Cosleeping With Baby - Friend Or Foe?

There are so many benefits in regard to co-sleeping. One that many new parents will appreciate is the decreased occurrence of crying. When sleeping next to their parents, baby feels safe and secure and knows they will be taken care of in this big, brand new world. Some people feel that babies who co-sleep will be more dependent in later life but it appears that babies who co-slept at the beginning of life had a much easier time transitioning when it came to being on their own. Co-sleeping babies become independent sooner, grow up with a higher self-esteem, have less anxiety, and are more comfortable with affection. They also have less psychiatric problems.

There can be some dangers to co-sleeping. If the parent is a very deep sleeper who feels they could possibly roll over their child, or if the parent were on any kind of medication that impairs their mental status or causes drowsiness these would be parents that should avoid co-sleeping. Also, if the mother or caregiver is sleep deprived and just plain exhausted they would also want to avoid co-sleeping. Exhaustion can be a common feeling for many new parents, so just pay attention to how you feel and make the best judgment call. Most mothers seem to have the innate instinct not to roll over their baby and usually sense a human being next to them. Do you roll over onto your husband in the middle of the night and not feel him? Of course the baby is much smaller than your husband but one would hope you could feel the presence of your child.

If you are too frightened to try co-sleeping there are some alternatives that may be right for you. There are new cribs on the market that allow one side of the crib wall to detach and then securely attach to the side of the parents bed. This allows the crib to open to the bed so baby can be close as ever but still have their own space. This also makes it very convenient for the mother to breast feed in the middle of the night as well.

The most important benefit of co-sleeping, with either the child in the bed or next to the bed, is the decreased occurrence of SIDS or Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. This can be due to several factors. Babies who co-sleep spend more time sleeping on their back or side, which decreases the risk of SIDS (by decreasing chance of suffocation). There is also research that shows the carbon dioxide exhaled by a parent can possibly work to stimulate baby's breathing. Also, if the mother is in the same room as their child and they happen to notice a respiratory difficulty with their baby, they can act much more quickly than if they were in a separate room.

There have also been studies that show babies who sleep close to their parents have much more stable vital signs. Their temperature and heart rate tend to stay very stable throughout the night compared to babies who sleep alone.

As you can see there are both risks and benefits to co-sleeping. Always take your particular situation into account before deciding whether or not to co-sleep. If you feel you cannot co-sleep safely at least have the babies crib in the same room, as the benefits are similar to co sleeping when doing this.