- The family bed can eliminate a lot of bedtime battles.
Our bedtimes with two young children aren’t always perfectly smooth, but our children have never expressed any fear of going to bed and we have never had the game of “just one” more story/drink of water/hug/etc. I believe they know that we will be there for them all night, so there is no need to prepare for a long separation.
- Get a big bed.
We started with a king size bed. I don’t sleep well when cramped for space, and with two kids who bedshare with us, we soon discovered this wasn’t enough. We added a toddler bed alongside it for our oldest. We soon discovered that wasn’t enough either. Now we have two beds pushed together for a king + full family megabed. Ahhhhhh. Space.
- It can be done with multiple kids.
Before our second was born, I wondered how we would continue to bedshare. Where would we fit? It turns out bedsharing with two kids works great. You just need a big enough bed. See #6.
- It won’t last forever.
My 4 year old is already talking about sleeping in her own room. She has even fallen asleep in her own bed a couple of times on a trial run, but returned to our bed each time in the middle of the night and happily climbed in under the covers. I realized it won’t be long before she no longer wants my presence at night. I have learned that these moments are fleeting, so I will cherish them for as long as they last.
Nina Palmo is a Nordic-born, Midwestern-raised, Texas denizen. She teaches sociology at a major university and blogs about attachment parenting, unschooling, alternative schooling, and intentional living at Pocketful of Pebbles. She lives in the Austin, Texas area with her husband and two daughters.
