Does co sleeping make babies more sociable? These are important questions that need to be answered in order to ensure that babies continue to receive the best possible care.
This study shows that bedsharing is not as bad for babies as some media reports suggest. In fact, they seem to be doing just fine. The researchers monitored the breathing of 13 healthy babies who slept with their mothers and found that their breathing was not disturbed when their mothers slept next to them. This means their breathing is not disturbed during the day when they wake up in the middle of the night to check on their babies.
In summary, we find that bedsharing does not appear to be an absolute risk to SIDS. However, because of the potential confounding factors, such as maternal smoking during pregnancy, diet, alcohol consumption, and stress during the first 3 months of life, future studies should be made more sensitive.
Are babies who co sleep happier? Yes, but it isn’t the same happiness. Co sleeping doesn’t guarantee that a baby will be happy. It just gives you a different kind of perspective.
One of the questions that comes up time and time again is “how can a culture encourage co sleeping while still being able to provide a safe bed for baby?” This is especially relevant in today’s busy lifestyles. As more and more mothers, out of necessity, are separated from their baby during the day, sleeping with their baby at night allows them to reconnect. As a night owl, you are more likely to be there for your baby when they are in trouble.
Do you sleep with your baby in your bed? Do you let him sleep alone in your bed? Do you allow him to sleep on your bed? Do you allow him to cosleep with you? These are just a few of the questions that may be asking themselves as you sleep with your baby.
Sleeping with your baby is as old as the hills. From our earliest days, parents and babies have slept together for protection, warmth, and convenience. Today, SIDS and SLEEP are side by side buzzwords. Do not mix them.
SLEEP WITH YOUR BABY!
If you are breastfeeding, you are more likely to be in a cosleeper bed than you are to be on your own. Breastfeeding mothers are more likely to cosleep than bottle feeding mothers. Cosleeping is as safe as breastfeeding. Breastfeeding mothers should be encouraged to cosleep, but no one should breastfeed in an adult bed.
The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that infants should be kept away from pillows and other soft bedding. Pillows are known to cause SIDS and should be avoided in infants less than two years of age.
Infants should be kept away from pillows as much as humanly possible during the first six months of life.
Are babies who co sleep happier? Yes, but so what? A family dynamic is a wonderful thing, but it is not the whole story. Co sleeping, when practiced sensibly, can make a dramatic difference in a baby’s day–and night–but more importantly, it can profoundly alter how a parent feels about co sleeping.
Can a parent truly be ‘true’ to their baby if they sleep with them every night? In my experience, the answer is a resounding yes. Every nighttime parent I know who sleeps happily with their baby, no matter who they sleep with, is doing so because that is what they feel is best for their child. (I am one of these.) I believe that each family should find what works for them. But if you are leaning toward the ‘yes’ camp, be warned: You may find that co sleeping with your baby makes you feel a whole lot better about the decision, but you may also find that you are making a decision that is hurting your child emotionally.
Is co sleeping really that bad for babies? The short answer is ‘yes.’ But it isn’t because sleeping with your baby makes you a bad parent. It might make you feel better, but there is a good reason why you chose to bed-share and a reason why other parents might choose not to bed-share: It actually makes your relationship more stable. You don’t have to wake up every ten minutes to check on your baby; you don’t have to wake up every ten minutes to feed your baby. You don’t have to wake up every ten minutes to check on your baby; you don’t have to wake up every ten minutes to feed your baby. You don’t have to wake up every ten minutes to check on your baby; you don’t have to wake up every ten minutes to feed your baby. You don’t have to wake up every ten minutes to check on your baby; you don’t have to wake up every ten minutes to check on your baby.
Are babies who co sleep happier? Here are some of the interesting results:
Children who co-sleep enjoy more sleep. One study found that co-sleeping increased children’s sleep from 8.3 hours in World War II to 12.7 hours in the mid-aughts.
Children who co-sleep also tend to be more satisfied with their lives, with fewer unresolved conflicts and fewer anxiety disorders.
Children who co-sleep tend to be more satisfied with their lives, with fewer unresolved conflicts and fewer anxiety disorders.
Are babies who co sleep happier? Absolutely. But it is not the bedside or the killer app it once was. The new studies are showing that bedsharing is not so much detrimental as beneficial.
Co sleeping is as old as the hills. From our earliest days, anthropologists, psychologists, and sociologists have warned us about the negative effects of allowing children to sleep alone.
Sleeping in the same room as parents has long been observed to increase stress, anxiety, and in some cases, mortality. Distant relatives and strangers are perceived as threats to the child.
This fear has not gone unheeded. Terrorist attacks in Europe and the U.S. have made it more difficult for Western parents to sleep with their babies. In Europe, where co sleeping is commonplace, the practice is under siege.
In the U.S., where co sleeping is more of a cultural norm, the practice is largely a happy accident. “Sleeping with your baby when you are not around increases your happiness,” says Dr. Sears. “We are not against it, we are just different people.”
In the mid-1970’s the term “sleep-deprived” was coined to describe parents who felt they had exhausted all other options. The term has since become part of the parenting vocabulary.
Sleeping with your baby when you are pregnant can make you feel less exhausted. You feel more whole, more optimistic, and more optimistic about the future. You forget about the devastating news in the morning. You drift off to sleep, feeling better rested and more positive than when you started.
The ability to drift off to sleep while nursing helps babies learn to use their self-preservation instinct to keep from starving to death. As long as you are alert and aware, you can easily awaken to meet baby’s hungry cries. You are there to meet baby’s hungry cries, not to satisfy your own.
Babies often get more sleep when they are hungry. This is normal.
