Monday, April 11, 2011

When your bed's a public spectacle

If what you thought when you read that title was x rated, you are reading the wrong blog. When people hear about our bed they want to see pictures like it's a public spectacle. Usually they want to see out of a curiosity or because they want to copy the idea not because they think I'm nuts (which is what you'd think).  They don't because even parents who don't regularly share their bed or won't admit to it, still occasionally do for their own sanity.  I am sure there are people out there that can survive on 2 hours of sleep or get up at 2 am for the 6th time since they laid down. For me, 6 hours of sleep is really pushing it. You do not want to see me on less sleep than that.

When S6 was born we had a small house. We had such a large age gap the older kids were in school. I didn't want either to have to share a room with a baby that might wake them in the middle of a school night. S6 stayed in our room, at first in a bassinet but she quickly outgrew it.  I had heard about people using a crib 3 sided (aka sidecarred) to make their bed bigger. When she outgrew the bassinet I tried that. She was already laying with us when she woke up to eat anyway. This was the best thing since baby slings. She was close enough I could just roll over to get her when she cried and stay in bed to feed her. Why didn't I do this with the other kids (who did sleep in our bed from occasionally to daily)?

As everyone says, they will never leave your bed, she didn't. J4 came along and she was still in it. I tried a bassinet. I tried a baby hammock. Eventually I just added another one of the sidecarred cribs.  You heard me right, I have a queen size bed that is sandwiched between 2 cribs. S6 has moved to her own queen bed (because she still wants someone with her so if we have to lay with her we have the space). I did learn though that "they won't ever leave" is untrue.  J4 loves his racecar bed now and will only sleep in it. A2 sleeps in one "sidecar" because I am just too lazy to put her to bed in her bed (which she also loves).  Baby L sleeps in the other sidecar (or, more frequently, cuddled up with me).

It's interesting when hubby travels.  To be able to attend to both sidecars I am sprawled across our, now very empty, queen size bed.  Remember S6 likes someone with her (she has been a horrid sleeper since day 1, long before the cosleeping habit).  Sometimes my teen will lay down with S6 when she goes to bed.  Sometimes I put J4 to bed in her bed just so she knows someone is there so doesn't wake up.  Other times she comes in somewhere between 10pm and 6am.  Usually when she comes in hubby goes and lays with her.  When he is gone I can't leave A2 and baby L to go in with her, so she weasels in wherever there is space in sidecar or bed. 

Feel free to tell me how my kids will never sleep alone. Let me remind you, I have a teenager. She hasn't slept in our bed in quite some time. She has grown up way too fast. She could easily put me to bed since I am too old to make it past 9pm. I am not worried that any of my children plan to take me to their college dorm (though I wouldn't mind going).

1 comment:

  1. :) This is a sweet idea. :) I will tell you that, our 5yo still sleeps with us, and on very stormy nights, our 9yo will grab his sleeping back, and we wake up to him in our bedroom floor. :) Wish I had known about that sidecar thing about 9 years ago!

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