March
Cosleeping and everything I loved and lost this month
I’ve been nine months since I sent you a monthly recap! I wish I could fill you in on everything that’s happened.
The thing that remains foremost on my mind, every day, still, is my upcoming book that Hachette is publishing next year. I’m eagerly awaiting a call with my editor this Thursday about my manuscript! We are getting close to the finish line, people!!
Otherwise, I spent a lot of March going back and looking over my notes from the last five years of cosleeping consultations. I’m sorry to admit that I had forgotten many of the little details and lots of faces were blurring together.
As I looked through my notes, I felt like I could pull something helpful, heartening, or inspiring from every single family I met with.
And I had the thought that it’s actually not fair for me to keep all of this to myself.
So with permission from the families, I’ve been sharing some glimpses of my consultations with you. I hope you’ve been enjoying them!
(I know my 80-year-old aunt has because she responds to each email with her thoughts! Hi, Aunt Marilyn! 😘)
You can expect these essays to arrive in your inbox on Mondays. I’ve published three so far — if you missed them, here they are:
Hiding It in Half Moon Bay — when your mother-in-law asks about your sex life
Committing in Cupertino — this busy Silicon Valley family ditched the Snoo and embraced cosleeping as soon as possible
Something Upstairs in Sacramento — when your upstairs neighbors cause you to bedshare for the first time
I hope these Monday essays will make you smile, feel seen and less alone. And I hope they give you the courage to make it through another day. Thank you for being here as part of my beloved cosleepy community.
And, now, onto the March recap! Xx
WHAT I OFFERED
💬 Since things having been winding down with my book, and I have a little more time, I decided to bring back Cosleepy Office Hours. These are 30-minute Zoom calls to ask me all your “quick questions.”
Here are some great examples:
Before I purchase this new X mattress, will you help me determine if it’ll be safe for bedsharing?
We’ve been bedsharing like X, Y, and Z so far. Safety-wise, do you see any red flags?
I’m waking up sore. My X and Y are killing me! What should I be doing differently?
I hate bedsharing because of X, Y, and Z. Will you help me make our nightly routine better?
Tap this button for testimonials from parents who have met with me, the booking link, and so on.
Can’t wait to meet you and help make this chapter of life a lot better!
WHAT I CREATED
📲 In addition to the three Monday essays that I linked above, here is all the new stuff I put out into the world in March…
🎧 I went onto the OrganiMama Podcast to talk about bedsharing, sleep training, and listening to that little voice inside you
3️⃣ The three things to know about propping yourself up as you sleep chest-to-chest with your baby (roundup post)
👍 I am giving you explicit permission to go out and buy yourself a better pillow!
🤓 Demo video: How high should you prop yourself up?
↖️ This is the most important thing to do when chest sleeping with an infant
🥶 On the blog: How to stay warm while bedsharing in the cold
3️⃣ The three ways to stay warm while bedsharing in the cold (roundup post)
‼️ According to UNICEF, here is the optimal room temperature for bedsharing with an infant
👚 Tiff’s Tip: What to wear on top to stay cozy all night
🛏️ A great way to make sure you are using blankets safely while bedsharing
🌱 It’s your responsibility to keep your baby safe in your bed — but the great news is you don’t have to wing it
🌪️ A Safer Sleep Week collab with our friend Hannah Clark: Five ways to keep your bedsharing baby safer once they start to roll
🤟 Viral post of the month: The benefits of sleeping chest-to-chest with a toddler
🧳 My all-in-one, best resource for cosleeping away from home — in a hotel, friend’s guest room, Airbnb, etc.
WHAT I BOUGHT
🪟 I’m slowly saving up and replacing all of the ugly, bent, and broken blinds that came with this house. This month I was able to buy three of these linen, light-filtering London Shades for the living room!
You just carefully pull them down and up. So easy. (And so pretty, right?!)
Other window coverings I considered:
These gorgeous scalloped, velvet curtains in mauve
Super fun ruffle-stripe curtains
WHO I FOLLOWED
👭 Two of my good friends started newsletters this month! Subscribe and spend your next contact nap with…
Brittni Matthews — Holistic infant and toddler sleep specialist and founder of Resting In Motherhood
Natalie Brunswick — Therapist, educator, and founder of Raising Us
🏠 I also found a newsletter completely randomly… and I am obsessed! If you like home reno, silliness and levity, big families, and nice people, subscribe to Anna Liesemeyer of In Honor of Design.
WHAT I READ
📚 This was not my best month for reading. I gave up on one book after just the first chapter (I try to read the first three chapters before giving up… But with this one, I just couldn’t.) And I was able to start and finish a fun royal family-inspired novel.
What are you reading during contact naps? Hit reply and let me know!
★★★★☆
The Heir Apparent by Rebecca Armitage
She is third in line to the British throne — though you wouldn't know it. Lexi is living in voluntary exile on the other side of the world, doing her medical residency, worrying about her bank balance, and falling in love. Then a terrible accident occurs and she is forced to return to London as the heir apparent Princess Alexandrina.
DNF: The Pretender
DID YOU KNOW? I have read hundreds of books on my phone over the last few years while lying beside my sleeping boys through the Libby app. All for free. Download the app, enter your library card, find a good book, and dive in!
(You can send the book to your e-reader, if you’d prefer!)
You can tap here to see what I read last June, May, April, March, February, January, December, November, and October. I generally suggest a gentle genre for this season of life, like romance or mystery!
That’s it for March! Keep your head up. Remember that I’m rooting for you. Sending you a big hug from here in northern California. Xx
What a pleasant surprise to read! Thank you for the kind rec, and I’m so happy to find you!
Awww thanks for shout out my friend!! Loved reading this 😘