Our co-sleeping story

It was a midwife who introduced us to co-sleeping on the night Buttercup was born. Buttercup, my giant boobs and I were having some choreography difficulty so the midwife showed me how to feed while we were both lying down (Buttercup and I as opposed to the midwife and I).When Buttercup had finished and dozed off I couldn’t see the point in moving her back to the bassinet. I didn’t want to disturb her and the closeness was wonderful as we snoozed together. While she slept I mostly just lay there and gazed with wonder at this new little person.

We went home the following day with only a vague idea of how things should go.
That day (and the subsequent week) I spent mostly in bed with Buttercup as we fed and slept and chatted to our family who came to visit.

Come night-time, however, we attempted to settle tiny Buttercup in the cot next to our bed. Why? I don’t know. Social conditioning I suppose. Babies sleep in cots at night. Don’t they?
Well, apparently nobody had told Buttercup this. She objected strenuously to being removed from her nice warm mummy. She cried, I cried. Tgd (tinygreendada) tried to comfort everyone. In the end we put her back into our bed and we all slept happily (my memory may be slightly rose tinted here).

The next day, the side was removed from the cot and the cot frame tied to the king size bed frame and voila, bed extension. We were three in a bed.

The tiny little person that was our daughter used to sleep snuggled right into my armpit and as I’d move in the night the little one would chase me slug-like across the bed until her dada was gripping onto the edge for dear life.

But I was finding it difficult to relax at night ( I’m quite a wound up person and was especially so in Buttercup’s early months) so when the tiny one was sound asleep I’d move her onto the cot part of the bed ( a mere few inches away) so we could all get some sleep before the next feed.

By the time she was five months old the side was back on the cot as I was afraid that now that she could roll she would get caught in the small gap between cot mattress and bed mattress. We put a rail on the side of our bed and some times she slept in the big bed, sometimes in the cot.

When she reached 7 months, I was almost two months pregnant. Buttercup would sleep soundly until we came to bed then every movement of ours seemed to wake her. After two weeks of this I was exhausted from pregnancy and soothing her back to sleep. Reluctantly we moved her cot into our spare room. We also kept a double bed in there so we could be with her if she was having trouble sleeping. The deal we made with her is that if she wanted mummy or daddy any time she just had to call and we’d be there. We all slept much better.

When she turned nine months we had a particularly rough 3 months when 10 of her teeth came through one after another. I slept with her every night in the double bed for that time so she could feed all night for pain relief and comfort.


Since Primrose was born she’s slept in with us. We’re much more relaxed this time around about sleeping arrangements and parenting in general. She’s almost 4 months now and a happy little bed monster. I’m much more settled in my motherhood and have no problem getting sleep with a tiny nuzzled in against me. I never have to get up during the night to comfort her; I just reach out and pat her in my sleep (so tgd tells me).

When tgd asks me if Primrose woke often during the night, I usually have difficulty remembering. I have no idea how many feeds she takes at night as we just go with the flow (excuse the appalling pun), I don’t check the time and we tend not to fully wake for feeds.
The only issue I have is that most mornings it is me who tends to wake up in the cot as our tiniest person sprawls out in the middle of the bed.

As for our darling Buttercup, when she is having a rough night daddy goes and sleeps in with her, or if Primrose has just fed and is settled I’ll spend some time in with my big tiny person.

So we have two family beds that we all share and everyone gets a happy nights sleep. Most of the time anyway. It’s what works for our family.

For more information on co-sleeping see
Kellymom.on breastfeeding and co-sleeping
Elizabeth Pantley’s checklist for safe co-sleeping.
Dr Green on SIDS and the Family Bed
Dr Sears on sleeping safely with your baby

10 reasons to baby wear

Here are ten great reasons to wear your baby in a sling:

1. Happy campers. Tiny people that are carried cry less, they love the comfort and security of being snuggled next to mummy or daddy.



