Crib vs. Co sleeping

Janine - posted on 03/09/2010

We have co-slept with all four of our babies, and love it. That being said, I'm a very light sleeper, and have none of the risk factors/behaviors associated with suffocating my infant. I do know people who sleep so soundly that they feel it is a real safety risk in their particular situation to co-sleep with their infants. I think that, in general, co-sleeping is safe, convenient, and a wonderful way to parent -- BUT there are some situations in which it is not. We have to use common sense, and evaluate our own individual situations realistically. And what may not work for you with an infant, may work later with a more mobile baby, or a toddler.

Vanessa - posted on 03/09/2010

My son is 8 months old. He is still co sleeping with me and his father. I nurse him also, so it's much easier to just feed him in bed with me. He has NEVER been a good sleeper and has always woken up when I try to lay him down after he has always fallen asleep on me. I've learned to deal with it, but I plan on weaning him off night feedings and off sleeping with us altogether when he hits one. Lets hope it works!! :)

Leah - posted on 03/09/2010

What an amazing feeling! I agree :) My son slept with me in our bed for 6 months! He slept on my chest for a good 4 months. My husband works nights so it was just him and I. It was much easier with nursing. Now, he is in his own room eventhough I am still nursing him. We found that past the 6 month mark, neither of us was sleeping as well as we could. The transition to his room was much easier than I had been told. One week of ups and downs but only one week.
I believe that it is natural instinct for a mother to co-sleep with their child. I never woke up "on top" of him and he never fell off me. In fact, my arms were so tight around him that one would probably have to pry them off. It's a different story if a mother is under the influence of drugs or alcohol; these override that instinct. They are only little once - enjoy :)

Megan - posted on 03/09/2010

I agree with Traci, and studies have shown that co-sleeping is actually safer that crib sleeping for a number of reason, including preventing SIDS. We co-sleep with our kids at the moment, sometimes they start out in their own beds and sometimes they start out in ours. All of my babies have slept right next to me for the first six months of life. My 15 month old is still breastfeeding and it makes it super easy to nurse him. Keep doing what is best for you.

Traci - posted on 03/09/2010

Every time I read one of these threads, I want to ask the following question:

Have you ever rolled over on your husband? Your cat? Your dog?

What makes you think you would roll over on a child?

I, for one, have never rolled over on another sleeping body in the bed, and as long as there is safe sleeping conditions, I think that co-sleeping is just as safe as putting your child in a crib.

Rebekah - posted on 03/09/2010

I understand the desire to be close to your baby at night, especially when you are nursing every few hours but as mothers we must be smart about it and do what's safest for our children. I have two boys who I fully breastfed but I never let them sleep in bed with me because of the HUGE risk to their safety. But I didn't want to be up and down all night from crib to bed, so I found a wonderful solution that I truly believe to be the safest and most convenient place for any baby. We attached a co-sleeper bassinet to our bed, that way our baby could be in arms reach of me but yet he was sleeping in a safe environment, safe from loose covers, heavy pillows, and sleeping parents. Bonding and being comfortable are impotent but so is safety. http://www.armsreach.com/

Olivia - posted on 03/08/2010

My son slept inbetween me and my bf for 4 1/2 months, and now 5 months i still put him in bed with me when he wakes up to eat in the morning because im also and it's so much easier!

Kelli - posted on 03/08/2010

My daughter slept in our room, BUT in her own crib for the first 11 months. Then we bought our own house and she went into her own room across the house from us and sleeps EVEN better than ever! My 6wk old son, sleeps in our room now, but in his Pack n Play.

Heather - posted on 03/08/2010

My daughter has slept in bed with me and my husband since she was 3 weeks. I tried getting her to sleep in her crib for the 1st few weeks and then i tried co sleeping. Needless to say, we both really enjoyed it. Co sleeping makes it so much easier to breastfeed at night also! My DD is 14 months now and i don't see her sleeping anywhere else but in our bed for a while.

