Co-Sleeping Celebrities
Co-sleeping refers to the practice of sharing your bed with your baby or child. There’s lots of controversy around co-sleeping but I think it’s as fine an idea as any.
In Western culture the assumption is that we all sleep alone from a very early age, if not from day one. But that’s not the assumption in many other places. I can see pros and cons to both crib and co-sleeping and have, in fact, experienced the pros and cons of both.
Over at The Stir, Julie Ryan Evans has put together a list of celebrities for whom co-sleeping is most definitely working. Not everyone is comfortable admitting they co-sleep in our independent sleep-minded culture, but these are some famous people who’ve stepped up. Here’s the list:
Kourtney Kardashian (recently defended her choice in People mag)
Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt (have a custom family bed)
Pam Anderson (into “attachment parenting”)
Nia Long (still sleeps with 9 year-old)
Kevin Kline and Phoebe Cates (once told OK! they let the teen kids into bed with them)
I’d add: Josie Bisset and Leah Remini.
What do you think of this practice? Does it sound appealing or scary? Kardashian said she was freaked out when friends said they slept with their kids, but now she gets it. Parents I know who co-sleep are often inspired by a larger parenting “philosophy,” but sometimes they’re just inspired by “whatever works.”
photo: Kelly Sue/Flickr
I don’t know how many times my 2 fell asleep in my bed after I finished nursing them and then I fell asleep, too. Just make sure your bed is not fluffy or a water bed and don’t drink or take meds that will make you sleepy – I think I felt every move they made while cuddled up to me, but you wouldn’t want to be so asleep that you smother them.
I’m terrified of smooshing my kid. When I was a teen I babysat my two-year-old cousin overnight once and we slept in my bed. In the morning she had a limp and I had no idea why until my aunt pointed out that I probably slept on her leg. I think I’ve been scarred ever since then. A few weeks ago I babysat my father-in-law’s chihuahua and I thought I killed the poor thing as a wrestled with a random cramp in my leg! My 8-year-old step-daughter sleeps with my husband and I about once a week (at her mom’s she sleeps with her sister so she has sleeping-alone issues) and I always make him sleep in the middle. LOL – hopefully I’ll get over it once I have my own babies cause I always thought co-sleeping was a cool idea (my husband did it), but my fears are still gripping me! We’ll see… nice post
I love bed sharing. We all get good sleep and I always know every move my son makes. If he chokes or coughs in the middle of the night I wake up instantly. I love bed sharing so much.
Sharing your bed is dangerous. Babies actually die from this. Stop doing it. It isn’t about being judgmental, their is no need for discussion, stop doing it.
you know what…. no-one has ever watched their baby die of sids…. it happens in the other room…. when the lil baby is left alone -no stimulation…. babies are simply to close to _The Otherside to be alone……….. the are still close to “heaven” …………… when u co-sleep your baby is stimulated by you… you can both and smell and see eachother…………. As long as u are not ddrunk and u can be woken – u will be Much safer than if the baby were ALONE…………………..
I sometimes co sleep with my 4 month old, and I have never been so confused about a ‘baby’ topic! Co sleeping instinctively feels right to me, and my daughter is seemingly happier, better rested, and generally more secure, since we started this practice. But, I also know that babies have been injured or perished as a result of unsafe co sleeping, and I am frightened by the statistics, but then I will read that babies are actually SAFER than in the crib, at least when it comes to SIDS. Am I the only new mom confused and torn by all of this contradictory information? I breast feed, and feel like I am in tune to my daughter’s every move, but I cannot help but worry, even thought we are very careful. So, as it stands now, I use both the bassinette and the bed for my baby. I think the key to safety is to be aware and be vigilant, use common sense, and do what is right for you and your children, because at the end of the day, as long as everyone is healthy and safe, who cares where they sleep?
I’m from Eastern Europe and when I started reading (mostly) American baby blogs I didn’t even know what they meant by “co-sleeping”, because to me that was pretty much the norm. I slept with my parents until I was maybe 5 and with my sister for a few years afterwards and I am certain I was never in any sort of danger.
It used to be common practice for babies to sleep next to their mothers, and it wasn’t a fear that they might roll over. I distinctly remember my mom saying she slept well because she had this adorable baby next to her, but that she slept lightly and somehow carefully, and like someone said earlier, she was aware of my every move.