Sunday, September 27, 2009

Nothing better on a cool autumn night...

Is it bad that I treat my children as teddy bears/bed warmers? I just love nothing better on a cold night then grabbing a warm cuddly little bundle of sleeping baby and pulling it in close to me. I love the way their hair smells and the sound of their breathing. I feel safe, and not only that, I know they are safe, close to me.

Now, for some reason I have a lot of friends who won't admit they sleep with their kids. Or, if they do admit it, there is always a caveat telling people not to worry because it's only in the mornings or occasionally when everyone was too tired to go back to their own beds. Did I miss some piece of common knowledge that says that sleeping with your babies is almost as bad as driving without a car seat? I would like to publicly state that I have my babies sleep with me. I don't worry about rolling over onto them in the middle of the night for the same reason I don't worry that I will roll on top of Ontario or suddenly fall off the bed. Even when I am sleeping, I know where I am, and I know who is nearby. I don't worry about them suffocating on the blankets. They are tucked in close to me and I keep the blankets off their faces. Our sleep patterns match each other, so we naturally wake up at the same times. I can hear when they start making the first little sounds of hunger, so I can feed them before it becomes a screaming match and we are both completely awake and cranky. I sleep so much better, knowing where they are, knowing they feel safe, and not having to miss my babies all night.

I know some people don't sleep with their kids because they don't get a good nights rest. They wake up whenever the baby makes a sound, or they worry to much about the baby getting hurt to relax and go to sleep. That is fine. I think people should sleep in whatever arrangement lets everyone in the house get the most rest. But if you secretly enjoy it when your baby somehow makes their way into your bed, don't feel ashamed or like you are breaking some rule. Just enjoy it, and give that baby all the cuddles it wants.

And now, I am going to go snuggle under my blankets with my sweet little Tommy boy and head off to dreamland...

5 comments:

Bonny said...

Our kids slept with us forever! And I loved it too. It got a little tight when they both ended up in the bed, since we only have a queen and we're not small people. It's just been recently that both kids are sleeping through the night in their own beds. And my oldest is almost 5! And there are still nights he'll wake up and come in our bed, and we're fine with that. So, I agree, no need to feel bad about co-sleeping at all!

Vanessa said...

The only reason that I am opposed to such things is that I stay awake all night long. Even my babies get moved out of my room fairly quickly becuase of the noises and movements that they make. Naomi growled in her sleep. I couldn't take it. I don't mind other people doing it, and actually on a rough day Victor will climb into bed and take a nap snuggling with me. I just can't handle it at night, especially everynight.

Emily M said...

I love it. So true and nice. They move along soon enough, so enjoy it while you can! It is nice to know that they are safe and warm. I am constantly obsessing that my big boys' blankets have fallen off.

Jason & Natashia McLean Family said...

Tyson slept in our bed till 9 months... and i plan to do it with #2

Jen said...

Thanks for the post Meggan--and for the comments on my blog!

It is silly that so many people do sleep with their babies--but don't want to admit it!

I definately feel safer with my baby tucked in next to me. Then I know he is breathing, safe, warm, and comfortable. Now, if only we could be as comfortable.

If the attempt to transition him to his crib fails...maybe we will try upgrading to a King!