Keely - posted on 03/08/2010

My son only recently started sleeping in his own bed, however the crib is still in our room not three feet from bed. It was a WONDERFUL experiance to Co-sleep/ do the family bed thing. My husband was gone alot due to his job on the oil rigs and now with the army so it worked well for him too. He got that extra bit of time to be close to Connor. I am SO SO SO happy that we did it and it worked out beautifully. At the moment the bed seems so lonely without my son and my husband(he's in Germany) but i do not and shall not regret our decision to do so. Good luck!

Francesca - posted on 03/08/2010

I co-sleep and I am proud to do so. I exclusively breastfeed and it made a world of difference to my success. Check out these links. They are very supportive research done worldwide and by some very good universities, hospitals and doctors.

Don't let ignorant comments get to you. If people are so small minded that they think they know better for your family, its their loss, especially when they ignore the facts.

Good for you!


http://www.beststart.org/events/detail/b...

http://www.nd.edu/~jmckenn1/lab/articles...

http://www.askdrsears.com/html/7/T071000...

Missy - posted on 03/08/2010

my daughter sleeps beside me in bed in the middle of the bed and she has one of those things so she cant roll over it works great for me

Jennifer - posted on 03/08/2010

I have co-slept all of my children, usually till we have another baby. But right now I have twin girls who are 11 months old and BF still, they both sleep in our bed. I nurse them to sleep and they go into their crib, then when they wake up to feed again they come in our bed and stay there. You should do what you feel is right, for you and your family. Just be safe about it, I put them in their crib before I am ready to go to bed, so I do not have to lay down with them, and they also go into their crib for nap time.
Co-sleeping has saved my sanity, I also have a three year old to tend to, so it helps me still BF and get some sleep. GOOD LUCK!!

Summer - posted on 03/08/2010

co slept with both kids - still do with my 6 month old. and for a comment from above re: SIDS. co-sleeping actually reduces the risk of SIDS and most SIDS deaths are not from cosleeping.

Amanda - posted on 03/08/2010

i slept with all my kids until they were 3 or so my oldest two sleep alone in their rooms or together sometimes, my 4 yr old still climbs in bed with us though not all the time but sometimes, our 7 yr old very rare he thinks he is too grown but sometimes he wants to make a bed on our floor. but we have a 10 month old that has slept with us since he was born just because he was colicky and would cry all night so i decided he could just sleep with us... his dad doesnt like it much because he gets kicked all night and baby is the king of the bed! but i agree it is so much easier to bf at night in bed. but again he likes to get up sometimes and put his toes on our faces and giggle and hit us or try to crawl aroud on the bed and with our bed frame and matress it is sooo scary and high that we are trying to get him to sleep in his own bed. but like my other two we let it be up to them. but i never bf my other two this long so it is way different. his dad only worries he might fall of our high bed or he doesnt get alone time with mommy that much...:) we are trying to have another baby so we'll see how things work out!

Sara - posted on 03/08/2010

my daughter sleeps with me too,she has ever since birth.but now that she is over 6 months i am slowly getting her into her crib.dont worry iam sure we both have heard it all,and us mothers do watch our babies during the night.keep doing what u do,it wont hurt her,just watch out after she learns how 2 roll.

Brittany - posted on 03/08/2010

I co-slept with my daughter because I breastfed also - it is much easier. Congrats for BF'ing and doing what feels right for your family.

Kylie - posted on 03/08/2010

I resisted co-sleeping in the beginning because I believed that I would create a rod for my own back. He is now 7 months old and we sleep together ALOT! Afternoon sleeps are the best because I get to rest too! I put him down in his cot at night and when he wakes up at 4am he comes into bed with us.

I think co-sleeping is great when they are teething as instead of getting up and down constantly throughout the night I am there to comfort right away. We both get a good nights sleep! I don't know that many teenagers who still co-sleep with their parents! They are so little for such a short time, I say enjoy all the cuddles and closeness you can now before they get too big!

