Co-sleeping

So, I had decided to write a blog on co-sleeping this morning. There has been a lot of hype about it lately. Then I heard on the radio (locally Star 102.1) a lot of bashing about natural parenting methods and so now I want to kind of doing a series of posts. It just really irritates me when people decide to bash other's parenting choices....espically when the person they are bashing is for the most part choosing a more complicated path. Some of the things they discussed was breastfeeding, co-sleeping, elimination communication, and pre-chewing your child's food. So, let me just say......I don't do elimantion communication or pre-chew (but I have bit a piece off of something and given my kiddo the piece I bit off). I'm not going to knock these practices though. Anywho....off the soap box....onto co-sleeping.

I NEVER thought I'd be for co-sleeping. When I was pregnant with my first I was very adament about the fact that my child would never sleep in my bed. I feel that my husband and I's relationship is very important....that is my marital bed and there is no room for children. Well, then every once and awhile I would go so sleep nursing little V (sitting up). Then I started laying down with her beside me to nurse. I got that nipped in the bud pretty quick and I don't remember really what happened but somewhere down the road she started sleeping with us a lot. I think it was after we put her in a toddler bed. She had a hard time going to sleep so I would let her go to sleep in our bed and then move her. And then she started waking up at night and coming in there and we wouldn't even notice. Then I got pregnant with E and I was exhausted so I would go to sleep putting her to sleep so then she slept with us more than she didn't. Well, now V goes to sleep and sleeps by herself. E does not! LOL! From the time she was was born I have cuddled and slept with her more than not. I do put her in her bed at 7 but when she wakes up she is with me. She generally wakes up at 4:30....last night she woke up a 12:30 and so she was with me after that. It hurts my back.....I will say that. LOL!

I think cuddling in bed with your baby is one of the sweetest things you can do. So, I am not a full on co-sleeper but I think it is horrible the stigma co-sleeping is getting. 1) If practiced safely it is not dangerous. Don't drink and/or do drugs and then sleep with your baby. Don't let an older childer and your infant sleep with you. While as a Mom you have an instict to not roll on your baby (my hubs says I don't move at all when sleeping with E), a toddler or small child does not have that same instinct. There are a lot of guidelines to make is super safe and no I do not follow all of them but I feel good about our sleeping arragements. 2) Just because you don't agree with it doesn't make you right and co-sleepers wrong. Period. And that goes for all parenting choices.

Many cultures across the world co-sleep and having a lower infant mortality rate so in my personal opinion I wish everyone would just get over it. A lot of people do it to some degree even if they don't want to admit it.

Next topic will be breastfeeding. Happy parenting!