In our part of the world, many of us grew up sleeping together with our parents for many years.  Often up to 7 or 8 years or even until we were nearly teens!  It was only with our 2nd child that we realised the wisdom of going back to this Asian practise.  We've also found that it doesn't matter whether your baby is breastfed or formula-fed.  Both types of babies can at times sleep through the night, and also go through phases of frequent night-wakings.

Our 1st baby Sarah slept in a cot in our bedroom.  At 7 months, we followed what we read in a book and trained her by a method of so-called  "controlled crying" to sleep in her own bedroom.  Too much effort and too much heartache.  In the end, I think it went against what a parent would naturally do (ie. respond to baby's cries).  The "training" did work to a certain extent, but when she turned 2 years and we were expecting our 2nd baby, she started visiting our bedroom and climbing onto our bed in the middle of the night.   We found it much easier to just let her.  After all, she slept and didn't disturb us that way!

With Daniel, we also started out letting him sleep in the cot in our bedroom.  But by this time, with some parenting experience, we had no heart to train him to sleep the way we did for Sarah.  One great survival tip I discovered for breastfeeding in the night was to allow Daniel to sleep next to me on our bed.  This way, I could sense when he needed to nurse, and could let him latch on in my semi-conscious state.  Mostly, I don't wake enough to even remember "how many times" the baby nursed at night!

Of course, with Timmy, he has slept with us in our bed from the time he came back from the hospital.  We did not even use the baby cot for him.  He was an impatient baby though, screaming when he was not able to latch on within the few seconds that he started nuzzling.  I found having him sleep on a baby sleep positioner helped keep him propped up during the 1st 2 months so I could latch him easier and quicker.  Having the bedside lamp on helped too.  He did mature, and by his 3rd month, he could turn over and latch on himself during the night.  Too easy, I must say!  So, if you haven't tried breastfeeding your baby while in the lying down position, do so!  Experiment with different methods, positions, & pillows.  Once you can get comfortable while lying down to nurse, you'd be sooooooo relieved because you can then handle night nursing much more easily.

Our 3 kids still sleep with us now.  Sarah is almost 6 years, Daniel is 3 years, and Timmy is 8 months.  No, we don't have a gigantic room, nor a gigantic bed.  We manage with a queen-sized bed and 2 foldable single-size mattresses on the floor.  And there can be many combinations of sleeping arrangements.  Often the 2 older kids sleep on the mattress, but sometimes one of them sleep on our bed as well.  And then, there's the ultimate squeeze - all 3 kids with us on our bed. That is, FIVE (yes, 5) of us on our queen-size bed.  Like sardines, but the children somehow manage to find some space.  And sometimes we find them hugging each other in their sleep at night - rather amusing especially knowing the way they fight during the day!

7yo Sarah went on promptly to sleep in her own room with no fuss. She has her own bed there.  5yo Daniel sleeps on a mattress on the floor - very cosy. 3yo Timothy still shares the bed with Daddy & Mommy.

On weekends, we have family nites.  Sarah will pull a mattress in from her room  (there are 2 sofa beds in the children's room plus a single bed and a loft bed) to share sleep with us on weekends.  It's really great to reconnect in that way.

Update 2003:

9yo Sarah & 6yo Daniel sleep in their own bedroom. They each have their own bed. Daniel sleeps in a children-sized loft bed that we bought from a garage sale and Sarah's bed is next to that.  Sometimes she likes to sleep on a mattress under the loft bed.

4yo Timothy still happily sleeps with Mommy & Daddy every night.

Weekends are still Family Nights.

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