Rachel - posted on 03/08/2010

I have 4 ear old twins they have always slept with us. They now start off in their own beds but by morning without fail when I wake up there they are with my one year old and 3 month old. lol we need a California king size bed. our queen is not to bad when daddy is working midnights but when he is home and loses room he just goes to one of the kids rooms and sleeps. I was very addament that my youngest when she was born would be a crib baby then she was born and it's jsut so much easier to whip out the attached perfect temp bottle I was born with and feed her if she gets hungy. She sleeps in my arms or in a boppy I am not concerned. That happy face makes it all worth it. I am gettting so much for sleep than were were getting the first 6 weeks or so when I was sleeping on the couch and her in a bassinet ( I had a c-section couch was easier for me) it was like heaven when we moved to the dark quiet bedroom. it is a personal choice. Just be safe about it keep blankets and pillows away from his/her face. you know the rules ;-)

BobbiDee - posted on 03/08/2010

My son is 13 months old and still co-sleeps with us..... i still breast feed and i love it

Rachel - posted on 03/08/2010

my baby was breast fe up to 6 monthes and co slept until then. when she wsa with other she napped alone in a crib or bassinet just fine. and then i began weaning her and training her into crib only sleep. i think i miss the closeness of co sleeping more then she does.

Alice - posted on 03/08/2010

I co-sleep with my 3 week old, on my chest, Although I love holding her close, I would love to have at least an hour cuddled in bed with my husband, although, when my baby wont be put down for more than 15mins, what can I do???

Jessica - posted on 03/08/2010

Every mom and every child is different. My 3 year old slept in his own bed from the first night home from the hospital! Now, I have a 3 week old baby and he is different. Because he doesn't have his own room yet, he sleeps in a port-a-crib in our bedroom. I put him down for bed and he sleeps by himself fine most nights. He wakes up to nurse around 1 am and I put him back in the crib. But when he wakes up again around 5, we both fall asleep while he is nursing, so at that point he stays in the bed until I get up. I never believed in co-bedding, but now I see that sometimes it can be more convenient, more comfortable or or just easier!

Pamela - posted on 03/08/2010

Lets see I have 5 birth children and all of them have co slept with us, as I breastfed all of them including my now 2 yr 3 month old. My son who is 19 co slept with us on a full size bed. My daughter who is 15 co slept on our waterbed with us. ( I know I know ), but she is 15 and not one problem go figure but would not recommend water bed sleeping to anyone else . My 12 year old co slept on a queen size bed and then when I got my nephew when he was 14 months old who is the same age well he slept in our room but i
on a crib right next to our bed. Then my 7 year old who co slept on our King size bed till she was just shy of 5 or to be more clear until our youngest 2 yr old came along LOL who we also co sleep with. Not only did I co sleep with them all, while breastfeeding but I never had to worry and jump up a thousand times to run to their rooms to see if they were breathing ,or to fetch them to nurse them and then do it all over again a few hours later. I got to snuggle with my children everynight and reading was so easy to instill since I read to them during their goodnight booby. I hope this helps you. If you have any other questions drop me a line.

Teresa - posted on 03/08/2010

I haven't read any responses yet... I'll get to that after. ;)



From my experience and beliefs on the subject, I am generally against co-sleeping. My girls were in a crib from birth and in their own room at around 3 months. When they moved to their own room is when they started waking only once in a 12 hour night. Slept through (12 hours) at 6 months... only for a month, but were sleeping through the night again at 14 months completely on their own w/ no issues whatsoever.



