Co-habitating...

... with a baby.

I'm pretty sure that I've mentioned before that I'm not a "co-sleeping" kind of a gal. I don't have any serious issues against it (provided it's done safely), but I always knew it wasn't an ideal option for me. I'm fine sharing the bed with my hubby, but I have no interest in a "family bed".

That being said, I LOVE having my baby in the same room as me. Here are just a few reasons why:

• I can hear her breathing and, thus, I sleep better.
• I don't need a baby monitor.
• I don't disturb the other (sleeping) children when I'm up with the baby.
• I can hear her start to stir when she's waking.
• I can get to the baby before she even cries. I'm not even kidding when I tell you that G. has cried ONCE since she was born to let me know she's hungry in the middle of the night. Every other time, I hear her and I'm already up. As a result, she's a ridiculously content baby- she knows her needs will be met and that she needn't cry to be taken care of. (And she sleeps about a 9-hour stretch each night.)
  
• I get to see her sweet, peaceful face whenever I get up.
• I'm there to receive her bright-eyed smile in the morning.

I try to keep my babies in with me for as long as they comfortably fit in a cradle. I'm not sure how much longer G. will be in with us (she's almost 4 months old now), but I'm not at all eager to move her out.

Co-habitating with a baby definitely works for me.
*************************************************
This post is linked to Works For Me Wednesday, hosted at We Are THAT Family.