# Warning: Serious Issue with Co-Sleeping



## TiredX2 (Jan 7, 2002)

Because of the title of the board, I assume most of the parents here support co-sleeping and night time parenting in general.

But, I have come to tell you that you could have major problems because of it. I do and I know I can't be the only one.

I often wake up several times at night just to *stare* at the wonder of my children. I *could* be getting extra minutes if they were far away from me.

And right now--- I literally had to leave the room because they looked so cute and cuddly and I knew if I started hugging my DD (almost 5) like I really wanted to she would wake up and be like, "Mom, what are you doing? I'm trying to sleep. You're squishing me!!!" If I cuddled DS (2) he would be like, "I just ate. Stop harassing me." I love my husband, but I don't think I'd literally have to shop myself from poring over his tiny little fingers, how he tries to kick his leg straight into the air to get it out of the covers...

Its dangerous. It's an addiction. It's co-sleeping love









Seriously. How many times a night are you all struck by just how *perfect* your child is? Aren't they amazing!?!?


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## dharmama (Dec 29, 2002)

Quote:

Its dangerous. It's an addiction. It's co-sleeping love








YAY -- I can't wait!!!! DH and I talk about co-sleeping all the time...it's one of the (many) things that we are really looking forward to!!!!

~Erin


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## perditafoster (Sep 30, 2003)

Love my sweet perfect baby







She's napping beside me right now...


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## flutemandolin (Nov 20, 2001)

Oh my goodness yes!!! Isn't it wonderful!







I have the privilege of sleeping with all 3 of mine in a queen size bed (dh sleeps on a twin mattress on the floor). It's a tight squeeze, and I find myself moving arms and legs frequently to make room so I can turn over, but I would not have it any other way. When my new house gets done, and the kids have their own beds and rooms, I bet we will still sleep like this for a long time!


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## AmandasMom (Nov 19, 2001)

My dd is 3, and there has been nothing better in the entire world then snuggling up next to her every single night since birth....


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## LiamnEmma (Nov 20, 2001)

_whew_ I was scared there for a minute! :LOL

I love how ds (4.5) comes into our room, has me move my arm so that he can lay his head on it, then stuffs his feet in between my legs to warm them up. _sigh_ I love them so....


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## sun-shine01 (Aug 9, 2002)

I keep a little flash light within reach so I can gaze at her during the night. I LOVE to watch her nursing in her sleep.


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## StarMama (Jun 25, 2002)

I'm addicted too! I find myself staying in bed longer and longer just to nurse ds so I can snuggle up to him, rest my hand on his little cloth diapered hip, and just oogle his cuteness as he rests his hand on my breasts. *Ahhhhh*









Oh yeah and the fact that I have a 3 month old baby and I'm NOT sleep deprived is pretty darn cool too!


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## oceanbaby (Nov 19, 2001)

Yep, I know what you mean. We bought a twin bed for our room to transition ds into (he's 2.5yo), but I end up just bringing him into our bed when he wakes up because I miss him! (Is it wrong that I sometimes lay there waiting for him to wake up so that he can come sleep next to me?) Next to me he sleeps all night. But he loves going to bed in his own bed.


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## village idiot (Feb 19, 2003)

You had me a little worried there for a few minutes too.

What a sweet post! I love looking at my little miracles!


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## *Erin* (Mar 18, 2002)

awwwwww.....and my first thought was, WHAT!? i KNOW someone isnt coming HERE to disparage COSLEEPING?!?!?! hahhahah

sweet mamas.

i do it all the time. guilty of the flashlight staring too. she just glows in her sleep. i love her little face movements while she's dreaming. i love her sweet breath, and her sweet smell, and her soft warm little sleeping body. i snuggle her and stare all the time. i have to hold myself back from loving on her too hard too. (well, unless she's taken a LONG time to fall asleep or im really tired, then i fall out with her.)its funny, but when ive had a hard time getting her to sleep, and im irritated with her, im all fuzzzzy and smitten again when she falls asleep. what a sweet thread.


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## traceface (Feb 17, 2003)

Lately ds has been taking a long time to go to sleep - nurses then crawls around the room (mattress on the floor) and generally winds down *very slowly*. During that time lately I've been feeling frustrated, thinking of the few things I wanted to do before going to sleep myself and sometimes find it hard to stay in the moment.

So anyway finally after many mini-nursings he flops over and falls asleep. And I always laugh at myself b/c no matter *how* desperate I was 2 seconds before to leave the room, get a drink, see dh -- I always end out staying an extra 5 minutes just to stare at him! And then go out and tell dh he has to go look at our darling babe too, which he does...

