When child wakes up, s/he realizes mom/dad are right there, does not become
terrified of being alone, so never rouses completely, just fades back to
sleep.  Doesn't wake up and work self into a frenzied howl before mom/dad
hear and come to see what is the matter.

Baby sleeping on back who spits up might aspirate vomit and suffocate if
sleeping alone, but if sleeping with parents, parents will hear and wake up
and help baby sit up and clean out mouth and airways.  This happened to us
with our third.  If he hadn't been sleeping with us, he probably would have
died.

If your child is sleeping with you, there is NO chance that someone will
sneak into the bedroom through the window and molest or abduct your child,
(unless they also assault you).  There have been cases of children being
abducted from their beds during the night while their parents slept on in
another room in another part of the house.

Less chance that your teenaged daughter will sleep with her boyfriend just
because "it's so nice and comforting to have a warm body to sleep with."
(Our teenager daughter sleeps with her 11 year old brother, not with us
anymore.)

Lots of opportunities for cuddles and loving talks and rubbing of backs and
tummies in the middle of the night, like when you get up to take the 5 year
old to the toilet at 4 am and then cuddle and whisper sweet nothings to each
other -- quite a contrast from the hustle and bustle of daily life and
sibling squabbles and TV and telephone, etc.  Often the only time of day
that the youngest has parents to themselves.

Maybe we're old fogies who have an unexciting sex life (!) but we've never
had any of our kids wake up while we were having sex in the same bed with
them.  Of course, we have a king sized bed.  And then there's always the
living room floor, the shower, the barn, etc......  ;)

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Katherine A. Dettwyler, Ph.D.                         email: [log in to unmask]
Anthropology Department                               phone: (409) 845-5256
Texas A&M University                                    fax: (409) 845-4070
College Station, TX  77843-4352