I think this is a "parenting" issue, rather than a CAH one! Like Laura said, there are many opinions out there, but I think that the bottom line is that you must do what feels right for you. With my first child (SW son), he would cry so hard that he would make himself throw up ... not good. I had listened to the "old school" of thought that kids should be "independant" (at 6 mo. old?!) sleepers, even though it just didn’t feel right. With my next son (non-CAH), we practised the "family bed", and he slept with us almost exclusively until he was about 2 yrs old (thank God for King sized beds!); at that point, he decided he wanted a "big boy bed", and moved into his own room. By the time our SW daughter came along, we had given away the crib, and she slept only with us until she was about 3 (it was GREAT for breast-feeding!), when she too decided she needed her own space. Both kids (now ages 7 & 9) are welcome in our bed at any time, but this happens very seldom - only if they’re sick or have a nightmare - usually once or twice a month or less. My daughter actually crawled in with us a couple of weeks ago because she’d had a "scary" dream; after about a half an hour she announced, "I’m going back to my own bed ... it’s too crowded in here!" Both my kids are very independant, and if I had to do it over again, I wouldn’t even BUY a crib. I deeply regret the snuggle time that I missed with my (now in heaven) first CAH son.