Nice thread


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## birdwomyn (Nov 10, 2002)

While we don't co-sleep at night (he sleeps in a crib in our room at the foot of our bed) every morning after he wakes up the first time, he comes to bed with me/us until it is wake up time for the day....

And I still find myself snuggling him and staring at him at strang times.... In fact, about an hour ago, I pickup him up, sound asleep, just to rock and snuggle him.... he didn't want to wake up.... but I got my baby fix for the moment...

My absolute time of day is that time he is in bed with me/us every morning. He is so sweet.

kathy


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## cinnamonamon (May 2, 2003)

:LOL You had me going for a minute -- I read the title, then the first two sentences & had to stop & look at your name & # of posts...I'm thinking "how did she last so long here??" :LOL

Then I read the rest.







I have to say it isn't as much the co-sleeping, it's the nighttime nursies...I admit it... I'm a prolactin (that's the right one, right?) junkie -- I can't fall asleep without it. Okay, that and the rubbing that soft little sweet back and patting his chubby little thighs...


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## Marsupialmom (Sep 28, 2003)

LOL!!!! I will admit I have the same problem.


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## TiredX2 (Jan 7, 2002)

Well all these sweet responses have put me in the perfect mood to put my babies to sleep









Good night and thanks for sharing your "addictions"

Quote:

You had me going for a minute -- I read the title, then the first two sentences & had to stop & look at your name & # of posts...I'm thinking "how did she last so long here??"
:LOL :LOL :LOL


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## Salihah (Dec 14, 2003)

With our first baby we didn't plan on co-sleeping (we didn't even know of that term, LOL!) but it just naturally happened!

Now with baby #3 my mom got us this co-sleeper (link below) and we really like it, actually, I LOVE IT!! With our bed, the mattress of the co-sleeper is a couple inches lower. At first I didn't like that, but now I do because as our son gets more mobile rolling about, he can't accidently roll into our bed without us knowing. Here is the link: http://www.onestepahead.com/jump.jsp...=67&change=117 This is our #1 favorite baby item! (cloth diapers and a sling are close in the running!) I love it! Great for middle of the night breastfeeding!

Here is another option, I don't know much about it, but maybe it would be of interest:
http://www.onestepahead.com/jump.jsp...755&change=117 The small picture with the parents shows how it would work.

Just wanted to share!
Krista


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## DaryLLL (Aug 12, 2002)

My dh and I had a silent code gesture for the overwhelming cuteness of a sleeping kid or 2 or 3 in our big bed, patting the air as if gently patting a diapered baby butt. Dear little angels. I will never forget, and neither will you all.


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## LambQueen (Mar 20, 2003)

Yummy yum yum YUM! I am so with you. Here's a nice thing that happened this morning: as usual, DD woke up at 5:45am, we were up for a while till about 7, and then went back to sleep till 9:30! I was so excited. But the cutest part was when we woke up the second time, her little hands started touching me, they were so soft and cuddly. Yum, I love sleeping next to my little one.

Kissing those irrisistable cheeks is so hard to hold back on when she's sleeping. Yum!


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## phathui5 (Jan 8, 2002)

I, too, suffer from co-sleeping love. I lie in bed at night staring at dd. She's so perfect. I want to touch her soft skin but I know I'll wake her up, so I restrain myself. Then around 2 or 3am, ds comes stumbling in and goes "Mommy, roll over I want nurnie." And I fall asleep with him. It's lovely.


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## cinnamonamon (May 2, 2003)

Awww... these stories are making me







. I remember the little tiny patting hands (now they're slapping & pinching hands, :LOL ). I can't wait for the "I want nurnie" days...









Thankfully I've learned to restrain myself -- I can't tell you how many times I woke my ds up taking pics of his beautiful sleeping self!














He's sleeping right now -- I may just have to go peek in at him.


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## FitMama (Jul 20, 2003)

Also hooked here....both to co-sleeping and prolactin.

How many hours have I spent inhaling the fragrance of my darling son? I can't get enough.


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## nancy926 (Mar 10, 2003)

Great thread!

Just last night it was taking awhile for DD to fall asleep...she finally did and I just lay there next to her watching her sleep and thinking "Just a couple of minutes and I'll get up and do all that stuff i was raring to do 45 minutes ago..." Next thing i knew, DH was waking me to take out my contacts, etc - I'd been asleep w/her for an hour and a half! It's typical though.









