Co-sleeping is a common public health topic that is
important to consider. At this time I am a firm believer in not co-sleeping.
Co-sleeping is when a baby sleeps alongside their parents in the same bed. “A North American Internet survey found that
20 percent of the youngest babies were put to sleep in the parents’ bed; as were
18 percent of toddlers (Berger, 2012, 131).”
This is a sensitive topic and can cause tension among parenting
groups. There are many points for both sides of the controversy. For example,
one of the negative points of co-sleeping for me is the amount of time an infant
will wake during the evening; studies have shown that infant that co-sleep wake
twice as often as those who sleep in their own cribs. Solo-sleeping allows
children to become more independent and transition into their own rooms in much
easier. The other concern that I have with co-sleeping is the possible harm to
the infant if a parent accidentally rolls over.
While my concerns are normal in the United States, in Asian,
African and Latin American mothers traditional sleep beside their infants.
Asian and African mothers worry about separation (Berger, 2012, 131).
Although this does not directly affect my work with
children, I will discuss with parents their sleeping habits and how their
children will nap. If our ideas are different I will need to provide valid
information regarding my policies on napping and procedures.
Berger, K.S.(2012). The Developing Person through Childhood (6th ed.). New York: Worth Publishers.
Great topic. I will admit I am guilty of co-sleeping. Especially with my older two children. I am happy to report that I never had any bad experiences with this practice and my children did transition just fine. My third child I did not do this with. To this day even if I try to get her to take a nap with me she prefers her own bed. Now having yet another infant she does not co-sleep however she does sleep in her bassinet right next to my bed. I am one of those mothers who is constantly waking to check her children. I even go in and check my 13 yr old. :) Sadly enough knowing that this was a positive experience for me I do know someone who had a most horrific experience. He had a newborn and fell asleep in a recliner with her. When he awoke she had slipped into the side of the chair between himself and the chair. She did not make it. It breaks my heart.Something so innocent, never meaning to hurt his child and she is no longer here with us. Thanks for the a great topic!
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing. I know several people who co-sleep and have never had problems. My daughter (6 weeks)sleeps in her crib in our room for the time and she has even spent a night in a pack n play at my parents with no problem sleeping. Those horrific stories are why I take the position of not co-sleeping but every family is different and needs to make a choice for them. Thank you for sharing.
ReplyDeleteHi Megan, I must say that I am guilty in that my husband and I co-slept with both of our children as a result of my exclusively breastfeeding both of them for the first year. It worked for us because getting up all through the night and taking them in and out of their room across the hall was very tiring for both of us. We agreed to train both of them to sleep in their own room at 1 year old, and it proved to work out just fine. I know that this concept may not work for everyone, and everyone does it differently. But I think it's fine if you have a goal in mind: get them in their own bed eventually and out of yours! I had an advantage because my boys share a room and it was easier for both of them to adjust knowing they weren't alone. I see only one major downside to co-sleeping, and that is the number of deaths and injuries that have taken place due to parents being unaware of rolling over on their babies! This is scary, and I would encourage parents who want to co-sleep to put a co-sleeper bed or bassinet right next to their bed ( this is what we did). It proves to be much safer for the child in the end, and parents can get a better night's sleep. I must admit, my husband and I slept extremely light for an entire year twice!
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