Due to different circumstances my son has shared a room w/ me from day 1 and shares a bed w/ me except for when he was 6-14 months (he'll be 2 in 3 weeks). He has never slept longer than 10,5 hours in a row and has only done that MAYBE a dozen times. Maybe it's just a difference in kid instead of sleep arrangements, but I will never know that... so my opinion is that if you don't have to co-sleep, don't. I know many people do and it works great for them, but all I can share is MY experience. ;)

Ashley - posted on 03/08/2010

my son is 9 months old and has slept in my arms everynight since the day he was born and is breastfed!! Its a million times easier for us nursing moms to do so!! he can even find my nipple without barely even waking him or me up, and its wonderful!!! dont let anyone tell you otherwise!!! my entire family breastfed n slept together and not one of the 22 children was ever rolled on . I actually cant sleep without him by my side, i worry about him!!! i have been given a hard time by my husbands family and we lie to them and say he sleeps in his bed so they dont bitch, Ibut am proud of holding my lil angel all night and wouldnt have it any oother way!!!

Jessie - posted on 03/08/2010

My son is about to turn two so our sleep habits have gone through many changes, they have always included co sleeping to varying degrees. Right now I put my son to bed in his crib (in our room) and he will wakeup usually between 12:00 and 2:00 I nurse him and put him back in his crib then he wakes up between 3:00 and 5:00 to nurse and we co sleep the rest of the night and he will usually nurse himself awake. It is a much more relaxed environment. I am looking forward to getting a bigger house so he can have his oun room, but I am sure that will not be the end of our co sleeping experience.

Angela - posted on 03/08/2010

We still go sleep with our daughter and she's going to be 8 months soon. I've co slept with all my kids for a while. My first one only 2 months, hubby wanted him in his own room. Then the second for almost 10 months. This little girl is only in my room for the first time she wakes up though in the night. We were waking her up when we went to bed. I LOVE co sleeping and would do it a lot longer if it ment sleeping better but at this point it isn't working as well as it use to. But it's SO nice when you are breastfeeding to go to sleep with your baby eaing and know they are right there and you can feel them breathing next to you. LOVE IT! :)

April - posted on 03/08/2010

forgot to mention we have a machine that shakes the bed when he cries so i can hear...which may be part of the reason he doesn't like our bed!

Dyan - posted on 03/08/2010

I slept with my son in my bed for the first 2 nights...thats it. It was a personal choice for many reasons. First, I usually keep my house cool but because I had a 12-hour-old I had it warmer and slept without covers...and very little as I was learning to feed him every 2 hours or so. By night 3 he was being treated in the bassinet next to my bed with phototherapy. By the time that was over he was used to sleeping in the bassinet. I sleep on a feather bed for hip problems and it is too squishy for my taste, along with my puffy covers. Also, on the occasions he sleeps in his own room he sleeps better. He currently sleeps in his pack n play in my room, but when I move too much he wakes up, so he will be going to his own room soon. To each her own.

April - posted on 03/08/2010

my son has a crib but it is only a few feet from my bed. i wish he liked bedsharing. he really likes his own space and cries if we bring him to bed. he nurses every 2 hours or more often and it is really hard to walk in even those few feet without having to wake up all the way.

Sophie - posted on 03/07/2010

My daughter has slept in her crib in her own room since I brought her home from hospital. I have a comfy rocking chair in the nursery where I breastfed her and this has worked well for all of us. I never let her cry, always respond to her as soon as she stirs and bring her in bed with me when she wakes up for good in the morning so that she can have some early morning snuggles with mom and dad. She loves her crib and blankies and goes to bed with a smile on her face every night!

Michaelle - posted on 03/07/2010

I'm with you, my daughter's room is across the house from mine and stumbling across it in the middle of the night was just too much for both my husband and me. After putting her into our bed we quickly found out : a) all three of us slept much better and b) we felt much more secure with her being with us instead of thirty feet away.

Sarah - posted on 03/07/2010

Well, I guess I'm one of the only ones who's baby sleeps in his own crib in his own room. My 5 1/2 month old LOVES his crib and he sleeps so well in it. After his last feeding for the evening I put him in his crib and he's right to sleep, no problems. He's been sleeping through the night for several months now. And my son wakes up smiling and happy, too. I think it's whatever you prefer as a family. This is just what has worked for us.

