I think this is a topic (sleeping with your child) that my parents have a lot to talk about, especially mums.
Actually our daughter used to sleep alone, most of the time before she turned one year old, as we rented a two-bedroom apartment in Taiwan and she has her own crib and her own room. I used to work late and her dad put her to her crib, then i just came back to change her and feed her bottle at the mid night, she wouldn’t even wake up when I was doing all these. All everything was perfect.
After she turned one year, we started move around. So there wasn’t guaranteed the condition of the apartment, the bed, etc. So to make sure she can fall asleep as quick and comfortable as possible, I started to lie on her side – and that was just the beginning. She got used to it so wonderfully, of course, if i sneaking out of the room successfully, that was great until she woke up and screaming for my return. So after some exhausted nights, i didn’t bother to leave the room from time to time.
Now she is already four years old, and still this habit hasn’t been broken & got even stronger. She could express her feelings now “mum, if you want to go out, please let me know.” “mum, I need you to be here.” after a few times she cried for me to come back to her bed in the early morning, now she just called calmly “mum! mum”, and when i jumped out of bed and go to her room, she would say “oh, mum , i love you. i like you to be here.”
Oh well, I just hope that someday, she will accept the reality that she can manage to sleep the whole night, by herself.