Wondering your opinion?

Question

I have been looking over some question and answers and have noticed that a lot of parents on here let their children sleep with them... i'm from australia and have a 16 month old... he has never slept with me and as far as i know none of my friends let their kids sleep with them either.. i was just curious about what other people do... please tell me ur childs age and whether or not they sleep with you and why?? not here to judge just trying to find out about other cultures
also could u tell me where u are from and if it is acceptable where u live to do this...
my son slept in my room until he was about 2 or 3 months old but it was always in a cot at the end of the bed... never in our bed... i was always too scared i would roll on him.. good luck to all those parents trying to get their kids out of their beds...
BTW i am also a single mum and have never had the urge to sleep with my son in my bed for comfort..

i was also wondering (for the parent who do have thier children sleeping in their beds) if u have ever thought about the psychological effects on the children and whether or not u have noticed any in your children

Answer 1

according to child psychology books that i have read, it isnt good to let your children sleep in the bed with you. they should have their own room, or if you want to keep an eye on them because of their age, you keep them in your room but in different beds.

not having your children to sleep in your room or bed promotes independence and autonomy in them...and thats good.

Answer 2

I slept with my son for the first few months, then slowly transferred him to the crib. He's done very well, actually. Doesn't have any trouble sleeping in his crib. Of course, we transferred him pretty early. I mostly did it because I was breastfeeding and very weak after his birth, and leaning down to pick him up from most places was a great strain on me.

Sleeping with your child to the extended period that you're describing is a part of attachment parenting.

"Attachment parenting, a phrase coined by pediatrician William Sears, is a parenting philosophy based on the principles of the attachment theory in developmental psychology. According to attachment theory, a strong emotional bond with parents during childhood, also known as a secure attachment, is a precursor of secure, empathic relationships in adulthood." --Wikipedia

Btw, when sleeping with my son I used a co-sleeper unit. Kinda like a bassinet that you put on the bed. It had sides and everything so it wasn't too bad. We tried setting up a bassinet next to the bed but it wasn't at a good height and just made things very difficult.

Answer 3

I from USA and am pregnant with #4. My oldest started sleeping with us at 4 wks just because I was always so tired, I didn't want to get up and go to his room when he'd awaken 3-4 times a night. He quickly got used to this and didn't stop until around 4 yrs. old. until about 9 he'd wake in the night and come into our room, but would start out in his own. #2 and #3 really weren't too interested, plus they both started sleeping through the night by about 3 months. We'll see with this one. I do miss the cuddling from #1-he's 13 now and I can't even give him a kiss goodbye without him getting upset.

Answer 4

unfortunately i let my son who is 10 now and daughter who is 8,both sleep with me and frankly i regret it,i let them sleep with me till about a year old,but they would always wake up to be back in my bed,they still try their luck sometimes but i don't let them its not cute anymore,my 10 year old is nearly my height hes 5ft4 and my daughter is about the same so i get squished,I'm pregnant with my third and i will not share the bed with this one heck no,I'm from Canada by the way,and my reasons for letting them sleep with me was we lived in a bad neighbourhood when they were babies and when i would try to put them in their own beds i would wake up terrified someone would kidnap them my hubby hated it but i was truly scared their room was far away from mine,and it was a basement apartment too,and the windows didn't lock properly you are doing the right thing you're son will not be insecure about being in the dark like mine are good on you.

Answer 5

My kids slept with me/us on occasion, but not every night. If it was storming or we had company sleeping in their rooms, etc. It's not a good habit to start ... I like sleeping with my husband too much. :)

Answer 6

i'm from indonesia, my husband from nz our daughter 3,5 year. she never be good sleeper since she's a baby . i have to lie down with her after story time but through the night when she woke up she always came and snuggle in our bed next to me (my husband always in the other side).in my country its common that children sleep with the parent, i'm myself was like that.but when my daughter little my husband never like to her in our bed he scare that he rolled on to her

Answer 7

usa... my youngest slept with us... but she was over 1 years old when she started doing that, she's three now and sleeps in her own big girl bed... comforting for us and her

Answer 8

My two never slept with us or slept in our room except for the occasional nightmare or thunder storm.

Answer 9

We stay in the house and our children sleep outside in their tents.

No problem!

Answer 10

Please contact a psychiatrist if you sleep with your children. In some places, this is illegal. At best, it is dangerous to the child for suffocation reasons.