Nancy


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## Raine (Jun 13, 2003)

I couldn't imagine sleeping without my ds. I love everything about it. I had a moment yesterday morning that I will lovingly remember forever. My 12mo woke up and sat up while I was still sleeping and I woke up to him gently rubbing my arm. When I opened my eyes he gave me the biggest smile then bent down and kissed me! I melted.....and was in la la land all day


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## zvillemama (Apr 5, 2003)

At those moments when everyone is asleep except for you, don't you marvel at the wonder of being a mama. My favorite time is early, early in the morning when everyone is sleeping so soundly that you can reach out and hold your dd's hand who is three and your ds's son who is 6 months without fear of waking them. Deep breathing, soft skin... it's pure heaven. I can not count the number of prayers I've said in these moments. If more people were co-sleeping, peace would not be a dream.

Emily


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## Ivanhoe (Apr 11, 2002)

Co sleeping rocks!!!!


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## rachdoll (Aug 18, 2003)

No matter how long or bad my day has been, once everyone is in bed and I am the last one awake, everything is right with the world, just as it should be. I love cosleeping. We just last week put a mattress on the floor for dd, for when she's ready, but I find that if she falls asleep there, I can't fall asleep as easily. I just stare at her, willing her to wake up and want to nurse so I can bring her to our bed, or join her in hers.


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## EllasMummy (Dec 10, 2003)

I'll admit it. I'm addicted too! Hadnt planned to co-sleep when I was pregnant, I have a beautiful empty nursery I cannot imagine putting dd in.

I love watching my dd and dh sleeping especially when she is all snuggled up to him. What with the every two hour through the night nursing its a wonder I get any sleep. Wouldnt change it for the world though.


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## JohnnysGirl (Dec 22, 2003)

I just have one little baby and I just can't seem to bring myself to close my eyes when we're cuddled up in bed when I could be watching him sleep. Or nurse. I am so groggy when I've been sleeping, too, but when Aleksi wakes up to eat, I find I don't even want to drift back to slumber because I love watching him dreamfeed against me. It's so wonderful!


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## StarMama (Jun 25, 2002)

Quote:

_Originally posted by Butterflymom_
*I find I don't even want to drift back to slumber because I love watching him dreamfeed against me.*
OOOOH! Dreamfeed! What a beautiful word!! Now I want to draw dreamfeeding, or write a poem about it! What beautiful thoughts I have of babes snuggled with mamas, nursing with the stars and moon overhear and crickets chirping and water running down streams... Mmmm makes me want to go to bed right now!


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## Justice2 (Mar 18, 2003)

Me too! I love co-sleeping and am still taking pictures of my family asleep, snuggled up together in our bed! We only have a king size bed and Kaeleb is the only child that still sleeps with us everynight, but sometimes I get extremely lucky and wake up to find my 8 year old squeezed in there with us!

edited to say that I am still taking pictures cause I have to have some of our family at EVERY age, right!!!!


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## TiredX2 (Jan 7, 2002)

Thank you, thank you, thank you to everyone who shared on this thread. It was so nice to read the sweet stories and think, "oh, I remember that" or "I can't wait for that!"

Sometimes I think I don't encourage DD *enough* to sleep on her own, but I just love having her in bed with us and know that one day she will just be unwilling to sleep with us!


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## huntersmommy (Dec 28, 2003)

I am new to the group, but hope to meet lots of moms out there just like me. My youngest (7mths) has slept with me from the very beginning. My daughter slept with me till the baby was 2 wks old and then decided to sleep in her own bed. I would check on her like 10 times a night to make sure she was okay, I just missed her so much. That lasted about a montha nd now she sleeps on a mattress on my floor...Good thing, I have a queen matress and I swear when the 3 of us are in there we use about 4 inches of mattress cause the kids both stick to me like glue....lol
I need my kids close to me or I can't sleep, I worry about them to much. I am hopelessly in love with them both and I fell my place is right beside them where I can protect tham and meet all there needs immediatly, not when the crying gets loud enough to wake me. I was reading some of the posts and someone said if more people practiced co-sleeping peace wouldn't be a dream...how true! I read in "3 in a bed" that native tribes who are at war take new babies away from there moms at night for just the first few nights of life...they beleive this builds stronger more vicious warriors...imagine! I just love to stare at my angels, stroke there hair, and "dreamfeeding" I think those have been some of my most amazing moments with my children, where it hits me full force how lucky I am to be a mommy!


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## Jilian (Jun 16, 2003)

I never planned on co-sleeping while pregnant and now I could not imagine life without Aiden in our bed!

My favorit part about co-sleeping is when I nurse Aiden and he is just about to go to sleep. He always gives me the most beautiful ear to ear smile, then rolls over and falls asleep.