2. Seeing eye to eye. Being carried enables tiny people to observe and interact with older people at eye level, as opposed to knee level.
   



3. Taking it all in. Tiny people that are carried spend a lot of time being passively alert and absorbing what’s going on around them.
   



4. Sleepy heads. Wearing your tiny person is a great way of helping them to sleep. You can either carry your sleeping tot around with you or place her down after she’s dozed off.
   



5. Hands free kit. By wearing your tiny one, you are hands-free to play with older siblings, cook the dinner, do the shopping, whatever…………
   



6. Baby love. Who doesn’t need more hugs? The comfort factor for parents is not to be underestimated. There is nothing quite like having your little person right there snuggled up to you.
   



7. Off-road adventuring. A sling is the ultimate off- road travel system. With a sling and a backpack you can go where no buggy has been before!
   



8. Cheap and cheerful. Slings can be bought reasonably cheaply both new and second hand or you can even make your own.
   



9. Are we nearly there? Even when your tiny one is not so tiny anymore a sling is great for when little legs get tired.
   



10. Handy as a small pot. A sling is not much bigger that a shopping bag and so can be popped into your changing bag, coat pocket, glove box or buggy bag for when you need it.

Check out tinygreenpeople for sling patterns, baby wearing information and a list of sling suppliers.

Happy Baby Wearing Week

all photographs are copyright of tinygreenpeople.com

Sling types

The tinygreenfamily have something of a sling habit. We are at 5 slings and counting, but then again, we don’t really use buggies.

The types we’ve used are:

Wrap sling. A stretchy wrap is our newest purchase. We’ve found it very simple to use straight away and our Primrose has been snug as a bug in it from 3 days old, leaving mama hands free to chase 15 month old Buttercup. We’re just beginning to experiment with breastfeeding in it but with the purchase of a breastfeeding top or two it should be no bother.

Photo of Moby wrap

Ring sling. We have two of these (one in outrageous pink) and have used them since Buttercup was 3 months old. This was our first sling (and our first baby) so it did take us a little while for us to get the hang of this but it was well worth it. I carried Buttercup comfortably in this up to eight months pregnant (she was 14 months at the time) and will use it for her again now that her sister has arrived. We are also using it easily for Primrose at only days old. This sling is really versatile and great for breastfeeding.

Photo of Zolowear Ring sling

Mei Tai (or Asian Back Carrier). This is another great versatile sling that we’ve found simple to use straight from the package. We purchased this whne Buttercup was about 6 months old. Dada uses this to carry Buttercup on his back for our expeditions and I use it front carry when out and about.

Photo of Freehand Mei Tai

Structured carrier. These carriers with buckles and clips are a favourite of the Dada’s. They come in many shapes, sizes and price ranges. This is the first sling type we used before becoming total sling addicts and we got great use from it for the first six months. They are usually easy to use and are often sized for different age babies

Photo of Scootababy sling

Another type which hasn’t formed part of our collection (yet) is:

Pouch sling. Similar to the ring sling but with no adjusting. They are sized to the wearer and straightforward to use.

Photo of Peanutshell sling

For more information on baby wearing and to source sling suppliers see www.tinygreenpeople.com/adventurers

Why sling?

Why do we like using slings and baby wearing?

Well, our babies really like it for a start. We’ve found that carrying them around in a sling means they suffer a lot less from wind and are generally very content. They like being at adult height where they can interact with peoples faces as opposed to their knees! Buttercup was never a big fan of the buggy so we’d always pack a sling for when she got restless on a day out and now that she’s walking it’s handy for when those little legs get tired.

And there is the convenience of it. Slings are so much less cumbersome than buggies or prams and leave your hands free for playing with older offspring, pushing shopping trolleys or preparing dinner. We always keep a sling in the car for popping into the shops or petrol stations, so much more comfortable than trying to balance baby on your hip while locating wallet and carrying shopping.

I’m working on a guide to sling types which I’ll post soon……….