This post is included in the Safe Cosleeping Blog Carnival hosted by Monkey Butt Junction . Our bloggers have written on so many different aspects of cosleeping. Please read to the end to find a list of links to the other carnival participants.

***

I’ve been thinking a lot about bed sharing recently, as we plan to do so again when Squidgy is born. It’ll be interesting, sharing not only a room, but a bed with two children.  We’ve considered our options – putting a single bed next to ours for Ameli, moving her and daddy into her room for a few months, or simply all squeezing into our bed. I don’t know yet, how we’re going to do it and am  half hoping that the baby’s frequent wakings will drive Ameli into her own room, but somehow I’m not sure. I’m just not sure what’s going to happen, or how you bedshare with two children. 

I am excited though, about those early days. I was rereading something I wrote when Ameli was small, and I thought I’d share it with you here again:

——–

I love co-sleeping with my daughter, Ameli. She was born at 4.40am, and by 6am we were asleep in our bed, her cradled in my arm. She used her Moses basket for a while and uses a travel cot now  for daytime naps and in the early evening, but once I go to bed she is there with me.

It’s been an amazing experience opening my eyes in the middle of the night to see her there, her little lips puckered, her face aglow in reflected light bouncing off the clouds over London. The most comforting thing in those early weeks was raising my consciousness to just below fully awake, to hear her steady breathing lulling me back in to a peaceful slumber.

I have loved waking up in the morning to her gentle cooing, little crooning sounds, figuring out her voice while observing her hand, stretched out in front of her, turning it this way and that. She lies there, quietly entertaining herself while I sleep. And when she’s ready for milk, or once she’s bored she lets me know.

‘eh’

nothing

‘Eh’

nothing

‘EH’

and I stir

‘Dadadadada’ as she launches herself on to me, drops down next to me and lies staring in to my now awake face, as if to say, ‘Hey! Enough with the sleeping.’

She lies next to me, and we whisper to each other, until I embrace her, pick her up, fly her like an aeroplane. She laughs, spots a nipple and dives towards it. A quick snack. This is how we spend our waking-up time, and before I know it it’s 7am and time to get up. This is a typical morning sharing a bed with my baby.

—-

Ah… the early days. I look forward to experiencing them again!

*******
Safe Cosleeping Blog Carnival

Thanks for reading a post in the Safe Cosleeping Blog Carnival. On Carnival day, please follow along on Twitter using the #CosleepCar hashtag.
Please take time to read the submissions by the other carnival participants:

