I Fell in Love with Bed-sharing & Co-Sleeping

As a first time mommy, I read up on everything about what is safe and not safe for my baby. Bed sharing and/or co-sleeping is a hot topic when it comes to safety for the baby. Some people think it's not safe to sleep with baby and others don't mind it.  It all depends on how you feel about it when your baby is home with you.  So, I wanted to share some things I have learned about bed sharing and co-sleeping and why I decided to bed share since we got home from the hospital until now (she is now 5 months).


According to the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), "The predominant risk factor for younger infants (0–3 months of age) is bed-sharing, whereas rolling to prone, with objects in the sleep area, is the predominant risk factor for older infants (4 months to 364 days). " Sleep Environment Risks for Younger and Older Infants.  The AAP does not approve of bed sharing and gives some guidelines for a sleep safe environment with your baby AAP expands guidelines for infant sleep safety and SIDS risk reduction. Although the AAP does not approve, there are a lot of sites that list pros and cons about bed-sharing and co-sleeping. I have listed some links at the bottom for you that have some good lists and stories.  There is no wrong or right way to look at this because everyone feels different about this topic.

Some Definitions to know: 

Bed sharing is when the baby sleeps with one or both parents in the same bed. Co-sleeping and Bed-sharing

Co-sleeping is when the baby sleeps close to the parent or parents, whether it is in the same bed or the same room. Co-sleeping and Bed-sharing

SIDS- Sudden Infant Death Syndrome- unexplained death, usually during sleep, of a seemingly healthy baby less than a year old. SIDS is sometimes known as crib death because the infants often die in their cribs.  Diseases and Conditions Sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS)

How I fell in love with Bed-Sharing: 

Before my baby was born I kept saying that the baby had to sleep in her own crib.  I kept thinking that my bed was too small for all of us to fit into. Well, let me tell you that you make it work! When it comes to your baby you will make anything and everything work. So, she has been sleeping with me since we got home from the hospital. It just sort of happened, it was not planned or decided on until we noticed she had her own spot in our bed.

I am exclusively breastfeeding and newborns feed every 2 hours (but it feels more like every hour). The first few weeks were exhausting and the last thing I wanted to do was get out of bed in the
middle of the night.   It was just easier to have her in bed with me so we would place her in the Snuggle Nest and this created her own space in our bed. This is how my baby started sleeping in our bed and it has worked out well for me.

One day we let her sleep without the Snuggle Nest 

I read that breastfeeding through the night helps maintain your milk supply. This was a big deal for me because it took a while for my milk flow to kick in.  I wanted to do everything possible to produce milk for my baby and breastfeeding through the night was one thing I did not skip.

I remember trying to make her sleep in her crib one night and I kept getting up to check up on her and had this anxiety that something could happen to her in the crib (even though she was extremely safe). I realized it was just my separation anxiety that was getting to my head.  That night I had no sleep at all because I would wake up to feed (every 2 hours)  and I would wake up to check on her (every 30 minutes or so). That was the last time we tried to have her sleep in her crib.  Just knowing that she was at arms length makes me sleep better because I know I can just see her right next to me.

Currently, my baby sleeps in my bed, in her Snuggle Nest, right in between my boyfriend and I and we both love it. The Snuggle Nest is small and she is starting to grow out of it, but our plan is to put her in her crib to sleep once she completely does not fit in it. The crib is in our room, so we will still be co-sleeping.  I am still not ready for her to be too far away from me when we sleep.  Eventually I will put her crib in her own room and have her sleep alone, but I do not see that happening this year. Maybe after she turns 1.

In her Snuggle Nest every night 

There is so much information about co-sleeping and bed sharing. Ultimately, the decision is yours as a parent.  If your a new parent to be I suggest you read about it and just do what you think is best for your child.  If your already a parent and reading this, then I would love to know if you also bed-share or co-sleep and how it is going for you in the comment section. 

Here are some sites I read and found helpful and interesting:

• Co-sleeping and Bed-sharing • KellyMom.com
• Myths and Truths About Co-Sleeping - The Bump
• Bed-Sharing - KidsHealth
• Co-sleeping and safety - BabyCentre
• Pros & Cons of Co-Sleeping | What to Expect