Why I Co-Sleep

Co-Sleeping, a big decision!
When baby is born, all they know is mum and you can bet they want to stay close.
A biological pull that mum will also feel.
If baby is close, they are safe, right?

Whenever you hear of Co-Sleeping (or bed sharing) most people will be concerned of SIDS, and that’s good, with children and babies we should always be concerned of the worst case scenario and how safe we are keeping them. I am in no way stating that my choices are what everyone should do, each family should do what work’s best for them, and what they feel safe/comfortable doing. I do, however, want to share how it has worked for my family, and how I would do it again 🙂

https://talilifestyle.com/2019/04/12/why-i-co-sleep/ — If you are going to Co-sleep ensure you are doing it safely, La Leche League have these great guidelines for safe sleeping.

During my pregnancy I repeatedly discussed with my partner bed sharing as it felt like the right thing to do, however we were both concerned with the safety of it – especially my partner as he is such a deep sleeper. Prior to bubbas arrival we purchased a Sleep Next to me crib, it seemed to be perfect as baby would be close (literally in arms reach), I could then keep an eye on him and make sure I felt he was safe the whole night. When baby was born and I started breastfeeding it worked out to be a god send as I could do the regular (and long) feeds during the night without having to move out of bed. I also loved having my arm around him all night – this put my mind at rest as I could feel him breathing all night.

When my little one was 4 months old he had his 16 week injections, which resulted in a fever and a very crabby bubba – poor dear. He understandably wanted to be held and with mumma, it just naturally seemed right to move him into my arms overnight. We slept so well and he was able to latch and feed with minimal effort from me, i.e. more sleep for us both, Win Win!

From then on bubs alternated between his crib and our bed. He slept in his pj’s on top of the duvet between me and his dad with pillows pushed away from him. To this day this is still our set up and I wouldn’t have it any other way!

He is now over a year old, and no longer stays in one place during the night. I love him rolling from me and to dad, so he can get lots of cuddles. Sleeping with him means I get more sleep overall as he is older he will latch and feed with me barely needing to wake up – he also dream feeds which means he sleeps all night without waking up, as his comfort and food source is right there.

I absolutely love his face when he wakes up, he smiles at me and then turns to check daddy is there (Not a happy boy when daddy has already left for work), daddy then gets some strokes on the arm or face until he wakes up. Sometimes me or dad get a kick or punch to the face, but it’s all part of the fun of having him there to snuggle.