One obvious benefit of co sleeping that is terribly obvious but I gave little thought to is cuddle time. O is and has always been on the move, rarely still during his waking hours. I always imagined a calm, chill, relaxed and quiet child but I got the opposite- of course! And I love it! He keeps me on my toes and watching him explore and learn new things is amazing.
When it’s nap time we settle into bed together and I nurse him to sleep. That’s when I get my quiet time with him. Usually he’ll stay at my breast, snuggled close, with his legs wrapped tight around me. These are amazing moments. The closeness of my baby to me, his home for 10 months, is pure love. If I had listened to the nay-sayers telling me to get him into a crib asap, these moments wouldn’t exist. Sure my apartment would be cleaner, dinner would be better, and maybe I would have some “me” time. But happiness is in experience and doing what you love. I love my son so much and spending quiet, loving, close time together is the best use of his nap time, for the both of us. I get to read, check e-mails and chill out or nap myself. Without co-sleeping I would rarely have close, quiet time with O, which is quite sad to me. I can’t imagine any benefits deriving from less love and less closeness, especially for a baby that moves about constantly while awake. Of course it isn’t for everybody and there are times when I’m restless or I really have to pee!!!! Those are the things I’ll forget but I’ll never forget his little sleeping face next to me and his tiny little hands reaching out and finding me, right next to him.
Small Space 
Leave a comment