I personally couldn't have done it any other way but apparently there are people out there who breast feed their kids but don't share a bed with them! Whoa...I genuinely don't understand how they do it; but yes, it does indeed seem that there are some peeps who haven't realised that you can breast feed your children, get a good nights sleep, manage a love life and not suffocate your kids all with one simple manoeuvre...get a big enough bed.
Apropos the article above, am not quite sure why you have to turf them out at age five, but horses for courses. Some kids will be ready for their own space well before this.
(INcidentally - eugh! You can probably tell that I don't usually get round to spell checking - but I may be even less likely to from now on. What is this "maneuver" thing?)