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Tuesday, January 27, 2009

Family bed

Mike and I have been really good at not letting Olivia sleep in our bed. When she was still waking up at 3 AM to eat I would sometimes forget to put her back in her bed when I fell asleep. But I couldn't sleep well because I was paranoid about rolling over her so I made a huge effort to always put her back. Now that she sleeps through the night that hasn't been a problem.

The past two weeks she has been waking up around 5:30 looking for her binky and I haven't let her cry to see if she would go back to bed. I always get up and put the binky in her mouth. Sometimes she goes back to sleep immediately and sometimes it falls out. Sometimes I put it back into her mouth and sometimes I bring her into our bed. She seems to always sleep so much better and faster when she is in the bed with us. I think it is the body heat from Mike and me.

Most of the books I read were very adamant about the baby sleeping in her own bed and moving the baby into her own room. Olivia has slept in her pack in play in our room since she was born and I was planning on moving her into her own room after she was 3 months. She is four months now and I haven't even attempted to move her into her own room. She seems so little to have to sleep in her own room.

I love having her in our room. Even though she sleeps through the night now it brings me some type of comfort that she is near to us. It has surprised me how much I love Olivia to sleep in the bed with me. On the weekends I try to take a nap with her in our bed.

My lesson learned is I know this can grow into a bad habit and I should stop doing it sooner than later. I do more of these things for my comfort and not hers. It is a lot harder to cut the cord for me than I expected.

5 comments:

Julie said...

Ryleigh has always slept in the swing in the living room. Granted our living room is right outside our bedroom, but still. I felt weird leaving such a tiny baby out there when we first brought her home. Now it's not big deal. I'm even ready to put her in her room on the other side of the living room, just cause I'm used to her not being in our room. But... I have discovered I love taking naps with her in my bed. She naps so good there on her tummy (I know bad mommy!), I can actually get a decent nap in too. I've transplanted organs from babies that were smothered sleeping in bed with their parents and that's my personal reason as to why I wouldn't do it at night with Chris in the bed. I don't think a nap here or there will create a habit will it?

Emily said...

You know where I am on this! Kyler did sleep downstairs the last 2 nights!Yeah Arleigh!!! Unfortunatley Adie has moved right into his spot! I guess they're only little once.

Jenny said...

You're right, it is a lot harder to change a behavior when they get older (but it is super hard to do, I still give in to Pearl all the time). For us, it was best to have Pearl in her own bed from the start. Sure we went through a phase (well mostly me) where I would let her sleep in our bed for a few hours in the early morning but soon it got to be a habit and we couldn't get her out. Now she won't even lay down on our bed. I would say start now one, because it will save you heartache later when she can really scream and cry and two, it's safer than having her in your own bed.

Alabama Apples said...

I hear you on kiddies. We're still weaning Josiah off our bed (only periodically) and we can't seem to kick Gav out, he keeps showing up like a bad penny- a stumbling half-asleep one. Thankfully Gunnison doesn't like to sleep in our bed. He prefers his own space. I love cuddling up and snoozing with my babies, though. The way sleeping children smell is so sweet!

Rawlins Research said...

I get to have Taylor in the early morning, way to early for this old grandma to be awake. She has her own bed in our room, but I'm to selfish to waste a minute of her time. So we always tell a story and snuggle together until it's time for normal people to face the sun. They're tiny for such a short time. When I put her in her bed she crawls out and comes to the side of my bed, holds her hands up and just looks at me waiting. Yep, I'm trained! I'll let her mom and dad by the bad guys.