Co-sleeping starts out with good intentions, especially for breastfeeding moms – I know it did for me. However, by the time my daughter was about 15 months old, into her own bed she went. I did not REALLY want a child in bed with me. It was only convenient for feeding. However, I know plenty of families who have had kids in their bed until the kids are 5-6 years old. I think that’s too long.
I remember my ex-husband’s niece sleeping in her mom’s bed until she was about 10 years old. That’s just crazy. When my ex and I got divorced, my daughter slept in his king sized bed with him for quite a while too – I’d say until she was about 8 years old or so. But when she was here, she would sleep in her own bed, no problem. He would tell me that it wasn’t a big deal and that she had plenty of time to sleep alone in her own bed, blah, blah, blah….yea, until he got a serious girlfriend and uhh, well the whole kid in the bed thing didn’t really work out.
So, I wonder, do ‘we’ as parents co-sleep out of convenience – like I did, easier to breastfeed, and my ex did, because I know he didn’t really want to sleep alone. Is it to wave the white flag during battle – you know, child throws a fit until you allow him to sleep in bed.
My reasoning is quite simple – I’m selfish. I loved the snuggle time I have with my babies when they were infants but as they got older the restlessness and crazy sleep positions just kept me awake. I was no longer getting proper sleep. I am no good to anyone without proper sleep, not even on high doses of caffeine! So I would say, getting children accustomed to sleeping soundly in their own bed should happen before the age of two.
Thoughts? Did you or do you co-sleep?
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