Co-sleeping.

Co-sleeping, sleep-sharing, bed-sharing, what ever you want to call it, has been one of the most debated subjects when it comes to newborns and motherhood. I have found myself in many discussions about it and have found alot of people aren't educated enough on the subject, they simply make things up or go from guidelines without researching the subject at all. I myself have to research something before I can put my view across I like to see something from both point's of view before making my mind up on where I stand with something. It's something I did before I gave birth to Eva and something I did again before having Archie. I was amazed at the difference from then to now.

Note : Eva did not sleep with my covers over her.

Back in 2009 when I first looked into co-sleeping almost every website highlighted all the risks and how you shouldn't under any circumstance sleep with your baby. I struggled to find any websites that offered advise about the subject. I think this was why my view for a while was "why put your baby at risk?". Of course I no longer think this way, but at that time I did. I was completely against the whole thing so when I began co-sleeping with her I felt awful and vowed not to do it the next night. Over time this feeling did go and we got into a good bedtime routine (although the first night she slept though aged 9 weeks I woke every hour) I had the full support of my health visitor who then was quite pro to the whole idea of co-sleeping which made me feel a whole lot happier about doing so.

 
When it came to Archie I was set once again that he wouldn't sleep in my bed, but breastfeeding at night meant it was just easier having him in my bed with me rather then having to take him in and out of the cot to feed him. As i said in my breast feeding post, I found it very painful for the first week or so and laying down on the bed was the only way I could feed him at first. He'd fall a sleep and having to move him back to his own bed would wake him up and I didn't see the the point in that. He's 8 months old now and still in my bed with me. I do of course plan to get him into his cot soon, I want to do that once I stop breast feeding which I am currently in the process of stopping.

Everything has changed now that attachment parenting has become more popular. These days if you search the internet (as I did before writing this blog post) you will find almost all co-sleeping information positive information about the subject. It talks about both sides to allow you to make your own mind up about where you stand about it, and over all it's a much more helpful and accepting view. I am not pro co-sleeping nor am I against it, I believe completely that as parents we have the right to choose what's best for our children without having to get into silly arguments about it all.

5 going on 15.

"Mummy I hate you" followed by a slammed door has become a regular thing in our house at the moment. Eva has reached an age where everything is a big drama and the only reaction to most things asked of her is screaming, shouting and slamming of doors. She has become a right little diva, if she doesn't get her own way all hell breaks loose. A few weeks back she lost a pound coin under her booset seat in the car and started to scream when I explained that no we couldn't pull over and get it (we were on the M5 at the time) so her reply to me was "We were having a really nice time and you've gone and ruined the day".

Normally her one liners have my in fits of giggles but lately they've left me wanting to tear my hair out. She answers back and point blank refuses to do something. It's got to a stage where the naughty step - something I used during the terrible 2/3's stage - has been put back in place and so far it seems to be working, not to provent the outbursts but putting her in "time out" certainly gives her time to cool off and within 5 minutes she's saying sorry and giving us hugs.

During one her outburst's when she called me a "selfish little girl" (we are actually confused to where she got this from) and she was sent to time out to cool off, I was left sitting on the sofa with the realisation that my daughter is growing up and far too quickly! I could have cried. I think I've been in denial pretending that she's still my little baby who loved me singing Twinkle Twinkle little star to her, who snuggled up on my lap at nap time for a snooze and who used to think chickens said "Chicken" and not cluck. I keep getting a glimce of her growing up with the things she says and the way she acts but also I look at her sometimes and I'm amazed by just how much she has grown up, and far too quickly if you ask me. 

Of course she still loves me to come lay in her bed with her at night time for snuggles and still wants me to sing her song after song before she doozes off. She is only 5 after all, something that during her outburst I can forget. During those times I see a glimse of the 15 year old she will become and right now I'm not ready for the teenage years. I'm barley ready for her to turn 6.. Actually I said to Eva I didn't want her to turn 6 and her reply to me was "But mummy, I'll always be your little girl", and it's true, she always will.