Kingsley: Co-Sleeping

Sunday 2nd November 2014

This morning, like most mornings, Kingsley woke in an extremely cheerful, playful mood, chattering and cooing to himself and occasionally bumping our heads with his thick forehead, in a bid to wake us up. Erroll rouses easily nowadays, what with a very curious  infant who come 7:30AM rises to a stand, teetering on shaky legs, then falls on his full nappy, between us, giggling along the way.

Who needs a jarring alarm clock when Kinglsey makes waking so pleasant, so easy?

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I am often in sleep harmony with our baby. We gravitate toward one another throughout the night, and by some internal sensor, I turn toward King, nurse or touch him…then peacefully drift back to sleep. Neither of us really wakes up. If Kingsley stirs, I also move. We are in synchronicity. Erroll too, over the past ten months of co-sleeping, has come to be a part of this living organism called ‘the family bed’.

To us Hartleys, sharing sleep reflects our attitude of acceptance of Kingsley as a little person with big needs. He trusts that we will continually be available during the night, as we are during the day. Accepting and respecting Kingsley’s needs makes me realise that I am not spoiling him nor letting him manipulate us when we welcome him into our bed.

In fact our bed is Kingsley’s bed!

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