Co-sleeping Survey

We interrupt this blog to bring you the following public service announcement:

Many families around the world have allowed their children to sleep in the same bed as the parents. My family is no different. Currently, there is a movement by some government organizations (and some private ones) to label co-sleeping as a habit of neglect and abuse towards children. I think this is outrageous and that the exact opposite is true. What they call co-sleeping is actually exhausted parents falling asleep with a baby on the couch. This is not the same thing as what my family does.

Co-sleeping has allowed my family to maintain its sanity. Had I not been able to sleep in the same bed as Charlotte I would have far fewer hours of sleep and most likely would have given up breastfeeding in favor of a bottle in hopes of putting Charlotte into a formula coma each night.

If you did or are co-sleeping with your children, please take a minute (quite literally) to click over and take this survey. "By answering this short survey you can help give respect and recognition to yourself and the many families who co-sleep safely."

Comments

  1. AnonymousFri May 30, 11:00:00 AM EDT

    OK, so here's my opinion. I've learned not to judge since every family is different, but here's really what I think. I posted this comment on the survey, but I'm not sure that this was what they were looking for...

    I feel that cosleeping is somewhat irresponsible as the child will at some point need to learn to sleep is his/her own bed. Cosleeping only delays this resonsibility and makes the transition more difficult for both child and parent.

    ReplyDelete
  2. JenniferFri May 30, 12:12:00 PM EDT

    Michelle, thanks for the not judging part. I like to believe myself that all parents do what is best for their children and while I definitely advocate co-sleeping and breastfeeding, I wasn't posting this survey info to judge anyone. Only people who choose to remain uneducated about the benefits of all of the above are open to being judged in my book.

    I don't think co-sleeping makes the transition MORE difficult. The transition has to happen at some point, either immediately out of the womb or later, and it will never be easy. Rare is the baby who is born and immediately content to sleep alone. After 9 months in the womb, being alone is pretty high on the "ways to irritate baby" list.

    For a baby that wakes a few times a night, co-sleeping allows the baby and the mother to get back to sleep faster... which makes most people happy.

    I will say... the best sleep arrangement for any family is the one where everyone in THAT family is getting the sleep, love, nourishment, and attention they need. (I stole that from Dr. Sears.)

    Thanks for commenting.

    ReplyDelete
  3. DocFri May 30, 10:56:00 PM EDT

    I have to agree with Michelle here that co-sleeping simply delays the responsibility kids need to take for their own sleep habits. After all, good parenting is about developing babies into responsible adults, right? To that end, I say we also quit delaying their responsibilities in other areas, too.

    It's time little Charlotte got a job and started paying some rent around here. If we don't want her mooching off of us forever, she needs to eventually become a productive member of society. So, why wait?

    And I am, quite frankly, tired of diapers. I say we sit her on the toilet and tell her to take care of herself. She'll either succeed or fall in; sink or swim. She needs to take some responsibility and how much more basic does it get than using a toilet?

    And why should I read her stories at night? We want her to read for herself one day. So, if I read to her, aren't I simply delaying the responsibility to read for herself? Who wouldn't want someone else to do the reading for them? Heck, there's an entire industry of audiobooks. But I don't want Charlotte doomed to a life of telling people she hasn't read something because it isn't out on audiobook yet.

    Thanks Michelle for helping me realize that my job as a parent is to quit allowing my 9-month old to be so dependent on me.

    ReplyDelete
  4. roseys madhouseMon Jun 02, 02:11:00 AM EDT

    Hi Jennifer I found your blog through Rick. I co-slept with all my kids and I am all for it especially if your breastfeeding and I truly believe that people that dont believe in co-sleeping are people that bottle feed their babies.
    I went and did the survey as I am sure alot of people have. If I had my way I would still be co-sleeping with my youngest whom is 4.5 yrs old as it is nice to watch them sleep, when I was a single parent it was alot easier to co-sleep with them but since meeting my husband we enjoy not having any kids in bed with us.
    Mind you when one of them are sick we put them into our bed to keep an eye on them or we sleep in their bed.
    As you said though it is up to the parent as to what they do with their child but as you said they have been attached to us for 9 months so to then put them in a room on their own and expect them to handle that is ridiculous

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Thanks for commenting! Be sure to leave an email address in your profile or in your comment if you'd like a reply.

Popular posts from this blog

Giveaway: Bake Me A Wish

Image
This giveaway is closed. When I came home from running errands recently, I saw a big box sitting on my doorstep. As I got closer, the anticipation built and then I realized it was a Vanilla Bean Cake from Bake Me A Wish! Woo hoo! This was a review I knew my husband would enjoy participating in. The Vanilla Bean cake from Bake Me a Wish! came packed in a cooler and ice pack because it is perishable. It took self control, but I put it in the fridge straight away and waited patiently for my husband to come home so we could celebrate life. When we finally got to sample the cake, I put some candles on it so Charlotte could practice blowing them out. We are slowly getting ready for the big day of her birthday party and have never put candles on a cake for her before. As I was enjoying my slice of the Vanilla Bean Cake, Bruce and I brainstormed when this type of cake service might be useful. And here is the list we came up with: When you want a gourmet cake, but don't have acces...
Read more

Win Free Cereal

Image
This giveaway is closed. Winners will be announced later this weekend. I've definitely been on the giveaway wagon recently and am glad to be participating in the Fall Bloggy Giveaways Carnival. For this giveaway, I have FOUR (yes, you read that right - 4 winners!) full-price coupons for a new cereal from General Mills. Per their marketing, this cereal " combines great-tasting chocolatey puffs with vanilla puffs, a classic combination that kids love. Even better, Cocoa Puffs Combos is made with whole grain and is a good source of Calcium and Vitamin D." I love cereal. I could eat it for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and as a snack in between all of those. I am particularly fond of Lucky Charms. The crunchy combined with the sweet marshmallows gets me every time. All you have to do to enter is tell me what your favorite cereal is and leave some way for me to contact you, either through a blog or e-mail. This giveaway is open to US residents only (because I don't think t...
Read more

Note to Self

Image
This giveaway is closed. Winners will be announced later this weekend. Warning: Since I typically have a family-friendly blog, I want to let my readers know that this post is not safe for little eyes. Have you ever sat down with a new friend and found you stayed up way too late talking about every subject under the sun? Discussing religion, careers, and yes, even sex, even though you've only known each other for a very short period of time? That is what it was like for me to read Note to Self - On Keeping a Journal and Other Dangerous Pursuits , by Samara O'Shea. Once I started it, I felt like Samara and I were just hanging out on my couch, sipping decaf lattes and having a conversation. (Okay, Samara might be sipping something harder, but I'm still nursing.) It was that easy to read. The basic premise of her newest book is teaching people how to write in a journal, by sharing her own journal entries. Personally, she wrote for therapy, sharing "A journal is an effecti...
Read more