We didn't plan to co-sleep with Abbie, it just kinda happened..she was quite a clever baby, especially when it came to bedtime, we got her into a good routine at about 8 weeks, but the one thing she struggled to do was fall asleep by herself, so we would take it in turns to rocking her/singing to her among many things, she would fall asleep rather quickly but as soon as she was placed in her cot... wide awake, we would leave her to hopefully put herself back to sleep (we never ever let her cry) but she would just lay there smiling and cooing...
So we ended up bringing her into our bed and she would sleep solidly for a few hours at a time, that's all we needed, we were literally trying to survive on about an hours sleep a night and it just wasn't good for anyone! Of course people made comments and judged our decision but in my opinion, unless you're going through the motions of those first few weeks, nobody has the right to judge! So you do what you need to do and focus on your happiness, and try and save some sanity if you can..
When she was about 3 months old she started becoming a bit clingy at night time, I wasnt allowed to leave her by herself (and I was always anxious about her rolling out anyway), so I'd have to stay upstairs with her, she wanted her legs against mine and a boob in her mouth for the whole night..it was becoming exhausting, I didn't mind staying with her as long as she would sleep next to me rather than ON me! So we looked online and decided to get a cot to attach to our bed, the price range really varies but we managed to get ourselves a good deal, I think it was bout £60! She wasn't too keen at first and we didn't force her at all, it was there if she wanted to scoot over but we just wanted to get her used to it at first..Safe to say, she didn't take to it very well, so although it is still up, we don't make her sleep in it!Almost 3 years later and yes she still sleeps with us, it still works perfectly and she's so happy being close to us! I honestly think our bond is stronger having been together at bedtime for this long! Having said that, now she's finally sleeping through the night (most of the time), i've been thinking about possibly setting up her own big girl bed, in our room still, but so she is used to sleeping alone in her own bed, then explain that she can have her own bedroom too, where all her toys and books are! I've been looking at children's beds from RoomtoGrow (one of my favorite websites) and have fallen in love with a few there,
Watching Abbie fall asleep is so amazing, feeling her little body relax and knowing she's content and happy because I am there with her, and seeing her little face first thing in the morning, with the biggest smile on her face, then laying back down to have snuggles for half an hour, it's my favorite part of the day! :)
If you are thinking about co-sleeping, have a read online or speak to your HV or GP, just for safety reasons and to give you peace of mind too! It's not for everyone, but for us it was the best decision, for some reason it's frowned upon to share a bed with your child, they are pushed to grow up so quickly nowadays but being close to your parents at night is actually something that should be encouraged, this article is spot on with the benefits, as long as it is carried out safely, it might just be the best thing you've ever done! x