Co-sleeping is not something I thought I'd ever do...

except for the first couple of months which didn't happen because the sleeper attachment we had didn't work well due to my having a c-section.  So, Austin slept his crib from about 4 weeks old until this past December. 

We even did the "sleep training" because I was determined to get a decent night's sleep.  We went through a week of wailing, crying and holing up in our bedroom waiting for bombs to drop out of the sky each night.  After a week, Austin had "learned" to put himself to sleep.  Even for naps!

Then, our motherf*(king furnace broke.  (Yes, I just used strong language because I listened to my baby scream and cry for an hour each night).  It broke in the middle of winter and it was so freezing cold in our house that we had to go stay in a hotel for four nights.  Now, parents reading this will understand what this means.  Basically it means if your baby knows how to put him/herself to sleep that the game is over if you are sharing a room.  And, so we shared a hotel room for four nights and it actually went pretty well.  Then we went home for a a few days then off, flying to Texas for two weeks where, we would again be sharing a room.  So much for having a baby that can put himself to sleep especially after the RSV episode where the three of us were squeezed onto a full size bed.  It's an experience.

Long story short:  I gave up on the "sleep training" because when we got back from Texas, guess what?!  We moved to a new house and every sleep baby book says sleep training after a big adjustment such as moving or traveling or teething is a no-no.  Then guess what?!  Austin's molars started coming in which meant basically waking up many times during the night screaming in pain.  I wasn't going to put him in a new room, teething, in pain by himself.  So, the co-sleeping/bedsharing continued...

Dr. Sears' simple definition of co-sleeping: Mother and baby sleeping within arm's reach of one another.

And, it still goes on now.  I realize my child is 14 months old and that some people see this as being "radical".  These same people would probably think it strange if a mom was still breastfeeding her 14 month old or carrying them in a carrier (which I still do also - the carrier part).  And after doing some reading, it dawned on me that this is mainly called "attachment parenting" which when I thought of this term I always thought of hippie parents living in a van off-the-grid in the middle of the woods somewhere.  Basically, the term means being near your baby, babywearing, co-sleeping, breastfeeding - learning your child's rhythm's and being there right away to take care of your baby's needs. 

Dr. Sears has wonderful books explaining how attachment parenting works, what it consists of and how it usually leads to a better behaved child later on.  I definitely consider him an expert since he has eight children of his own.  He says to be wary of "sleep trainers" and of course I cringed when I read that part, sigh. 

There's a theory that leaving one's child to "learn to sleep" on their own is a reason for most of the sleep problems in the Western countries today as most newborns/babies are placed in a separate room to sleep.

Each night, I lay with Austin and feed him a few ounces, give him a few sips of water, place the pacifier in his mouth and he drifts off to sleep in my arms, then transfer him to the pack n' play next to our bed.  Some nights are much more difficult than others I will admit.  It's not always smooth sailing.  Often times, I'll pull Austin into bed with us before we go to sleep as he seems to rest better in between us.  This all works for us now.  We'll see what happens during the months down the road.

"Oh boy, he'll sleep with you until he's 12!"

"You hold him too much that's why he's not walking."

"He needs to cry and work it out for himself."

"You're spoiling him!"

Ahhh, yes, those are other people's opinions so thank GOD he's my child.