As a new parent, there are so many things that you learn about yourself when the baby finally arrives. Before we became parents, I always pictured that I would do things a certain way. One of those things is having the baby sleep in her bassinet/crib at the very start so that the baby could get used to it. Now that we have been blessed with our baby, I can tell you those plans went right out the window.
Ever since the day I was able to stay at the hospital with the baby, she has slept either on my chest or by my side. The doctors and nurses at the hospital told me to hold her as much as possible because that would help calm and sooth her from the withdrawals she had to go through. Who knows what long term effects a drug exposed baby will have so I took those words as gospel. She always seemed to be calmed so quickly with me holding her and letting her sleep on my chest. I wasn’t able to form an attachment with her since I didn’t carry her but with co-sleeping; we really have made a strong attachment. Now that she is turning one, the sleeping has gotten much better. Yes, she still sleeps with us in our bed but she also has stared sleeping in her crib too. Now if only I didn’t worry so much about her being all alone in the crib, maybe I could get some sleep. I always think of a million reasons to check on her like “Is she too hot or cold?”, “Did I just hear a cough or cry”, “I haven’t heard a noise in 5 minutes, and I better go check!” I’m sure I am not alone in the paranoia of something happening while they sleep.
I know co-parenting can be a debate for some people. For some people, it’s an absolute no in their household. I say, you do whatever you are most comfortable with and what is safest for the baby. You are the person you knows you, your home, and baby best. There are ways to co-sleep without having them in the bed with you. There are bassinets, sidecar cribs, and travel sleep bassinets that can go on your bed so that the baby is still within reach while you are in bed. Try putting the crib in the room for a bit, that way you are still close to them if needed. I can say that we tried the bassinet but the baby only wanted to be on my chest for the first 6 months of her life. Then we moved to sleeping next to us in our bed and now she sleeps in her crib half the time and with us the other half. It’s a gradual thing and that’s what works for us. One plus for us of co-sleeping is the attachment the baby and I were able to form very quickly. Another is that it improved sleep time for the baby and me. When she sleeps with us, I sleep much better because I am right there snuggling her up and can jump into action if she needs anything in the night. Feeding time got easier in the night as well. I didn’t have to fumble in the dark for bottles and get her out of her crib. I could just roll over, make her bottle, and feed her and we both are back to sleep in a few short minutes.
Always consider the pros and cons when deciding what’s right for you and your children. There are risks with anything but for us, we chose to co-sleep. If you choose to co-sleep in your bed, here are some tips to make sure you are safe:
- Make the baby sleep on their back – this lowers the risk of SIDS(Sudden Infant Death Syndrome)
- Keep your baby warm – make sure to not overdress or undress, co-sleeping can increase body temp so be aware
- Make sure you baby proof the bed – check for spaces baby can get stuck in between, have tight sheets and minimal blankets/pillows around the baby
- Try to get on a feeding schedule during the night and gradual build up the times in between so that you and baby get more ZZZZ’s
- C Position when sleeping – Lie on your side and face the baby and curl around him/her. This will help with you moms who nurse since they will be level with the breast area.
Thanks for reading and Happy Snuggles!!
