Welcome to Kira's Blog

Welcome to My Blog

Life with young children can be challenging, but with the support and advice of friends, we can feel empowered and thankful for the blessing of being a Mom.

My musings are those of a self-proclaimed attachment-parenting Tiger mom, who juggles full-time mommying with a small (but growing!) baby-related business. I hope some of my thoughts help you
Enjoy your day, Enjoy your night, and Enjoy your kids!!!

Sunday, October 3, 2010

CoSleeping Debates?

I'm a big believer in co-sleeping with your baby. There is a lot of controversy over the habit, but I think when done safely, there are more benefits than risks.

This article and video (http://www.blogher.com/fox-news-says-infant-cosleeping-deaths-linked-formula-feeding) shed amazing light on the issue, and for those of us who breastfeed through the night and do not drink alcohol (or take intoxicating medications), it's quite affirming. Also, the book by Dr. McKenna (image & link to the left) is quite comprehensive and informative.

There is no question that co-sleeping requires some responsibility and consideration of your child's surroundings during the night. Guess what? So does PARENTING. Wake up folks - time to develop those responsibility muscles! It's also true that there are risks that cannot be 100% avoided. So does HAVING CHILDREN. There are no guarantees in life, which doesn't mean we just randomly choose, but rather we need to carefully and responsibly (there's that word again!) weigh the risks and rewards, and pray/trust that our children will grow and thrive.

In my case, co-sleeping didn't even work with my first 2 children. Our personalities and sleep-styles just didn't mesh. Sadly, by the time these babies were 4-5 months old, I had to have them in a different room, and often I cried myself to sleep, missing my baby :(  My third baby was different, and I was able to enjoy co-sleeping until it was impractical (read: she started to crawl off the bed in her sleep, even over barriers, heading straight to the foot of the bed if that's what it took to escape! crazy kid!) Now that I'm heading to my 4th, we'll see what works best.

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