me because it was easier, but that was up until she was about 2 years old. It was really hard to break her out of that habit.

I had to do just like you guys are doing. Bought a toddler bed and put it on one side of my room for a couple months. Moved it closer to the door for a couple months, Then in the hallway by my door and then in her room.

Once she got to her room - I did the night light thing for a while - and then she finally was able to cut out the nitelite.

But is was hard. She would wake up and want to get back in my bed a lot of that time. It took I would think if i remember correctly about 8 - 12 months for me to completely break her out of wanting to get in my bed.

It is a hard habit to break completely the longer it stays.

Though it didn't bother me when she was younger. It just gets to a point that I wanted to start dating again and going to bed at 8pm with her was too early for even a dinner date. LOL!!!!

So i had to get her used to not being up under me 24x7 when i picked her up from daycare. She had to become a "big girl" wearing "big girl pants" doing "big girl things" sleeping in her "big girl bed". . . . . That was our little chant every nite.

After my son outgrew the basinet at about 6 months, he went to his own room and I was adamant that he not sleep with mommy and daddy. But then came the divorce when he was 4. After daddy moved out, my son began getting scared in his room alone and being a single mom and tired, I got lazy and just said, he can crawl into mommy's bed. I have a big king size bed and it was just him and I. I had no intention of ever having a 'sleep over' with anyone (at least not for a while). As time went on, it became a comfort for both him and me since we were alone in a big house (and I still get scared of the dark at age 40!). We would snuggle and giggle and cuddle and say prayers and then goodnight.

Fast forward to age 8... yes, he still slept in my bed. But when mommy got married, my son had to learn to sleep in his bed again. I began reminding him a few months before the wedding that he would soon need to go back to his own room/bed when I got married and he understood. He was still sad but he was getting a step-brother to share his room with so that eased his apprehension in that he knew he wouldn't be alone. Everything worked out perfectly and I don't regret the 4 years of allowing him to sleep in my bed and I don't think it harmed my son at all. He was old enough at this point that the transition was easier I think.

But back to what I started with, I was adamanat that the child not sleep with mommy and daddy (or SM or SD). Couples need that private time and that is usually the only time they get for intimacy. This should not be sacrificed for the sake of the child. And I feel if a parent would rather sleep with their child rather than their spouse, this is definately an indication of issues in the relationship (I often slept in my son's bed before his dad and I divorced because I couldn't stand to be in the same room as my EH!)

I have a split opinion on co-sleeping. I am a breastfeeding mother so my six month old "co-sleeps" with us. Really she sleeps in a crib NEXT to us so I can grab her, nurse her, put her back in her crib and go back to sleep with out having to treck across the house in the middle of the night.

On the other hand, when the girls first moved in with us they wanted to sleep with J and I alot. I figure the change had thrown them for a loop so I allowed it at first
but it became habit fast. Every night they would get up and crawl into our bed with us. It was affecting my sleep since ALL THREE were ruff sleepers. I was getting elbows to nose, slaps to the chest and heels to the groin. I finally had to tell hubby it had to stop. Our sex life started suffering as well which was not an option. Can't very well get it on with two kids stacked up in the bed.

Hubby didn't want to hear it at first becasue he felt sorry for the girls and I did too. I explained that our relationship needed to be healthy if we were going to be any good to the girls. He finally agreed and we started sending the girls back to their beds. It actually was pretty easy re-training them. It wasn't traumatic for them anyway.

One thing I deffinatly find totally strange is parents BATHING with children after a certain age. On Garden Web one poster said her SD's BM was still showering with her 10 year old SD! That to me is waaaay extreme.
Having a baby does not make you a mother.

I don't co-sleep with my kids... but I did when my daughter was nursing still... you see, I don't co-sleep because I don't WANT to. I sleep much better with just me and my hubby...and yea...when would you get to do the sex thing haha... anyways... my opinion though is that really North America is the only continent where co-sleeping is such a big deal. In many countries around the world, co-sleeping is the norm.

Personally, if I were to co-sleep I think there is an appropriate age limit. Like 5 years old or something... I mean I guess it would depend on the kid. As a stepmom, I would be a little annoyed at some kid crawling into bed with me... but in reality.. if it were my own kid I probably wouldn't mind. (My son used to come into bed with me, usually only when he'd had a nightmare or something).

but my skids are boys. I really think I would feel different with a girl. But I don't let my BD2 sleep with us on a consistant basis. Nor does she want to. After a nightmare she might crawl in with us but that happens very rarely. My skids 10 and 12 get sent back to bed.

I even had trouble giving the boys baths when they were younger and DH and I were first together. I had a fear that they would innocently tell BM, "Casper washes me there" They were 4 and 5 then.

In a nutshell, I think it is a personal preference but I do think it is easier for a nuclear family to do that rather than a step family. At some point it just crosses a line.

My SD was 3 1/2 when her and H moved into my 1 bedroom apt. So she sometimes slept in the bed with us, sometimes on the couch. But I was the one saying "just let her tonight" my H was the one trying to kick her out to get something from me

Our oldest son didn't like to sleep with us, we tried. My newborn slept in the bed with us till he was 2 months. 4 kids died in just that 2 month period due to co-sleeping so we starting putting him in his crib.

I think that co-sleeping is ok if both the adults agree. But not every night, just every once and awhile. I think it is good for bonding.

before bf and i got a house together, sd was sleeping in daddy's bed. i never stayed the night at their place because i felt too weird. once we moved in together, sd would sneak in our bed in the middle of the night. i had to start taking her back in bed. finally she stopped after 5 yrs. what a releif, cause now she is 11 and im glad bf has been waaaaay over the co-sleeping thing.