Seven years. That’s how long we’ve been co-sleeping for – sometimes with one, sometimes with two and sometimes with all three kids in our bed.
And it turns out there’s a lot they don’t tell you about co-sleeping.
Exactly what they don’t tell you about co-sleeping occurred to me when I spent five (blissful) nights away from the kids in Morocco when Misery Guts was running the Marathon Des Sables.
I slept uninterrupted, I stretched, I wasn’t cold and I slept until I woke up for the first time in almost eight years – and needless to say it was absolutely marvellous.
Interestingly the kids (largely) kept to their own beds while we were away, but now we’re back home they’ve wormed their way back into our bed once again. And it was while lying awake at night that I started compiling a little list of things I wish I’d known about co-sleeping.
10 things I wish I’d known about co-sleeping
1. Co-sleeping isn’t a decision. Or not your decision anyway. It’s one they make for you.
2. Buy the biggest bed you can. Buy two beds and push them together. There is no such thing as too big.
3. Expect to sleep on the tiniest sliver of mattress on the edge of that bed. Even though it’s the biggest bed you could fit in the room. The space they take up is not proportional to their size.
4. Get used to being cold. Really cold. While they feel like a furnace and kick all the covers away, you’re left with bare shoulders and exposed toes shivering next to them.
5. You’ll get weed on. And if you’re really unlucky, you’ll get pooed on too.
6. If being weed and pooed on sounds bad, guess what’s coming next. Expect to be chundered on at some stage too.
7. You’ll need a layer of towels between your mattress protector and your sheet. Trust me.
8. Don’t be surprised by the parps. They escape from their little bottoms all night long, to the point your bedroom sounds like a trumpet voluntary.
9. There is zero point changing the sheets on their beds once week, since they never sleep in them. Yours, meanwhile, could do with changing at least twice a week.
10. It’s not a phase and they won’t ‘grow out of it’. At some point you’re going to have to muster the energy to actively transition them to their own beds.
Do you or have you ever co-slept? Can you relate to any of the above and is there anything you wish you’d known? Do tell us what it is!
We co-sleep with our 10 month old son and previously with our daughter. Up until now it’s been fine but he’s become so wriggly that I’m terrified he’s going to fall out of bed!
So funny, and so true! I co slept with my daughter until she was about 8 ish. She had so many different beds to tempt her back but nothing worked. Suddently she decided she had had enough of me and keppt to her own bed. It does get beeter as they get older but omg! Co-sleeping with toddlers is horrific and false, you technically do not co-sleep with toddlers. They sleep, you don’t lol #kcacols
Co sleeping is something I never did, I’m too much of a wriggle myself in bed and I’d keep any child awake! #KCACOLS
We were advised not to as our little ones were so tiny. GFenerally they drift off to sleep on ours and by ‘magic’ they are transported and wake in theirs #MMBC
I co-slept with my oldest for the first five years of his life. Then I got pregnant with his brother and decided I needed sleep so I started transitioning him. He was surprisingly easy. My youngest only co-slept with us when he was sick or had a bad dream. Thankfully, he slept in his own bed. Most of the time, lol. #MMBC
We co-sleep/slept. Our bed is always open for any of them if they wake up, but they do have their own beds now and their own room. We bedshared from birth with both of the smalls, and until we moved last year we all still bedshared. 🙂 We had a side cot for both when they were smallest, but then we took one off and only kept one on for our daughter as she was the older one.
These days I really miss the min the bed, and I really could not imagine not co-sleeping or bedhsaring. And I didn’t do that with my oldest (15) I was extremely “mainstream” with him so he went straight into a cot, though he didn’t get his own bedroom until he was 2.
So when my kids sleep in our bed these days I enjoy it, even though there’s not much room since none of them want the single matress on the floor (haha) and both kick off the blanket (we have a huge double..)…but wouldn’t trade it for the world. <3 x
#KCACOLS
I used to when my boys were younger and I am glad I did because it was the right thing to do at the time X #dreamtea
I have a king sized bed and my daughter and I both sleep on the very edges. Its more of a treat for her than an every night but somehow half the time I forget she is even there until her snoring or arse wakes me up #KCACOLS
This made me chuckle. We went out and bought a super king size bed when we had the twins. Luckily we’ve not had all three in at once, but you still end up on the very edge! #ItsOK
We seem to have escaped the whole co-sleeping situation, apart from the odd time when the little one was a newborn. I remember basically lying awake all night in a neck-crickingly painful position, terrified I’d move and squash him. Eek. hadn’t considered the wee and poo leakage. Good plan with the towels! Xx #It’sOK
Our oldest used to sleep in, a moses basket in, our bed our youngest now sleeps in our bed and we have a super king still no room, for all, four of us
I could never survive co-sleeping! I share a huge bed with Hubster and canine Lola but both of them know to give me ALL the space or risk my wrath. #DreamTeam
Yes, yes, yes!! I do love co-sleeping but all that you mentioned above is 100% true. Or when you are so tired you just put a towel over the wee spot and go right back to bed!!!! hahaaha! #itsok
We have had a lot of co sleeping – or at least it is by the morning anyway. The challenge for us is we need a bigger bed! thanks for linking to #kcacols and hope to see you again soon.
YES! This is so true! Every single bit of it. I can’t tell you how many times I have had to clean up vomit in my bed in the middle of the night because I was co-sleeping with a sick kid. I’m at the point where I need to start being harsh with my youngest…not looking forward to that. #KCACOLS
Haha totally relate to only sleeping on a sliver of mattress! Although as yet I’ve managed to avoid being weed on!!! Mum goals haha #KCACOLS
I never co slept with either of mine, I don’t think I would have coped very well with it! My daughter used to come and get in bed with us in the morning at weekends (always my side!). She was never in there long with us but the amount of her hair I used to find in our bed was ridiculous.
#KCACOLS
I co-slept (sortof) with my daughter until she was 2.5 years old. I couldn’t take it anymore and transitioned her to sleeping on her own. I’m not a fan of co-sleeping with kids because I feel the marriage bed should be for couples only. However, I do still see the benefits to doing it! Your facts on the topic are quite funny to read. Thanks for sharing them. #kcacols