Friday, November 8, 2013
Week 2: On Mother's Lap
On Mother's Lap is one of my most favorite books to read to my children. It is a wonderful story about a mother always having room for her children, regardless of the situation. It is a great book for quiet moments and snuggling. I particularly like it because it does not directly address potential jealousy of siblings and instead reinforces the idea of there always being a place for that child. I also love the book because it depicts a baby sleeping in a bed versus a crib; as a co-sleeping family, it is nice to see a representation of our family in literature.
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See, there are so many books that I haven't read. I am always happy to see someone suggest a good one. A question for you,
ReplyDelete"Did you choose co-sleeping prior to your babies being born or did it turn into co-sleeping?" I ask for two reasons, one my daughters both slept with me. My big girl who is 10 now sleeps in her own room, and can't sleep when she is in my bed, and ends up going back to her own room..My littlest who is 7 is still sleeping with me. I am single, so I don't mind. She is afraid of her room, and since my girls are adopted, I am funny about what fears I make them face, and what fears I let them take their time to face. How early did you start the co-sleeping?
Hi Julz,
DeleteI didn't know much about co-sleeping before having my first baby. I knew that I wanted him to sleep next to me in a bassinet for at least the first few months, but I also had a crib in the nursery for him to use. I was a nanny for many babies but really did not think about where or how they slept beyond "back to sleep" for SIDS prevention. The night we brought our son home from the hospital, it was immediately apparent that there was no way in the world that I would feel comfortable having him sleep in a completely separate room. I wasn't even comfortable having him next to me in the bassinet because there was enough distance that I couldn't hear him so I was constantly checking to make sure that he was still breathing. I realized that if he was sleeping on my chest, I could feel and hear him breathing and my anxiety could dissipate enough to allow me to sleep. Co-sleeping came from that, and we never looked back. We co-slept from the very beginning with our second child, who is now three, and will do so until she is ready to transition to her own bed.
The other reason is, I have many parents who I tell to make sure their kindergarteners have at least 11 hours of sleep. Some tell me their kids WON"T go to bed and it is a battle. One mom told me she put the child's mattress in the room with them. I asked and she said that made the situation a bit better, but they couldn't do that every night. I asked why? She didn't really have an answer other than "He's 5 and should be ready." I told her as long as he is sleeping, don't worry about it now..So, my question is did others tell you that at certain age your kids were too old to co-sleep? My opinion is that they will grow out of it.
ReplyDeleteMy son mostly stopped co-sleeping shortly after he turned five (he will be six in January), but he still ends up in our bed at least two or three nights per week. He still likes for my husband or I to lay with him each night until he falls asleep, but he enjoys having his own space to sleep, mostly because he prefers to sleep without covers and I compulsively re-cover him when he sleeps in our bed as I just can't handle his limbs being cold. While we like the added space of having fewer people in the bed, he is welcome to sleep with us for as long as he needs to.
DeleteI haven't had anyone tell me that my children are too old to co-sleep, but if they did, I would refer them by one of my favorite books/resources "Our Babies, Ourselves: How Biology and Culture Shape the Way We Parent" by Meredith Small. I have referenced this book many times when defending the practice of co-sleeping in general; the author, who is a cultural anthropologist, addresses how normal and beneficial sleeping as a family unit is as well as the fact that the United States is the minority in terms of sleeping practices. Almost 70% of the world co-sleeps while the United States places children in separate rooms and in separate beds.
Lastly- your seven year old might like the book "The Biggest Bed in the World" by Lindsay Camp. She might be a bit old for it, but it's a great story about co-sleeping. Sorry for the long response! : )
I am googling both books today! I am a believer in co=sleeping. It everyone is resting well, What's the problem!!
ReplyDelete