For the first 9 months of my life, I slept in my parents' bed all the time. I'll tell you a secret...I actually quite like my own cot now, but I don't dare sleep in it too often. Parents are creatures of habit, you see, and if you let them sleep alone on a regular basis, they'll expect it all the time.
What parents tend to forget, is that the bed is for the whole family, not just them. Sometimes you'll even hear parents say "MY bed, not yours". This is obviously selfish behaviour and needs to be nipped in the bud right away.
Research has shown that letting parents sleep alone will cause them to fall into a deeper sleep than they would if they had, say, a butt in their face or were being repeatedly kicked in the head. That's bad news for you, buddy, because it means that they won't be able to respond to your needs right away. It might take a good 30 seconds or even as much as a minute for them to wake up, and let's face it, every second counts when you encounter an emergency situation during the night.
Emergency situations that parents must respond to right away include, but are not limited to;
* I'm hungry/thirsty
*I thought I was hungry/thirsty, but I actually just want to bite your boob/push the bottle away and scream some more
*I have a dirty/wet nappy
*I thought I had a dirty/wet nappy but I don't
*I saw a scary shadow on my wall
*I farted loudly and scared myself
*Daddy farted loudly and scared me
*Mummy farted loudly and scared me
*I'm cold and need a blanket
*I'm hot and need the blanket taken off me
*Never mind, I kicked it off myself
*But now I'm cold and need it back
*Oh, wait, maybe I'm too hot now
*What was that noise? Oh, it was me snoring
*I heard Mama and Daddy thinking about having a cuddle and thought "Not on my watch"
*I rolled over and banged my head on the cot
*I dreamed I was falling off a cliff
*I dreamed that Peppa Pig wasn't real
When you share Mama and Daddy's bed, they can respond to your needs right away, because you can keep them in a state of permanent half wakefulness. Helping them to stay alert is vital, and can be done in a number of ways;
*Pretending to stop breathing for a few seconds
*Kicking them repeatedly in the face
*Stretching your body across the entire length of the pillows, leaving them both hanging off either side of the bed
*Waiting until Mama is sound asleep, then sitting bolt upright and launching your forehead into her face at full speed
*Kicking Daddy in the privates
*Making constant whimpering sounds
*Kicking Daddy in the back while nipping Mama's neck
*Silently crawling to the end of the bed, and dramatically falling off
Don't worry, your parents will thank you for keeping them alert, they would only feel guilty otherwise, and being woken from a deep sleep is far worse than being kept awake all the time.
Remember, consistency is the key. Sometimes you will feel sorry for them and think it won't do any harm to just let them have a full night's sleep, just this once - but remember, they'll get confused and start to expect it all the time. Don't start bad habits that will only become more difficult to break.
Be strong, and remember you're not alone (and never will be if you share their bed).
Own bed = BAAAAAD
Mama and Daddy's bed = GOOOOD
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