As Adele reveals her little boy wakes up next to her we ask…when is your child too old to sleep in your bed?
Four women tell The Sun why they allow their children to share their bedrooms
WHEN is a child too old to sleep in your bed?
Pop star Adele, 28, revealed last week that she lets her three year-old son
Angelo under the covers.
The singer said: “We sleep in the same bed so when he wakes up at 5am, I wake
up.”
Here, four other women tell The Sun why they allow their kids to share
their beds.
‘I won’t stop my girl, 11, sleeping with me... it’s a compliment’
HOUSEWIFE Karen Ireland is happy for 11-year-old daughter Meghan to sleep
with her because she feels closer to her.
She lives in Highbridge, Somerset, with husband John, 49, a factory worker,
Meghan and Matthew, seven.
Karen, 45, says:
As a baby Meghan suffered with colic.
The only thing that would get her off to sleep would be is she lay on my
chest.
As a toddler she wouldn’t sleep through the night so she started sleeping in
bed with me when John was on nights.
We got into the routine where, on the nights he works, Meghan comes into bed
with me.
On the nights John is here, Meghan sleeps in her own room.
I take it as a compliment that she likes to share my bed.
It means we’ve got a loving relationship and while she still wants to do it
I’m happy to let her.
As far as I’m concerned she can snuggle up with me for as long as she likes.
A typical night will see Meghan go to bed at 9pm, then I’ll join her a couple
of hours later.
Don’t ask me why but it works for us.
People might think it’s odd but I see it as a nice thing that we’re a really
close family.
Meghan never goes a day without telling me she loves me.
At Christmas and sometimes at weekends we have nights when me and the kids
sleep together on a mattress in the living room.
There isn’t enough room for my husband so he gets relegated to the bedroom.
The three of us cuddle up under the duvet together for the night.
I love sharing my bed with my daughter and don’t think it is strange at all,
even at her age.
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‘I am hoping it’s a habit that Maxi will soon grow out of’
NATALIE BROWN reluctantly let 18-month-old son Maximilian start sleeping in
her bed at six months old.
The journalist lives in Hove, East Sussex, with husband Rob, 37, a food
expert, their daughter Bluebell, four, and Maximilian.
Natalie, 35, says:
I’d read about all the dangers associated with co-sleeping and didn’t want to
put my baby at risk.
So we had a Moses basket next to our bed for Maxi.
But he never settled so we’d be up and down all night.
By the time he was three weeks old I was exhausted.
So we bought a bedside crib for him.
I could lie with a hand on Maxi to settle him but by the time he was six
months old he’d crawl out of the crib into our bed.
The idea was to move him into a cot, but he’s now 18 months and it’s never
happened.
It’s become normal for him to sleep with us. Maxi will be in our bed as long
as he’s breastfed.
I hope he’ll grow out of it.
Rob thinks we should have been stricter with Maxi.
It certainly affects our relationship – a co-sleeping baby is the perfect
contraceptive.
‘I’m cherishing him being a mummy’s boy while it lasts’
KATIE MORLEY is a single mum to Jenson, nine, and Honey, 16 months.
The hairdresser allows Jenson to share a bed with her and admits that it
makes her feel closer to him.
Katie, 28, says:
Jenson started sleeping in my bed at around three months old.
It was at this time that my relationship with his father had broken down.
I would put him in bed with me so his dad had to kip on the sofa.
Jenson wasn’t a good sleeper anyway so it was a win when he slept soundly for
12 hours with me.
It became a habit I’ve struggled to get him out of.
Early on I tried to make him sleep by himself but he got anxious about it.
He’s not a clingy child and has always happily slept at his nan’s every
weekend.
Since having a sister he has grown up a lot so now tends to do alternate
nights in his room.
Jenson has a habit which some call babyish, but it’s nice really.
We are close and he’s like my little best mate.
I’m sure he’ll grow out of it soon so I’m cherishing him being a mummy’s boy
while it lasts.
‘It robs kids of their independence’
BEHAVIOUR psychologist Dr Pam Spurr warns against children sharing a bed with
their parents.
She says:
“Co-sleeping inevitably causes problems for parents and children.
The old saying about making a rod for your own back is true because it’s a
hard habit to break.
I’m against it.
Parents who allow children to sleep in their bed sacrifice intimacy with each
other, plus quality sleep, both vital for couples.
For kids it can stop them developing independence and confidence.
If a child is insecure that must be addressed.
Having them in bed with you seems an easy solution but it never solves
anything.
Children must learn to manage difficulties, not give in to them.
Kids up to six months should sleep in a carry-cot/Moses basket in their
parents’ bedroom, longer only in exceptional circumstances.
After that they should be in their own bedroom with a baby monitor.
How to move them out
TO stop your child co-sleeping, try these tips from Elizabeth O’Shea,
parenting coach at Parent 4 Success.
1. Start gradually.
First put them in a single bed next to yours.
2. Sell it.
Offer them their favourite breakfast if they sleep in their own bed.
3. Make it exciting – put new bedding, soft cushions and a favourite
toy on their bed.
4. Be firm.
Don’t keep changing your mind.