Co-Sleeping With Your Baby
Pros and Cons Answered
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Until recently I felt like I some how failed as a parent in a small way by co-sleeping with my son. I'm not one that has to follow the whims of society but I still can feel pressure. Whenever the subject of sleeping or night time routines came up I admitted my son was still in our bed but there was a small amount of unease associated with it. Not enough to make me change the current situation but still it was there. Since researching sleeping choices for my parent readers I feel like I have made a positive night time parenting choice for my family. Remember what works for me or your sister may not be the right choice for your family to choose what fits your lifestyle.
THE PROS OF CO-SLEEPING - Sharing a bed with your baby can give you extra time to spend with your baby. The bonding and nurturing that happens during the night can help create a stronger relationship between you and your child.
- Babies who sleep with their parents tend to stay awake for shorter periods of time during the night and cry a lot less, too.
- Sharing a bed with your baby allows you to quickly respond if your baby gets sick or cries in the night.(I recently knew my son was running a fever before he even woke complaining he didn't feel good).
- Some advocates believe that babies who sleep with their parents are more independent, more outgoing, and more confident.
THE CONS OF CO-SLEEPING- Sleeping with a rolling,kicking baby can be hard to get used to.(This was very true for my husband).
- The transition back into his own bed for your baby may take a long time and a lot of energy.
- Sleeping with your baby can put a damper on your love life. Spontaneous lovemaking when your family shares a bed is not a realistic option. (I find that spontaneous and whatever isn't an option anymore).
- The safety factor is always brought up as a con for sharing a bed with very young children. I have to agree here. My son was by the bedside in his own bassinet for the firth 3 months.
- To reduce the risk of accidentally suffocating your baby while sharing a bed, it is recommended by health experts that you not share a bed with your baby if you or your partner has been drinking alcohol, taking drugs or medication, or if either of you is a smoker.
Suffocation Prevention
Despite the possible pros, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) warns parents not to place their infants to sleep in adult beds, stating that the practice puts babies at risk of suffocation and strangulation. And the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) agrees.
Advocates say it isn't inherently dangerous and that the CPSC went too far in recommending that parents never sleep with children under 2 years of age. According to supporters of co-sleeping, parents won't roll over onto a baby because they're conscious of the baby's presence — even during sleep.
Co-Sleeping Questions
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