Co-sleeping, "House Beautiful"-style

I've been meaning to post this cool example of high-style co-sleeping from House Beautiful magazine. Did you know that co-sleeping means "mother and baby sleeping within easy reach of one another"? It can mean having a crib, bassinet, or other bed near mother's bed (or it can mean bedsharing, depending on personal preference--see askdrsears.com for tips for safe co-sleeping, however you choose to do it).

I was pleasantly surprised to see this master bedroom featured in the July/August 2010 issue of House Beautiful.



The text reads:

"The trundle bed for our daughter only comes out at night, and gets pushed back under the bed first thing in the morning," Kaihoi says. "So for all practical purposes, we never really see it." They use the windowsill in the 64-square-foot room as their bedside table.

Their daughter is 3 years old, the article says. I was happy to see co-sleeping mentioned in a positive light as if it were a normal,healthy occurrence (which it is).

Using a trundle bed like this is a great option for co-sleeping. It's low to the ground, so it's safe if a toddler rolls off (although rails of some sort could be fashioned if this were a concern), and it gives toddlers independence of getting in and out of bed by themselves as they would with a traditional toddler bed. It can roll away at night so it doesn't take up room in the day. For younger babies or toddlers, mom could easily lie down with baby to nurse to sleep or cuddle, then roll away to get up and have the rest of the evening.

I think I need to post a blog on the many options for safe co-sleeping. There are as many sleeping arrangements as there are families!