Until what age should the mother sleep with the baby?
OR,
Is it ok for the baby to sleep on its own from day one?

Every family is different so just do whatever feels right to you. You may have to experiment until you find what works best for your family but there is no right or wrong place for a baby to sleep.

I personally had my babies sleep with me for the first 2-4 weeks after they were born, or until they were sleeping several hours straight during the night, before I moved them to the bassinet beside my bed. I always had them lay in the crook of my arm when they were in bed with me. Never lay them on their own beside you or in between you and your hubby because they could roll off the bed or you could roll over on top of them in your sleep and smother them. They do make co-sleeper beds where it's like a bassinet with only 3 sides that goes right up against your bed so baby can sleep within reach, but you don't have to worry so much about rolling over on them or them falling off the bed. Like bellyblossom said, though, every family/situation is different so whatever works for you will be just fine.

I do think, though, that the longest a child should sleep in the same room as the parents is until they're 6 months old. Too much longer than that and they may never want to sleep without you. I made that mistake with our oldest and she's now 4 and doesn't think she can sleep without me.

Since day one 'til now, I sleep with my baby. She's 6 months old now but I still can't get her to sleep straight without me on her side. She gets easily distracted while sleeping, so I comfort her through breastfeeding. Also, sleeping with her makes me feel more and more closer to her as she grows up.

Isn't it just the sweetest thing to be beside your baby and watching her sleep?


*photo from http://www.babypics.com/pics/a238/00000009

The baby doesn't have to sleep with the parents!

My daughter doesn't sleep in my bed, she has her own room she sleeps in during the day and during the night she sleeps in her moses basket in my room

IMO that's a bad habit to start. I had my son in a special bassinette type of bed right next to mine for a couple of months. I was breast feeding, and I wanted him close to me. I was so scared I wouldn't hear him cry if he was in his nursery! Typical first time mother issues, BUT, I had him in his crib (full time) at 3 months. By that time I not only heard his cry, but could anticipate it, and knew a "hungry cry" from a "change my diaper cry".

Unless there's some sort of severe extenuating circumstances, I would have the child in their bed full time by 4 months of age. Anything longer than that will be difficult for either of you to change. I've heard of parents buying larger beds to accommodate all of their children, and worse, I've heard of children as old as 5 yrs still in their parents bed! This is not good for either the parents or the child. It interferes with emotional and physical intimacy between the parents, and it encourages an unhealthy dependency on the part of the child, which could cause extreme separation issues. Just not a wise choice to make if your wanting an independent, well-adjusted child.