chorando? deve ter sido muito dificil!!!! e agora? voce coloca ela acordada no berco e ela vai dormir?
Eh, o Nicolas nao reclama muito de dormir comigo nao LOL. Eu deito do lado dele e ele ja coloca o braco em cima de mim… Like he's saying SHE'S MINE! Eh realmente muito gostoso. Nao sei se vou conseguir (deixar) ele sair da cama nao. Ja o meu marido gosta mais tem mais saudade de ficar abracadinho comigo… Pobresito. Beijos na princesa.
This topic was probably one of the first things my husband and I talked about when we first found out we were pregnant. We knew we did not want our daughter in our bed from the moment we found out we were pregnant, but we also both agreed that we did not want the Ferber Method to take place. Ever! We had decided to keep her next to our bed in a bassinet until she was 3 months old and transition her to her room whenever we felt she was ready. When we first brought her home from the hospital she was waking up every 2-3 hours to be fed. Since we've always planned to have her breastfed until she is 1, we knew the closer she was to us (especially during the first few months) the higher the chances on making this a reality. By the time she was 2 months old she started sleeping an average of 5-6 hours straight with no feedings in between. I started putting her to sleep in her crib during her naps in the afternoon so that she could slowly start getting used to her "new" environment. That is when I felt she was starting to get ready to be transitioned into her bedroom. Just a week before she turned 3 months, my husband and I put her to sleep in her room until we finished watching a movie.When it was time for us to go to sleep, we realized she had been sleeping for a few hours in her crib without any "complaints." We decided to leave her in her room for that night and she slept straight until the next morning. We tried putting her in her room the very next day and she did it again! We realized that we didn't have to force her nor let her cry it out. She decided she was ready and we were both comfortable with her own decision. I still either rock her to sleep or she sometimes falls asleep while being breastfed. I just put her in her room when I am certain that she is sound asleep.
I firmly believe every mother knows what is best for their child. If you feel Nico does better co-sleeping, I praise you for that. Every mother is different and so is every child. The moment I feel Linda still needs a little extra time in my room, I will not think twice about putting that bassinet next to my bed again. In the meantime, I will keep enjoying my new schedule along with some spooning time with my husband.
Though I don't comment on all of your posts, I read all of them. I truly enjoy your blog. I think you are as real as real can get! 🙂
Mil beijos no fofo do meu genro. Ele tá cada dia mais lindo!
I have 4 different experiences. my firstborn a boy was exactly how you described your son. a bad mapper and I was never able to just leave him in his crib to fall asleep I always had to rock him, pat him and lay with him till he fell asleep I was a young mom and man it felt like forever having to lie there till he feel asleep. 8 yrs later my daughter was breastfed for 11 mths and again I was laying there till she feel asleep and then I would put her in her own bed. but know as a preschooler she won't sleep in her own bed. my next daughter was bottle formula fed and can sleep any where and even at times now as a toddler can even put herself to bed if she feels she is tired. my youngest 6 mths breastfed and at times bottle formula fed has to be next to me and in our bedroom bed in order to completely sleep soundly and then she is transferred to her bed and sleeps through the night and sometimes sleeps in. so basically they are all different but my son was the worst to put to sleep he acted like he was missing something fun from beginning and 12 yrs later still drags bedtime on and on
Thanks for sharing your bedtime battles!! I really hope my son will eventually want to sleep in his crib without giving me a hard time. I'm not sure I'll have other babies but if I do, I will try a different approach as far as rocking him so much. He did sleep in his bassinet alone for the first 4 months of his life so he can sleep alone, but the falling asleep part is where I think I failed him. I hope your kiddos are loving on you right now. Thanks again. and GOOD LUCK!!!!
You know, before I had Nico I was sure I wasn't gonna let him sleep in our bed. I've read it and been told all about it. How the kid is not gonna wanna get out of your bed and you're gonna have trouble with your husband.. Blah blah blah.. So I was completely against it. but when push comes to shove and you have a tired baby and a tired mama.. you do what you have to just be at peace. And I am. I miss my bed alone with my husband but having him next to us is Oh so good! Cons and pros I guess. I think he would fall asleep in his crib at night.. ( he has done so a few times) but I'm at a point where I think… What if he wakes up? I'm gonna have to try to put him back to sleep again? I'm too tired. He falls asleep well in my bed… why give myself more trouble? Call it lazy, call it smart, call it please just go to sleep, but I just need a break. I'm on that Whatever makes baby sleep without me ripping my hair out routine. hahaha Thanks for reading!!!! It's nice to be acknowledged. I hope Linda keeps being that easy going baby. Sounds like fun! Beijossss
Não foi fácil, nunca é…especialmente para as mães! Nas primeiras noites eu saia de casa ou ficava no quarto com a porta fechada e o ar ligado e o meu marido ficava ao lado do quarto dela com a baba eletrônica. Tomamos a decisão logo pois sabíamos que a medida que ela começasse a interagir mais, seria muito mais difícil. Foi uma semana de muito choro! Muitas vezes ela só parava depois da mamada das 23… Depois dessa semana ela foi começando a se acalmar e entendendo que era hora de dormir… Hoje ela vai acordada pro berço logo depois do banho, vira pro lado agarra um bichinho e dorme! Naps took longer, mas agora já estão tranqüilos tb! Não saio por aí pregando o CIO porque concordo com a xara ali embaixo, cada um sabe melhor o que funciona pra si. O que eu pesei muito foi: como quero que as coisas sejam no futuro? Então tenho que começar hoje… Sei quNão foi fácil, nunca é…especialmente para as mães! Nas primeiras noites eu saia de casa ou ficava no quarto com a porta fechada e o ar ligado e o meu marido ficava ao lado do quarto dela com a baba eletrônica. Tomamos a decisão logo pois sabíamos que a medida que ela começasse a interagir mais, seria muito mais difícil. Foi uma semana de muito choro! Muitas vezes ela só parava depois da mamada das 23… Depois dessa semana ela foi começando a se acalmar e entendendo que era hora de dormir… Hoje ela vai acordada pro berço logo depois do banho, vira pro lado agarra um bichinho e dorme! Naps took a bit longer, mas estão tranqüilos tb! O que pesei muito foi: como quero que as coisas sejam no futuro? Sei que as minhas escolhas e posturas como mãe e principalmente como cristã, terão que ser muito claras e definidas então eu prefiri começar antes que doesse mais… Heehehehe li um pediatra que escreveu que "if you're sorriem that you're gonna mess up your kid emotionally … Don't be! You'll have eighteen years to do so and teaching him how to sleep won't be it!" Tambem tive o apoio de outras irmãs que passaram pela mesma experiência e me ajudaram muito! And that's our story! Escrevi um texto né! Sorry! =x Bjs!!!!!!
My phone messed up the entire thing! Sorry :(((