Austin Moms BLog | Bed Sharing :: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

I’ll admit, our family did not plan on being a family that shared the bed, but with our first daughter, it just kind of happened and we never turned back.  When she was an infant she would sleep in her crib some of the time, but nursing and pure exhaustion, landed her in our bed most nights.  Once she learned to stand in her crib she would not go to sleep.  Now knowing her personality, the girl does not like to sleep and is so afraid of missing out. Too bad she doesn’t understand the only thing she is missing out on is my husband and I eating snacks and binge watching Netflix.  Either way, we have morphed into a bed sharing family and most nights our bed is a party of five.  If you have ever shared a bed with your kids you might be able to relate.

Cosleeping

  • When someone hears that you share your bed with your kids, the look that crosses their face will make you wonder if you have corn stuck in your teeth or perhaps you grew a third eyeball. Parents who share their bed in the United States are in the minority, unlike the rest of the world.
  • You will learn to play the game of musical beds. Some nights the kids start in their beds, travel to ours, and my husband and I end up catching zzz’s while tucked away in tractor and pony sheets.
  • Bed sharing may qualify you for a black belt in karate. You will have knees and elbows constantly thrown your way.  You will learn to defend yourself, even as you sleep and if you fail to do so, you will wake up with mysterious bruises.
  • Bed sharing will allow any illness to be passed around faster than Taylor Swift can write another boy anthem.
  • Bed sharing is not really about YOUR sleep, it is more about how well the kids can sleep.
  • You know that one position in yoga class you could never quite master? Leave it to bed sharing to encourage your flexibility and balance.  You will wake up on the edge of the bed more nights than not.
  • Some nights you may start to dream you are basking in the sun on a tranquil beach as the warm water pushes up from the ocean to touch your skin. The reality is that you are soaked in pee yet again, and you have to find a way to strip the sheets, your clothes, their clothes, and start a load of laundry.  Ha!  Who am I kidding, throw a towel down and deal with it in the morning.  (Don’t act like you have never done it!)
  • Sex? What is that?  Only joking!  Bed sharing does not mean you lose your sex life, but it does mean you may have to be intimate outside of your bed…GASP!  Channel your pre-baby self, if this seems like a distant memory.
  • It’s the one time throughout the entire day where you kids appear to be angels and look as though they are getting along.  Take a picture to remember this peacefulness!
My sleeping angels
My sleeping angels
  • We all know this can be a hot topic and there is evidence supporting both sides of the argument on bed sharing. Personally I love bed sharing, as does my husband.  For our family, there is nothing like knowing everyone is safe and sound in the same room.  We love to cuddle up next to their warm little bodies and wake to their smiling faces in the morning.

 KellyLingHealthcrazedHamiltonsmile

Do you share your bed with your kids?

ambBEDSHARING

 

6 COMMENTS

  1. After the first we never even put up a crib! Awesome post, right down to the beach at high tide! Sex happens – 2&3 got here!

  2. This is our family too! Our kids were never in cribs, though we transitioned them to their own beds and rooms around 3-4 years old. There’s a party of five in our bed most nights now too, despite them starting off in their own rooms at lights out. I’m pretty skilled in sleeping on 3 inches of our king sized bed. We find it endearing and sweet..and before we know it, this phase will be over. Just enjoying it while it lasts. 🙂

  3. My first born son has co-slept with me and my boyfriend now for 4 months. I’m transitioning him (as I type) to sleeping on his own sitting on my bedroom floor ready to rock him at the sound of his first peep! I absolutely loved co-sleeping, but now it’s time for me to transition him to his own bed and be a sleep deprived momma for a few days! Anyhow I just thought it was awesome that I was scrolling through my newsfeed on Facebook and landed on this article thank you for writing!

  4. I never thought we’d be a bed-sharing family, but that’s what we’re doing right now…and I secretly love it. I love watching my kids sleep, and we get more sleep, too!

  5. We bed share too! She slept in her own rocker right next to our bed for the first 4 months, but once she was strong enough to roll over on her own and sit up unassisted, we moved her to our bed. She usually falls asleep in our bed, then gets moved to the crib so i can have an hour or two with hubby, and then we all go to bed together. And i totally feel you on the towel thing! Been there, done that (more than once)!

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