You pegged it, lady. We are co-sleeping strictly via the Paternal Fiat. My wife begged, pleaded even, for me to let her place our baby in a separate crib. "Absolutely NOT," I bellowed, arms akimbo. "Our son will sleep between us and pummel my lower back with his heels! So sayeth I! Now fix me a steak!"
Co-sleeping is a personal choice, which we both made, because we believe it engenders a child with a stronger family bond. Like anything else, it gets better with practice. My wife learned how to nurse on her side, and often she was back asleep before the boy was.
Also like anything else, you can go a little overboard.
Co-sleeping is also mostly a cultural issue, and the U.S. can’t be described as a “co-sleeping country.” Isn’t it interesting, then, to find that the eight countries with the lowest rates of SIDS among newborns are considered "co-sleeping" countries (see p. 36)?
And speaking of arses, the new AAP ruling smells suspiciously like the doctors are covering theirs. Wary of the randomness of SIDS (as well as all those special parents who don't follow safety guidelines and ultimately end up here), the AAP wants to avoid trouble. But it looks like you have a bit of a dilemma on your hands; since the AAP recommends "separate but proximate" sleeping arrangements, however would you manage if a child violated your sacred snugglarium?
I'm laughing out loud, at the thought of my father, insisting that I sleep with him and my mom... not now (I'm in my early 40's) or not then...
Posted by: Beth | Oct 28, 2005 4:44:04 PM