Leslie - posted on 03/07/2010

OH yes!!!! BTW, I have always used an allergen barrier (not the plastic kind either) on my bed AND the manufacturers of crib mattresses lobby the AMA to keep babies in the cribs. Honestly, if doctors encouraged putting the baby in the bed, crib mattresses wouldn't get sold.
I think its as easy to roll over your baby as it is to roll off the edge of the bed. If you've not done it in your last 20 years or have ever slept with a pet that lived to see the next morning or if you don't roll over on your spouse, there really isn't that much to worry about. Keep the airway unrestricted. :)

Leslie - posted on 03/07/2010

My daughter is about to turn seven in April. She was a breast-fed, co-sleeping little girl. She moved from my bed at about 2 or 3 then to her toddler bed in my room. Around her fourth birthday, I set up her big girl bed in her room and started making remarks about how big she was and how little her toddler bed was. One day, on her own, she decided to sleep in her big girl bed! She's independent (I always heard different from everyone in the cio community) and is close to me but not in a clingy way.
night time feedings help stimulate your hormones to produce milk. Keep that baby close. You are not in a deep sleep either, notice how you begin to wake as your baby does. Right before your baby wakes up hungry you can just pop in the boob and the baby nurses as you psuedo sleep. :) I will never forget waking up one night when my dd was about 3 months to her breathing awful. I simply used the snot sucker and removed the obstruction. If she were in a crib, I may not have detected that.

there is a popular book called "On Becoming Babywise". There are numerous doctors that have lobbied for its removal because a fair number of babies have DIED from the "advice". Follow your intuition and keep that baby close!

about 2-3k babies die of sids each year in the crib compared to (no sufficent data) in the bed
about 70 babies die a year of suffocation in the bed

Geralyn - posted on 03/07/2010

We have co-slept with our 23 month old son since he was born. We love it!!!!

Laura - posted on 03/07/2010

Our son is 10 months and has never slept in his "baby prison" (our fun term for it). We just prefer him to be with us. We are doing infant potty training and breast feeding so it just makes sense for us to co-sleep. We are starting to look into putting him in the pack n play next to the bed because he is really getting into kicking off the covers and kicking us at night.... but we are still toying with the idea. We'll see. Happy sleeping!!!!

Laura - posted on 03/07/2010

I absolutely LOVE co-sleeping with my 7 month old son (so does Dad!) and have done so since the day he was born. I can't even imagine having him sleep alone in a crib in another room. He is just too precious to me! When done safely, following all guidelines, it is completely safe and actually healthier for the baby. It reduces SIDS and promotes a healthy parent/child bond (read the research done by Dr. James McKenna). My son sleeps between me and a bedrail. We also dont uses any covers. I never drink, smoke or use prescription drugs and I am not overweight. In the years to come I know some of my most treasured parenting memories will be those of my son snuggled up to me as I hear him breathe and watch him sleep. BTW, I also exclusively breastfeed thoughout the night.

Samantha - posted on 03/07/2010

My 6 month old daughter has been sleeping with me every night since the day she was born! The hospital hated that she slept in my arms, but she hated the bassinet from the first moment she was laid in it. She now naps in her crib during the day and goes to bed with me at night. It makes breast feeding much easier and we sleep much better. The only thing I really dislike about it is my husband does not want to sleep in bed with us. He is a very active sleeper and wakes baby girl up, so he has found it easier to sleep on the couch. I love sleeping with my daughter, but I want my husband back!

Geraldine - posted on 03/07/2010

I use both. My little girl sleeps in her cot most of the time, however, on the odd occasion she wakes up in the middle of the night for a feed. If i am that exhausted, i usually end up falling asleep with her in my bed. I think its great waking up with her in the morning cause then i don't have to get up to feed her again!! However, i do love the occasional nights sleep to myself!!

Shelley - posted on 03/07/2010

both my girls have slept in their cot from the day they were born. they also slept through the night(8hrs) from 8 weeks so this made it easier for us.i don't think my husband would have allowed the kids to sleep with us
Everyones different.

