Amelie and I co-sleep, meaning we share one bed. For us, this is the best solution and the one which felt most natural. I love being so close to her, in fact, if I am not I feel anxious. After her bed time routine, which includes quiet play with dad, washing hands, face and feet - or give her a bath whenever she needs one, brushing teeth, put on new diaper and her pajama, bed time story or song, I nurse her. Sometimes she falls asleep during nursing - then I put her in her crib for safety reasons while I am still up. If she doesn't go to sleep right away, she usually climbs all over me in bed. She babbles and we cuddle and at some point she gets tired and lays down and goes to sleep. On some days, I am so tired, I just fall asleep right next to her. On others, I will put her in her crib, again to make sure she is safe while I am not in the room.
Once I am ready to go to sleep, I lay down (our bed is in her room, right next to her crib) and usually she wakes up shortly after, to nurse for the first time at night. After she is done, I lay her next to me in bed and she goes right to sleep. Amelie will wake anywhere's between 3 and 5 times during the night to nurse. Seems like a lot for a 9 months old. But if you think about it, it really isn't. We all wake several times during the night. The difference is that adults will fall back asleep so fast, the don't remember they have been awake. It is something we learned during our childhood. Amelie does not know how to comfort herself back to sleep yet. She needs me to help her. She may be hungry or thirsty, or had a bad dream, or is hot or cold, or she just needs a cuddle. Sometimes, I feel her little hand reach for my arm, as if she was asking "Are you still there mom?". And then she feels my warm skin and rolls over and continues sleeping.
So, this seems all pretty romantic, but let me tell you, I am not always able to keep my calm, I do get upset, especially if we had a rough couple of nights and I am struggling to keep my eyes open. Sometimes, I just want to shout "Just go back to sleep! Why can't you just go back to sleep?!" I don't, but I want to. But this just proves that I am human and that I am not perfect (so not perfect).
I know that eventually, she will be able to soothe herself without my help. At her pace, when she is ready. I decided to give her that time rather than to rush her with sleep training methods, to be there until she doesn't need me to. As exhausting as this may be at times, I love our quiet, blissful moments of being together so closely, in the dark. I know they will end at some point, so I try to enjoy them while they last.
What does your sleeping arrangements with the little ones look like?