As Willow grows and becomes more.. frantically mobile?.. little chicka can run her buns off now. I’m also fairly certain she knows karate. Judging by the sore necks Jacob and I wake up with after she has hopped into our bed. Alright.. she can’t climb into our bed yet, she is only 16 months old, she gets there because WE put her there. Karate or not, her night flops are enough to throw a back out… And not her back either.
We slept with our older two in our bed for far longer than necessary. Wich was a little crazy because they are a year and a week a part. They actually HAD their own room though, we would bring them into our room for snuggles. Definitely by the age of 2 they were in their own bed except for the occasional snuggle time! Jacob and I were also a lot younger. Not that we are super old now, but sleeping with a Kung Fu fighter makes it seem that way.
We are both aware of the risks of sleeping with a baby, and by no means am I trying to help you make a decision. He and I both wanted to be close to Willow and cuddling with her was (and still is) amazing. There is an 11 year gap between our oldest and youngest, we missed the baby cuddles.
Some of the worries surrounding bed sharing consist of; suffocating the baby, rolling over on the baby, and the baby falling out of bed. We weren’t blind to any of this, and neither of us really sleep soundly while we have willow in between us. One of us is always half off the bed, the blankets get tossed to the ground, afraid to roll over, and literally sleeping with one eye open.
At what cost? You may be asking yourself. Because writing that all down sounds like a hot mess and no way to catch some good shut eye. Just as with anything there are pros to the cons. The best part of bed sharing for us is that we have a strong bond with willow, if she ever needs anything in the middle of the night we are there for her, we get to wake up to a smiley baby. When she was younger I had a fear of her not breathing, her sleeping close to me helped me to better watch her.
There are certain ways around sleeping next to baby. If you are totally opposed to bed sharing, which is totally alright! There are beds like this co-sleeper that allow you to be close to baby, without actually sharing the bed. There were times when fear got the better of me, and I would worry more about hurting Willow. I received this rock ‘n play sleeper at the baby shower, and it is a great asset to have. It is super portable and comfy for baby. Jacob had also gotten this Graco Pack ‘n Play, which has a mini bassinet and changing area! Its a super comfy spot for baby to chill while you’re in the shower. Even with all of these options. Willow always seems to end up back in our bed.
The choice for us to co- sleep is still pretty easy as her crib is still in our room! Her room is unfinished, but will be soon, hopefully! I used to think that we were all sleeping in the family bed for her benefit, but in reality, it’s probably more for mine and Jacobs benefit now. She is telling us she is ready to sleep in her own bed, with the occasional snuggle in with mom and dad!
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