All the Sleep Books and The FAMILY BED (5 months old)

I wrote this sometime in November I suppose... It is March now, we are still family-bed-ing!
-----------------------

This week, I made the major mistake of checking out all the sleep books from the library. I guess I did it because Lucy is almost 5 months, and I just don't see her transitioning out of our bed at 6 months...  I hyper-projected into the future and got myself all unnecessarily worried.

As I skimmed through the books, I felt increasingly guilty. Wondering if I am depriving her by not "giving her the ability to self-soothe." Anyway...I got some bolstering by talking my aunt, my mom, a co-sleeping friend, and reading this awesome book. Basically, "if it ain't broke, don't fix it"..."do whatever works for you!" I LOVE the family bed. As with so many other things in new momhood, I just need to grow my cajones and own it!!

Also, reading baby sleep books is BORING....About as boring as reading online blogs about cloth diapers... Why do I do this to myself?!

When we went the pediatrician for Lucy's 4 month check-up, I told her we were bed-sharing. She bed-shared with her kids to about 15 and 18 months too, so this didn't phase her. We didn't have to have any conversations about supposed SIDS risks or how to make is safer.

Anyway, I asked her what she would recommend as far as transitioning them out of bed. She said that she wished she had started some sort of sleep training earlier with hers, but that there are really no magic bullets when it comes to learning how to sleep - kids are ALL different (seems to be a major theme in all aspects of parenting). So, sadly, there's no single book that will just tell me exactly what's best to do. Ultimately, she said she took a weekend to CIO with each of her kids..."it sounds like you're torturing them, but it works." She still said that she thinks co-sleeping through about 15 or 18 months is great because it helps them get all the nurture they need through teething times and major movement developments.

This is definitely another issue where it seems to come down to putting your own oxygen mask on first... so honoring whatever sleep system helps everyone to get the most sleep most comfortably.

It is working for now, and I know what resources I like if we decide she needs to go!