***

  • Emotive Co-Sleeping Campaign – Miriam at Diary of an Unconscious Mother talks about her feelings on Milwaukee’s anti-cosleeping crusade and its latest advertising campaign.
  • Why Cosleeping has Always been the Right Choice for My Family – Patti at Jazzy Mama shares how lucky she feels to have the privilege of sleeping with her four children.
  • Cosleeping is a safe, natural and healthy solution parents need to feel good about. – See how Tilly at Silly Blatherings set up a side-car crib configuration to meet her and her families’ needs.
  • Black and White: Race and the Cosleeping Wars – Moorea at Mama Lady: Adventures in Queer Parenting points out the problem of race, class and health when addressing co-sleeping deaths and calls to action better sleep education and breastfeeding support in underprivileged communities.
  • Reflections on Cosleeping – Jenny at I’m a Full Time Mummy shares her thoughts on cosleeping and pictures of her cosleeping beauties.
  • Cosleeping and Transitioning to Own Bed – Isil at Smiling Like Sunshine shares her experiences in moving beyond the family bed.
  • What Works for One FamilyMomma Jorje shares why cosleeping is for her and why she feels it is the natural way to go. She also discusses the actual dangers and explores why it may not be for everyone.
  • Really High Beds, Co-Sleeping Safely, and the Humanity Family Sleeper – Jennifer at Hybrid Rasta Mama gives a quick view of Jennifer’s bed-sharing journey and highlights the Humanity Family Sleeper, something Jennifer could not imagine bed-sharing without.
  • Crying in Our Family Bed – With such a sweet newborn, why has adding Ailia to the family bed made Dionna at Code Name: Mama cry?
  • Dear Mama: – Zoie at TouchstoneZ shares a letter from the viewpoint of her youngest son about cosleeping.
  • Cuddle up, Buttercup! – Nada of The MiniMOMist and her husband Michael have enjoyed cosleeping with their daughter Naomi almost since birth. Nada shares why the phrase “Cuddle up, Buttercup!” has such special significance to her.
  • Co-Sleeping With A Baby, Toddler, and Preschooler – Kerry at City Kids Homeschooling shares how co-sleeping calls us to trust our inner maternal wisdom and embrace the safety and comfort of the family bed.
  • Fear instead of Facts: An Opportunity Squandered in Milwaukee – Jenn at Monkey Butt Junction discusses Milwaukee’s missed opportunity to educate on safe cosleeping.
  • Cosleeping: A Mini-rant and a Lovely Picture – Siobhan at Res Ipsa Loquitor discusses her conversion to cosleeping and rants a little bit about the Milwaukee Health Department anti-cosleeping campaign.
  • Our Cosleeping Story – Adrienne at Mommying My Way shares her cosleeping story and the many bonus side effects of bedsharing.
  • Cosleeping can be safe and rewarding Christy at Mommy Outnumbered shares how her cosleeping experiences have been good for her family.
  • Adding one more to the family bed Lauren at Hobo Mama discusses the safety logistics of bed sharing with a new baby and a preschooler.
  • The Truth About Bedsharing – Dr. Sarah at Parenting Myths and Facts discusses the research into bedsharing and risk – and explains why it is so often misrepresented.
  • Cosleeping as a parenting survival tool – Melissa V. at Mothers of Change describes how she discovered cosleeping when her first baby was born. Melissa is the editor and a board member for the Canadian birth advocacy group, Mothers of Change.
  • Dear Delilah – Joella at Fine and Fair writes about her family bed and the process of finding the cosleeping arrangements that work best for her family.
  • CoSleeping ROCKS! – Melissa at White Noise talks about the evolution of cosleeping in her family.
  • Safe Sleep is a Choice – Tamara at Pea Wee Baby talks about safe sleep guidelines.
  • 3 Babies Later: The Evolution of our Family Bed – Kat at Loving {Almost} Every Moment talks about how her family’s cosleeping arrangements evolved as her family grew.
  • Tender Moments – The Accidental Natural Mama discusses tender cosleeping moments.
  • Cosleeping Experiences – Lindsey at An Unschooling Adventure describes how she ended up co-sleeping with her daughter through necessity, despite having no knowledge of the risks involved and how to minimise them, and wishes more information were made available to help parents co-sleep safely.
  • The early days of bedsharing – Luschka at Diary of a First Child shares her early memories of bedsharing with her then new born and gets excited as she plans including their new arrival into their sleeping arrangements.
  • The Joys of Cosleeping in Pictures – Charise of I Thought I Knew Mama shares pictures of some of her favorite cosleeping moments.
  • Symbiotic Sleep – Mandy at Living Peacefully With Children discusses how the symbiotic cosleeping relationship benefits not only children but also parents.
  • Co-sleeping Barriers: What’s Stopping You? – Kelly at Becoming Crunchy shares how she was almost prevented from gaining the benefits of co-sleeping her family currently enjoys.
  • Co-Sleeping with the Family Humanity Sleeper – Erica at ChildOrganics shares a way to make co-sleeping safe, comfortable and more convenient. Check out her post featuring the Humanity Organic Family Sleeper.
  • Why We Cosleep – That Mama Gretchen’s husband chimes in on why cosleeping is a benefit to their family.
  • Adding to the Family Bed – Darah at A Girl Named Gus writes about her co-sleeping journey and what happens when a second child comes along.

A big thank you to all of the Safe Cosleeping Blog Carnival participants!

Categories: Carnivals Cosleeping

23 Comments

Revisited: For The Love Of Cosleeping

  1. Thank you for this lovely post. I enjoy co sleeping so much. We don’t want our 6 month old baby to go into her own room but do wonder if we’ll all be ready for her to go into her own room before the next baby arrives. I don’t think we’d feel comfortable having a toddler in the bed with a newborn. It was nerve wracking enough as it was. Read why everyone is co sleeping but nobody is admitting to it here: Co Sleeping

  2. So beautiful!!! I will never, ever envy my husband because he sleeps through those beautiful moments you describe, with the teensy pouty lips and the squished cheeks!! And the morning wake up call: eh. Eh. EH! Life with babies is so delicious!!
    Wonderful post, thank you!! It was a joy to read. =)

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.