Co-sleeping

I realised last night how attached I am to my son. We co-sleep, because initially he slept better that way. I kind of stumbled into it while in the hospital; which was simply that in my arms he slept, and in his bed he fussed. The nurses in the clinic had no problem with this, all they said was to move over as far as possible from the edge so he doesn't fall out. Co-sleeping in Japan is very accepted, and not unheard of to sleep with the kids until they are teenagers. Japanese parents sometimes refer to this as the river- the child is the river in the middle, and the parents are the left bank and right bank. Kind of sweet.

Needless to say I needed all of the sleep that I possibly could get and so more often than not if he wouldn't sleep in his bed, I would keep him as safe as possible in my arms (we don't do the 'river' arrangement though). I was very nervous to co-sleep. I always wanted him next to me and had purchased a nice crib that can be attached to the bed:
this is our crib- we have removed the sliding gate.

 and attached it using this cable (both bought off amazon)


But even though he was RIGHT next to me, it still wasn't the same as in my arms. Still wanting to be as safe as possible, we then purchased this "bed in bed" thing:

I have to put him in it when he is super sleepy in order for him to not cause a fuss, and still wrap my arms around his body (his head and shoulders sleep between the hard foam). But, about half of the time he still wants to be tucked into my arms and so usually from about 3am onwards, that's where he sleeps. I try to keep all blankets and pillows away from his head, and keep him on the side between me and the crib, instead of my husband.

I have learned just the other day that in Australia they have changed their views on co-sleeping a little. Before, it was always a firm NO. Now, they are apparently not saying to not co-sleep (so, they are not endorsing it, but not advising against- only advising to be safe about it). Mind you, these days I think I am almost as attached to having Pi in my arms, as Pi is to being in my arms. I tried to move him into his crib last night (I was hoping it might improve both our sleep as he has been fidgety lately). However after having him for 5 minutes, and him crying while I was cuddling him, I took him out and put him back in my arms. What can I say, when it comes to him I am a softie and very attached to my little man. I will try again tonight, and if it doesn't go well, I will wait for those few extra weeks (to 12 weeks) to see if the extra time makes a difference. He still wakes up every two hours, and I think a part of that is that he can smell the milk and knows his snack is right next to him. I mean, who wouldn't want the comfort of a boob whenever they want. I am just hoping that it might help get him into good habits earlier, but if I can't there is always time. Until then, I am going to enjoy my baby snuggles.

 Pi at 3 weeks in his little bed

 Pi at 3 weeks snuggling in my arms.