A Case for the Family Bed - by Denise Punger

It's getting really crowded in my bed, but I would not insist on changing our nighttime co-sleeping routine until the boys are ready because:

--I love seeing them when they are sleeping. They are angelic.

--Reading together and falling asleep together is a loving routine. For me it is easier than other kinds of bed time schedules.

--Waking up together is even more enjoyable. I don't know what it is about the mood in the morning, but when we have a chance to linger in bed and laugh, share, and play peek-a-boo, it is my favorite time of sharing.

--On days that we are busy as adults, bed-sharing seems to make up for lost time.

--Sleeping together is also healing for them as they go through emotionally difficult times.

--I remember when I was single, studying, and not dating, nighttime was a lonely time. I would not expect or want my young ones to be separated at night and be exposed to unnecessary or unwanted alone time.

--They can't be in trouble if they are next to me.

--Less sheets to wash. Less beds to make. I am going to enjoy it while it lasts.

--There is less "scared of the dark."

--It is energy efficient, if you only want to regulate the temperature in one room.

--Bed sharing saves on heat because childrens bodies generate heat.

--Sometimes one of the boys wakes-up at night and wants me to accompany them to the bathroom. I suspect if they woke up alone, they would not go to the toilet and would have a wet bed. I would incorrectly call this enuresis.

--If we lived in caves or tents out in the forest would we put them in their own cave or tent at night to be taken away by a night predator.

--When we visit relatives (the ones who oppose our family bed) we take up only one bed and room.

--And finally, makes breastfeeding at night alot easier.

I suspect when the boys move to their own bed, they will go together and share bunks or a full.