Today's JuiceBoxJungle addresses the controversial question of co-sleeping.

For us, sleep is one of those times you can cherish with your child, and sleeping together is something that you and your children won't want forever. But American parents often push children towards a maturity they aren't ready for, and cosleeping gives children the security of knowing their parents are there. But again, that's us. It's a personal choice for each family to make.

Here's JuiceBoxJungle's take on the issue:

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But if you think you'd like to cosleep with your child, or are already, we have a few suggestions to make sure you're doing it safely and enjoyably.

• Get a big bed and a relatively firm mattress. We needed both after Jenni suffered a serious injury a couple of years ago, and better cosleeping was a bonus. Now, we couldn't imagine cosleeping without it. And a firm mattress provides the safest surface for your child to sleep on without obstructing their breathing.


• Make sure your bed has no cracks an infant or toddler (or their arm or leg) can slip into. In many cases, this just means making sure your mattress is pushed up towards the headboard as much as possible, rather than leaving equal gaps at the head and foot.


• Use thin blankets and comforters, no big fluffy stuff. Again, it's a breathing thing.


• In case it needs to be said, no one should be going to bed drunk or on drugs. In many countries where cosleeping is the norm, not the exception, this is the main cause of infant death while sleeping.

We put Z in her bed each night asleep, after cuddling with me on the couch. (This ritual used to involve breastfeeding, but that's fading away fast.) She usually wakes and cries for a second when Jeremiah puts her down in her bed, and he lays with her for a moment (it never takes longer than a minute) and then she sleeps halfway through the night. Then she wakes up, goes to the bathroom, and comes into bed with us to sleep through the rest of the night. Works for us!

Do you live in a place that turns cloudy and gray for weeks on end in the winter? Do you often wear sunscreen or protective clothing and hats in the summer? Have you recently been pregnant or breastfeeding? Do you spend less time in the sun than you used to?

Our bodies produce vitamin D₃ through exposure to the sun, and is a building block for an important steroid hormone in your body called calcitriol. Vitamin D₃ works with other hormones to support healthy bones, cell growth and is a key factor in maintaining hormonal balance and a strong immune system.

I recently had my vitamin D levels tested. Not surprisingly, I was in the deficiency range. I live in the rainy part of the Pacific Northwest and am breastfeeding a toddler. My doctor said that almost everyone she tests in our region of the county is somewhat deficient. When I told my family who live in sunny Texas about vitamin D deficiency, they also got checked. And guess what? They too also tested as deficient! Why? That Texas heat keeps people indoors, close to the A/C. So, even if you live somewhere with year-round sun, you might still need some help getting enough vitamin D - and not doing so can impact everything from your bone health to your sleep patterns. This typically means two things: Making sure you get enough daily sun exposure (without sunscreen) and taking a Vitamin D supplement.

But why a supplement? Shouldn't we just be able to boost our vitamin D levels through dietary changes? Or from the sun?

We do get some vitamin D in fortified food sources like milk and cereal. It is also naturally occurring in egg yolk and fish oils. But those those sources are not enough. Our bodies are used to getting Vitamin D from the sun. Studies show that people today stay indoors more, get less exercise and wear more sunscreen, leading to less sun exposure. Sunscreen, especially with a SPF rating greater than 8, effectively blocks synthesis of vitamin D in the skin. Pregnancy and breastfeeding also draw down the body’s vitamin D stores.

Research also shows that vitamin D deficiency leads to increased risk of many cancers and heart disease, not to mention lowered immune functioning, sleep dysfunction and increases in chronic pain. It is also suspected to contribute to many autoimmune diseases and Autism.

You can have your vitamin D levels checked with the 25-hydroxyvitamin D test, also called a 25(OH)D. This requires a simple blood draw and is covered by most health insurance. For both children and adults, levels should be above 50 ng/ml year-round. It took almost a month for my results to come back and when I called the lab, they said that so many people are getting this test done that they were struggling to keep up with demand. And Quest Diagnostic Labs, the nation’s largest medical laboratory, recently admitted that they might have made errors in thousands of test results over the past two years.

It is important to work with your health care provider to determine your vitamin D needs. Toxicity can occur with long-term high doses of vitamin D. While this is a rare occurrence, it can make you sick. Vitamin D is fat soluble and not excreted as easily as many other supplements.

You should also do some research and be informed before you approach your doctor about supplementing vitamin D. I was nervous about taking “too much” and only supplemented 2000 iu of D3 per day after finding out I was deficient. When I had my blood work rechecked four months later, there was no change in my levels. This is because 2000 iu is only enough to maintain levels for a breastfeeding mother but not enough to actually raise them. Now after taking 5000 iu for three months, my levels are close to the normal range. If you feel you are at risk for deficiency, it is advisable to test your levels even if you are currently supplementing. This way, you can determine if you are indeed taking enough to meet your own body’s needs. I found the Vitamin D Council to be a good source of research-based information.

Be sure that your children are getting enough vitamin D as well. Last year, the American Academy of Pediatrics doubled the recommended dosage of daily D for children and breast-fed babies. The new recommendation is 400 iu per day. Formula-fed babies get vitamin D in their milk. And remember, these dosages are for children who are not already deficient and who get some sun exposure. Your baby or child might need more. As always, check with your health care provider before changing or adding any supplements.

Besides supplementing D₃, you can also expose yourself to direct sunlight for 20 minutes daily. Make sure you have some skin exposed in order to soak in the sunlight! Sit by a window, go for a walk, play in your garden or at the park. If you can make significant lifestyle changes, you may do a couple of rounds of testing and decide that supplementation isn't necessary.

For our family, supplementing D₃ has made a huge overall improvement in our sleep. As for myself, I feel less achy and my immune system is functioning better! A simple blood test and an inexpensive supplement has made a lot of difference.

We worry a lot about our physical fitness. How do we make time for it? What type is best? How much is enough?

But as important as physical fitness is, "mental fitness" is as well. Consider that stress has been known to cause everything from a bloated belly to the common cold to cancer. Especially in today’s world, developing a "fitness" routine for the mind is equally, if not more important, than developing one for the body.

More and more we are finding research that proves that how we respond to stress has a significant impact on our health. In our busy, over-scheduled, technology-saturated lives, our bodies are in a near-constant state of stress. This is taxing on every facet of our lives, especially if you are a parent. Being a parent requires more patience and calm than most likely any other time or your life, yet it adds on loads of stressors - from new responsibilities and extra chores to dealing with difficult moods (i.e. tantrums). This can make our body remain in a constant "fight or flight" response, which is useful in a crisis but hazardous to your health as a sustained state of being.

How do we calm the mind to better deal with what life has for us?

I suggest a simple guided meditation at the end of your day before turning in to bed.

• Lay on you back, legs relaxed, eyes closed, arms by your side, palms up


• Begin to envision your feet with a warm light on them, allowing them to relax and release all of the tension that has literally been put on them all day


• Do this for each body part up to the head. This only needs to take a few minutes, but can last as long as you wish.


• When you are done take several deep breaths, try to keep the mind calm, allowing thoughts to pass along as quickly as they came

Then you can get in bed! Your work out is done.

This is something you can do with children as young as two. It is a wonderful way to get them ready for bed and begin to teach them how to calm the mind. You may notice little miracles from a quicker descent into sleep to having colds less frequently. I do this with my son at times, and I also use this at the end of every creative movement class I teach. The children really respond to slowing down. You may need to alter visuals (floating on a cloud, sun on your face, etc.), and some times will be more successful than others! Have fun with it and see how you can incorporate mental fitness into your family routines.

Let me know how you are all feeling after implementing this into the daily grind!