Nowhere in the article is said they were practicing safe cosleeping. Pillows, covers, obese parents, sharing bed with siblings as well, drugs... are all factors that can make cosleeping unsafe and dangerous.

If pillows, covers and the weight of the parents involved all make cosleeping dangerous it sounds like cosleeping is pretty dangerous. Most people are overweight and sleep with pillows and blankets.

Sure cosleeping can be safe provided that any parents in the bed sleep lightly and have a constant awareness of where the baby is,don't roll over, haven't been drinking or using drugs, don't have any other children in the bed and don't use much in the way of pillows and blankets. But that's a lot of caveats. Too many for the blanket statement "cosleeping is safe for babies."

Odds are nothing bad is going to happen. But that "something bad" that might happen is pretty much the worst possible thing in the world. It's a pretty big risk.

Agree. People should only cosleep if they follow the recommendations to a T.

But what do you expect? People aren't even following recommendations when their baby is sleeping in their crib: toys/blanket/pillow in the crib, baby sleeping on their tummy, T° too high...

co-sleeping= kids sleeping in the room, probably in a co-sleeper attached to the bed. Bedsharing= kids in the bed

Okay I'm not trying to be a royal pain in the butt... its just fresh in my head. As I said, on a non-MFP forum there is a debate going on, and many mothers either co-sleep or bedshare on there, and they've pointed that out. Not that it really matters to me in the end, as I don't plan on having children and as long as a parent is doing his or her job, I could care less if they co-sleep, bed-share, or not.

Being a light sleeper doesn't necessarily make things safer. We tried co-sleeping with our first. It lasted 2 days. I am a light sleeper and DH is a heavy sleeper. Every movement, gasp of breath, etc had me jarring awake again. After that second night I was so tired I could barely function. I remember walking down the hall, forgetting what I went down tere for, walking back, remembering and going down the hall again, forgetting again, then remembering that I had to use the bathroom. I was a disaster waiting to happen. That night we put DS into his crib and we all got a much needed good night of sleep.

Other than the safety issue, what do you think about claims by people who criticize? Like, it creates an unhealthy relationship between child and parent, children need to learn to be independent, it makes children more dependent upon their parents, etc....?

I'm hoping to find someone here who thinks it's wrong........

I think it's wrong at a certain age. My 4 year old gets in my bed on occasion. I don't mind considering we live alone but it does make it a bit more difficult when my boyfriend in town and I have trouble (just a bit) getting him back in bed.

On the other hand, I know A single mother who still lets her teenage son sleep with her. THIS i find to be unhealthy and creepy.

I'm just glad my son can cuddle up with me at sometimes but if I NEED to put him in his bed, he will go fairly easily.

sleeping in our bed was a treat for the kids (and we had 4). If they were ill, scared etc... they would crawl in and find comfort. also, my husband was a military guy and when he had to stand duty on the base the first night he was gone we would have a sleep over in our room and the kids had a blast. As they got older and more mature they didn't come in to sleep, but knew it was ok to come in for comfort and talks as needed. They are all great kids. Each household to their own, but it worked for us.

do most people only have sex in bed then?

Well when the kids are home, even if they're sleeping, are you really gonna get it on in the kitchen? Living room? Dining table? Probably not, right.

yes, my sex life hardly ever involves a bed. I dont think sex in the living room is particularly unusual. kids are much less likely to hear anything from there.

im not saying its boring, not at all, just we nearly always do it downstairs when the kids are asleep upstairs.

do most people only have sex in bed then?

Well when the kids are home, even if they're sleeping, are you really gonna get it on in the kitchen? Living room? Dining table? Probably not, right.

Yes. Why would my husband and I restrict sex to a bed?

I obviously don't remember my life as a baby, but, I do know as a child, I never once slept in my parents bed, and I never had a desire to. In fact, the few times when we were kids and went on vacations and had to share beds in a hotel, I hated it. I could sleep okay if my mom was in the same bed in a hotel, but my dad? No way. Probably because he farts, burps, and snores in bed, extremely loudly, and it irritated me to no end. To this day, if he and I are on a trip just the 2 of us and we have to stop at a hotel overnight, I usually take my cellphone or a book and go sit in the lobby or if there's a balcony, I'll sleep out there.

To me, when I see kids sleeping in bed with their parents past school-age, I think it's really weird, unless it's a scenario like someone else mentioned, that their friend and the friend's daughter would be watching movies in bed or something and fall asleep. Personally, to me, if I see a kid past school-age sleeping with their parents, I think it's weird. I also think it's weird when parents shower and use the bathroom with their kids after a certain age, too, but that's just my opinion.

do most people only have sex in bed then?

Well when the kids are home, even if they're sleeping, are you really gonna get it on in the kitchen? Living room? Dining table? Probably not, right.

Yes. Why would my husband and I restrict sex to a bed?

Because they might wake up any minute and walk in on you in the kitchen when they go there to get a glass of water.

And how many kids walk in on their parents having sex in the bedroom? I know I did. Sex is not shameful. Personal, yes. Shameful, no.

do most people only have sex in bed then?

Well when the kids are home, even if they're sleeping, are you really gonna get it on in the kitchen? Living room? Dining table? Probably not, right.

Yes. Why would my husband and I restrict sex to a bed?

Because they might wake up any minute and walk in on you in the kitchen when they go there to get a glass of water.

And how many kids walk in on their parents having sex in the bedroom? I know I did. Sex is not shameful. Personal, yes. Shameful, no.

I don't think it's shameful either, I just think proper precautions should be taken so that a child is not exposed to it unnecessarily.