I'll always remember the smile, even when I'm old and gray and he has moved out of the house


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## Mama2ABCD (Jun 14, 2003)

i also thought i'd never co-sleep, but my dh warned me that as soon as they put that baby in my arms i would not let go. boy, was he right! how can you let a little baby sleep alone?! my ds is now 3 1/2 and another one is 2 with another babe on the way. we don't always co-sleep at night any more (i had nightweaned my boys during this preg), but they know when they wake up at night to crawl into bed with mom and dad. every morning i love waking up to see my family all curled up next to me!


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## TiredX2 (Jan 7, 2002)

Quote:

i also thought i'd never co-sleep, but my dh warned me that as soon as they put that baby in my arms i would not let go.
Its so nice to hear about attached, sensitive daddies


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## FreeMommy (Feb 16, 2002)

As a newborn mom recovering from the emergency c-section I was immediately addicted upon coming home from the hospital! Looking at my beautiful boy made all my physical and mental booboos go away. Then the sleep deprivation set in and I'd cry at my own silliness, trying to stay awake because I simply could not avert my gaze from the most miraculous being I'd ever imagined. Early on he'd pat me back, stroke our arms, and now at 2.5 he requests kisses and shoves his little big feet in my belly for foot rubs. He has his own room, adorably decorated, but really it's been a toy room! We 3 are simply kukooo for cosleeping







and I am learning to enjoy the smell, the sound, and the feelings of closeness and fit my gazing and wondering into daylight hours! Great thread. I got quite a giggle and agree wholeheartedly it can be very dangerous for our calendar, our sex life, general housecleaning and chores! But how can it be wrong when it feels so right... i feel a song coming on....


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## theocentric (Jan 3, 2004)

We bask in the beauty of our little rays of sunshine every morning. I'm amazed at how many pairs of feet end up tucked under our blankies by the early AM. I wouldn't trade it for anything.

Theo


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## lovingmother (Jan 3, 2004)

My 8 month old son is happily co-sleeping with me (his Dad has very disruptive sleep apnea and I have always slept in another room) and I have a question about the co-sleeping. At this point, the baby takes his naps on the big bed, too. But pretty soon he will be able to crawl out and/or pull himself up over the rail or out the end that is not against a wall and I wonder if people whose children co-sleep with them have the children only on the family bed when the parents are there and otherwise have them sleep in cribs for naps and before their parents go to bed? If so, how do you get a child to adjust to sleeping not with a parent for naps in a crib? We have a bed rail on the bed so he would not be able to roll out, and two of the sides of the bed are against walls, but the rail is not all that tall and once he can pull himself up, what do I do? Looking for your thoughts and ideas, please. Thanks.


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## lovingmother (Jan 3, 2004)

My 8 month old son is happily co-sleeping with me (his Dad has very disruptive sleep apnea and I have always slept in another room) and I have a question about the co-sleeping. At this point, the baby takes his naps on the big bed, too. But pretty soon he will be able to crawl out and/or pull himself up over the rail or out the end that is not against a wall and I wonder if people whose children co-sleep with them have the children only on the family bed when the parents are there and otherwise have them sleep in cribs for naps and before their parents go to bed? If so, how do you get a child to adjust to sleeping not with a parent for naps in a crib? We have a bed rail on the bed so he would not be able to roll out, and two of the sides of the bed are against walls, but the rail is not all that tall and once he can pull himself up, what do I do? Looking for your thoughts and ideas, please. Thanks.


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## Lucky Charm (Nov 8, 2002)

Quote:

I keep a little flash light within reach so I can gaze at her during the night.
Joni, that is so sweet!

My little guy is now 5 1/2 and sleeps in his own bed, but about once or twice a week, i wake up and find his little head on my pillow, and i am so happy. I take a nice deep breath of him and kiss him a million times on his blonde head. I also never planned on co sleeping, it just sorta "happened". But i wouldnt trade one night of it. Sometimes, when he crawls in bed with us, he whispers in my ear, i can feel his warm breath and he says "mama, i need you". For as long as you do, i will be there.


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## TiredX2 (Jan 7, 2002)

Oh sweetbaby3 that was so sweet. "I need you"---- makes you melt huh?


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## cinnamonamon (May 2, 2003)

loving mother, many people put their beds on the floor, some put just an extra mattress on the floor for daytime naps. I had very limited success getting my ds to sleep in a crib - those mattresses are horribly hard with nasty plastic covers that make your back sweat.









I put a mattress on the floor in my ds's room and nurse him down in there, then around 1am I go in and sleep the rest of the night with him. He crawls on & off the mattress at will (with a few pillows beside it on the floor to cushion him if he rolls off -- which he's only done when awake!). Before we got the mattress, I had the ole' pillows stacked up two high on the side of the bed with no railing, and I kept a baby monitor in there and at the absolute first peep I would be in there watching him.

HTH!


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