If you come visit our home, you will find a comfy two bedroom condo. One bedroom is set up as a playroom for our daughters and the other as our bedroom. You will not find a crib or toddler bed anywhere in sight. Why? Because our bedroom is literally our bedroom, as in our entire family’s bedroom! We’re a co-sleeping family.

For us co-sleeping, or having a family bed, has been a way of life since we became parents. It came naturally to us and fit in perfectly with our daughter’s needs for sleeping. When our newest little girl was on her way we made a decision to stick with what’s worked. So every night my husband, our toddler, myself and our 6 month old (in that order) pile into our lovely king sized bed. Our girls go down around 7pm and are up between 6am-7am; my husband and I go to bed later in the evening and everyone gets a good night’s sleep.

Co-sleeping isn’t exactly the topic to brag about. Many parents do it, whether it be all through the night or just part of the night, but it’s tough to find support. People can be very critical and really their criticism is just their not understanding 1- the logistics of how it works, 2- how it could possibly be comfortable and 3- how it could be good for a child. Some people say I’m brave to tell people so openly about our family bed but I do it for two reasons – first, because after having kids I could give a damn about other people’s opinions and second, I think people need to hear that it happens and that it’s normal.

Since we got our king sized bed I marvel at how we ever fit into a queen sized bed. The king sized bed is essential for comfort. As far as the benefits to our kids, I truly believe co-sleeping gives kids a sense of security and any kid can benefit from having a feeling of being safe. As for the logistics, there’s nothing that different from sleeping in a crib or toddler bed. Sure we had to figure out what order to sleep in but besides that it’s still swaddle, nurse and sleep.

I’ve never met a co-sleeper who judged “cribbers” harshly so hopefully by sharing my family bed experience folks will ease up on us co-sleepers. If I were prone to bumper stickers I’d plaster my car with ones that say, “3 Rules for parening: Do what works for your family, dont’ judge others and trust yourself.” Lengthy, I know, but that’s why I’m not in the bumper sticker writing business!

Do you practice some form of co-sleeping? How do you handle criticism? Hooray for co-sleepers!

-Carla

Disclaimer: As with any sleeping arrangement, precautions should always be made so infants and toddlers are safe during sleep. Be sure to educate yourself on good co-sleeping practices. If you choose to use a crib or toddler bed, you should also educate yourself on the best practices for safe sleep in those situations.