Sleep Soundly, Little One...

A while back in my old journal I posted an entry describing how co sleeping saved my daughter's life. I love co sleeping with our kids and so does the Knight. There is nothing more comforting than knowing that your children are right beside you and that you are right near them to take care of all their needs.
When the Guppy was born the Knight and I found our bed to be a little crowded with the four of us. So we went out and bought a cheap air mattress to put next to our bed with the intention of having the Guppy and I sleep on the mattress while the Knight and the Mermaid remain in the bed. While it hasn't worked out quite as we planned, we now have plenty of room. The Mermaid decided that she wanted to sleep on the air mattress by herself, which was fine with us. For Christmas, MIL is buying her a toddler sized air mattress that has Dora the Explorer on it and I am planning on making a matching pillow. We are hoping that she will be so excited about her very own Dora bed that she will want to sleep in it all the time, and that will open the door for a slow and tearless transition into her own room. But for now, I am content to allow her to sleep with us, especially now that she is sick again. The poor girl was up all night coughing and sneezing :o(.
Co sleeping with the Guppy is also wonderful as it allows me to sleep while she nurses at night. Plus, there is nothing better than sleeping next to your baby, especially when she still has that "new baby" smell. Last night the Guppy slept through the night and when I woke up my breasts were very engorged. It's nice to know that she feels secure and safe at night, knowing I am right there to satisfy any needs she has.
There is no doubt that there are many benefits to co sleeping. Mothers and their babies have slept side by side throughout history. Never mind the fact that co sleeping decreases the risk of SIDS. It angered me when the AAP came out with it's new policy against co sleeping, stating that parents should keep babies in a separate bed and have them sleep with pacifiers. There is much debate over the studies the AAP based their statement on, including the fact that it was sponsored by companies that make cribs and pacifiers, and that they did not differentiate between suffocation and SIDS when looking at cases where the baby died while sleeping in the same bed as the parents. If done safely, co sleeping is safer for the baby than having the baby sleep alone in a crib. But again, it must be done safely.
Now that I have shared my co sleeping experience with you, I am interested to hear your stories. What are your experiences with co sleeping, do you have any specific stories to share?

Sleep Soundly, Little One...