you're the same as me, i started APing b/c it felt right, but had no idea it was called AP until ds1 was 10mos and i, too, found Dr. Sears..

i think you will probably find at least a dozen answers to your questions b/c i've never known 2 families to do it exactly the same way. AND, in my own family, we have had at least 25 different sleeping situations since our first was born. as the family's needs change, so do our mattresses . but i do think that the majority of families probably end up w/the large mattress on the floor w/out even a box spring. it's just safer in most instances.

this probably will depend on the age of your child. most co-sleep experts recommend that a newborn sleep between mom and wall, not dh. men don't have the same instincts to be aware of the baby. once older, sleeping between parents is perfectly safe.

some do, some don't. mattress on the floor helps w/this, too.

you can try different blanket for you and dh, none for baby. or you could wear extra clothes so you don't need covers over your uper body.

w/ds1, we kept the crib up just for this--naps. but w/ds2 were more comfortable w/co-sleeping, and just left him on the mattress. we also have a very groovy video monitor, so we can watch him while he naps, no worries about rolling off.

depends on how tired i am. sometimes i drift off w/them, other times i get up once they're asleep. again, video monitor very cool here.

When they are super little they sleep snuggled up close to me...usually latched on all night. As they get older we have a bed rail for my side of the bed but I try and keep them in the middle between dh and I. That depends how many others are in bed with us though...there could be 1-3 kids in bed with us at any given time.

The covers situation has never really been an issue. I don't bring the covers over my shoulders as it would cover his head...usually I just wear a warmer top to keep my shoulders warm. But I hate sheets anyway unless its freezing so maybe I am just the wrong one to answer that one.

Naps are in the bed.

At bedtime I nurse them down in bed and then sneak away once they are asleep unless I fall asleep as well.

Just go with the flow and before you know it you will know what works with your family and what doesn't.

happened the same way for me!!!
it has varied over the years, but mostly between myself and a wall or bed rail with pillow stuffed in it.
your mamma sense kick in pretty good while they are little as to where they are ...
I always have had an extra loose blanket that I take to bed for just me I can wrap myself up in it perfectly and not worry I am covering baby
nap with your baby if at all possible..good for both of you!!!!
otherwise on the floor or somewhere very safe. ours always slept in the family bed or the sling
I always have parented my kids to sleep and if I fall asleep then I do sometimes I try to stay awake but my kids have not went to sleep alone
it is good you are here for support
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All this is very interesting, just catching up on posts as new on here.
I co-sleep with my 1st child/son, 6 months.

My LO is just 12mo. He sleeps between us. In cooler weather, we put him in warmer fleece pajamas. We're being lazy about turning the AC on in our bedroom, so he's been sleeping in a diaper and tshirt the last week or so. Once the AC is on, he'll be in lightweight pajamas. I don't worry about the covers coming up to his waist, but he kicks them off.

When he was smaller, he slept higher up on the bed, so his waist was about equal to my head. That way I stayed covered. Now he cozies up to where the milk is readily accessible. I pull an afghan over my shoulders if I'm chilly. I sleep on my side, facing him.

We do have a sidecarred crib, but he sleeps better in our bed, between us. I store extra toys, blankets, and pillows in the sidecar, which is also where I stash my "adult sippy" (travel mug of water), out of his reach.

He crawls, but usually just to our headboard, which has shelves and is fun to clear of various things (books, ointments and unguents, ewoks, babylegs). He doesn't crawl over us and DH and I both let our legs sprawl, so we wake up if we're nudged.

Naps are in bed. I have a laptop and enjoy the downtime. Sometimes he naps in arms on the couch or on my back in the Ergo. Actually, he naps on me a lot--I walk several miles most days. Today we're sharing a nasty cold, so naps are in arms or in bed.

I might try moving him over to the sidecar again. When it's warmer, he seems to do okay over there. It seems so far away, but it's totally within my arm's reach, right next to me. I mean, my butt sleeps in the sidecar half the time.