My dh & I co-sleep with our 28 month old daughter. I love it--being next to her, watching her sleep, the ease of nursing, her cuddling--I can't imagine being away from her for 8+ hours every night!

My favorite thing is that time RIGHT before he falls asleep. he's so comfortable, so content, and so snuggly! I love cosleeping! (now the ALL NIGHT marathon nursing I could sometimes do without, but that's another story!) i love it now too because DS had been cuddling up with my husband after he's done nursing and right as he's falling asleep. I love that he wants snuggles from Daddy now too~!

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I have an arms reach co-sleeper, and I love it! We put her down awake, and she takes about 30 minutes to go to sleep most nights, but she is very peaceful. I love lying beside her and watching her fall asleep as I myself get drowsy.

My favorite thing about co-sleeping is how responsive I am able to be for her. She hasn't cried at night since she was about two weeks old--my dh is amazed that he never wakes up (I, however am not surprised by that at all ). I tell him it's because she wakes me up with her lip smacking. He finds that hard to believe but it's true. I look over at her and she is patiently waiting, eyes open, and then when I pull her into bed to nurse she settles right in, all snuggly and calm. I love being able to do that for her. It is our special time together, in the wee hours of the morning when the world stops. I complain a little to dh about getting up at night so he is a little grateful for my "sacrifice" but in actuality I look forward to it very much (shhhhh! ). This may sound crazy but it is the favorite part of my day!

I also sleep really well knowing she is right there. I like being able to reach out and feel her breathe.

I've never thought of myself as AP . . .I thought I would co-sleep for the first four months or so. . .but it is just so easy to nurse, she is happy, and we both get so much more sleep than we would if she were in another room. I guess I will take it one day at a time. I mean, what's the big deal with getting up at night when you don't have to actually get up? Or even totally wake up? I hear lots of complaints from moms about nighttime wakings, but it can be so easy--I never feel sleep deprived.

I can't imagine what it would be like at night if I wasn't breastfeeding. I'm so grateful for the lactation support I received, and grateful I was able to overcome the early hurdles and establish a successful breastfeeding relationship. It makes co-sleeping so effortless. I love that. I am able to be a better mommy for her during the day when I am well rested at night, and I feel like she is really secure, day and night. It all works so well most days, like a well oiled machine, and co-sleeping is a big part of why.

Keri

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i love reading about all the happy moms and babies!

we are now sleeping all in the family bed more and more, as Willow gets older. i'm not so afraid a blanket will cover her face, i've taught her to pull anything that gets on her face right off. plus we're sleeping with a lot less now that it's warm. Willow doesn't wiggle much when she sleeps, so it's easy to keep her tucked into my arm. i'd love to sleep on my other side once in a while, but i don't get too stiff. when we get a king-size bed someday, i'll be able to sleep on either side more easily. we're moving our bed to the floor when she starts crawling (she's sitting up already, where does the time go??!!).

i keep advocating co-sleeping, and all i keep hearing from CIO moms is that their babies are "happy and well-adjusted." but i don't think we can really tell if a child is well-adjusted until they move out into the world and interact with others, you know? i mean i've known families who practiced "detached parenting" whose babies were happy when they were little babies but grew to be fearful or bullies or just not getting along with others. i think it's because they spent so much time alone when they were tiny, you know? of course a crib baby smiles huge when he/she sees mommy - the baby missed her!!

I love stretching my neck out just a little and kissing the top of her head while she sleeps. I love the way she turns her head to find my boob, and if she fails to find it unclothed, she turns away, then turns back again. If she does it enough times, she eventually finds a nipple put in her mouth!

My favorite part is the mornings - we co-sleep w/ our 2 yr old DS and our 2 mo DD, she is in the arm's reach mini b/c DS would kick her! Every morning my son wakes up, rolls over to me and says "good morning, mommy", the he says "see Mei Mei" (little sister)" I pick her up, if I'm not cuddling her already, and he kisses her on the cheek and says "good morning, Mei Mei". Then he climbs on Daddy and gives him a big hug and kiss and says "wake up, Daddy" We all lay in bed for usually about 30 min, watch Sesame Street and cuddle. We switch babies and all love on each other, what a wonderful way to start everyday!

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Sara (aka mommmyinmarch)

Well my dd will be a year next week but my fave part is that she wakes me every morning with a sweet little kiss and a smile. no waking to a crying baby who wants out of their bed.

Hugs

My favorite part is when we're all snuggling, barely awake, in the early morning when the sun starts to rise. Or when my 5 y.o. gets in bed with us too (he sleeps right next to our bed), and we turn on cartoons and all snuggle in together for an hour or two before getting up. Really though, the whole thing is awesome.

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SAH-Homeschooling Mama to my guys, Dec. 99 & July 03