Angela - posted on 03/06/2010

I co-slept with both my babies. My first one was bottle fed and he slept with us until he was around 6 months old. Right about that time is when they begin to turn and move around more...so we were all uncomfortable. I am breastfeeding my second baby who is now 6 months old. So sleeping together is so much easier especially when they are eating every two hours and you want to have some rest. He slept with us until he was 4 months old... and the only reason is because he was pretty much sleeping through the night at 3 months but for some reason he all of a sudden started waking up every couple of hours because he wanted to be on my breast all the time and use it as a pacifier. It was starting to drive me crazy. So that's why I decided to put him in his room, in his crib. I breastfeed him in the rocking chair and then put him in his crib. He did great...he's been in his own room for 2 months now and sleeps through the night. But I wouldn't trade co-sleeping with them. When they are newborn I feel better having them right next to me. Also I have read in books that it really helps them to feel safe and confident. If I have a third child I would co-sleep again.

Shelbi - posted on 03/06/2010

Thanks for all the encouragement! I really love having her in bed and its actually my mom that started it. About the only person who doesn't agree with it is my MIL.
But its my baby and my choice and I'm happy (so is Daddy!) with the decision I've made.
I love my snuggly baby and it makes every day that much sweeter to wake up to her smile.

Natasha - posted on 03/06/2010

I coslept with my daughter until a few weeks ago. She's now 5 months old. Now she's in her crib right next to my bed. The only reason I moved her to the crib is because she started being restless at night and I wasn't getting any sleep. I'm one of those -needs sleep to function- type of girl. She is still just as happy, and even though she is still up every 2 hours to eat, I'm able to get better sleep in those 2 hour intervals.

Minnie - posted on 03/06/2010

My 17 month old has slept right next to me in bed every night. We are happy that way :). No other mammal sleeps apart from its little ones.

Rachel - posted on 03/06/2010

I still sleep with my little guy and he's 6 months old. Even my pediatricain told me to stop. I think that this is a very personal decision and to be honest- I have been practicing attatchment parenting since day one and I think that there must be a link to the whole "letting them cry it out technique and constant crib sleeping" could be the reason why so many of us have anxiety and abandonment issues. thats just a personal opinion but it makes sense...mommy's there and then when they wake up she not...that could be scary to someone so new to the world. and do whatever it takes to make your bf-ing easier for you. we are a rare breed, and this world is so hectic, its important to make it as simple as possible. its way too easy to shove a bottle in a babys mouth and you dont want to stop just because your sleep deprived. I love sleeping with my baby. I think evryone that sleeps with their babies does. the only people that seem to have problems with it is everyone else. people say "mother knows best" for a reason.

Lindzy - posted on 03/06/2010

My first daughter used to sleep in bed with me and her father until I stopped breastfeeding and then she went into her own bed. My second daughter doesnt sleep in the same bed but she does sleep in our room right next to me on the side of the bed. She has her own little bed and it is very easy for me to get her when she wakes up and feed her.

Ashley - posted on 03/06/2010

my twins sleep in the bed with my hubby and me, one on either side of me. I love it and wouldn't have it any other way. They are 19 months old and still nursing and I refuse to get out of bed once I am in it. I am exhausted at the end of the day so I deserve as much sleep as I can get and this is the way to do it. Plus they are so snuggley and I love waking up to those beautiful smiling faces.

Autumn - posted on 03/06/2010

We tried letting our daughter sleep in her crib when she was first born but getting up every 2 hours to breastfeed was taking a toll on me. I was just phyically drained. We decided to start co-sleeping I think at 2 or 3 months and it was the best thing I ever did. She co-slept with us for 14 months, that's how long I breastfeed for. The night I quit BFing was the night we did sleep training, took 3 nights but she now sleeps in her crib anywhere from 12 to 14 hours. She's not sleeping the whole time as I hear her playing quietly to herself in the middle of the night but my husband and I now have our time.....