Alien Cosleeping

We cosleep. There. I said it. Now you can judge me.

Except of course, everything I've read has led me to very specific conclusions about cosleeping, and then again, I haven't said what kind I do, and you don't know my reasons for doing it.

Everything I've read points me to the thought that cosleeping is best. Now, cosleeping includes room-sharing and bed-sharing. No matter which kind we're talking about however, it has benefits. It decreases SIDS risk. It increases sleep. It helps mother and baby bond. It makes breastfeeding easier. It even helps baby's development!

As to what kind I do? Well I do both...though mostly we bed-share (alright, now you can berate me). Yes, I'm evil and don't care about my baby. I'm uneducated and exposing my baby to more risks...blah blah blah. Clearly.

You know why we bed-share? Because kiddo likes it. Honestly. We have a cosleeper, but kiddo doesn't sleep well in it. He sleeps better with me. In the cosleeper he startles himself awake (or gets frustrated in a swaddle). He cries more and because of this, none of us sleep well (Christian startles awake as much as kiddo does because he freaks out at every little noise kiddo makes!).

In the bed, kiddo gets to eat whenever he likes (which he really likes). He doesn't startle and he doesn't cry.  He prefers to nuzzle right up against me using me as a pillow (though I do put him on his back to start, he's already rolling on his own). And in bed, he can easily sleep 4 hour stretches (We only had to wake up once last night ! Woohoo!).

Don't worry. We practice safe bed-sharing. Loose fabric is away from kiddo's face (or anywhere remotely near) and there aren't any fluffy objects nearby either. The cat doesn't come by his head (not even remotely). Kiddo sleeps on his back. The mattress is firm. And apparently safe bed-sharing decreases SIDS risk dramatically among other awesome things (according to the above link)...so I don't feel guilty.

In fact, I feel good about doing this. Everyone sleeps better because of this practice. In my gut it feels right...probably because for thousands of years mothers have been doing the exact same thing.

So yes, I breastfeed, cloth diaper, and cosleep. I'm such a traditionalist.