Benefits of Cosleeping

Benefits of Cosleeping
by Guest Author - Julie Renee Callaway

Each night in millions of US, Canadian and European homes a nightly ritual takes place that would be considered barbaric by parents in less developed countries. Parents in these upscale homes place their babies alone in cribs or bassinets and leave them to sleep alone or “cry it out.” Often the exhausted parents try to make things a bit easier for everyone involved by rocking the baby to sleep first and then attempting to sneak out of the room before baby awakes crying again.

Meanwhile, thousands of parents have found that cosleeping lets everyone get more sleep. These parents are snuggling down with their babies without a lot of fuss. Polls show that up to 70% of parents occassionally sleep with their babies – but they are afraid to admit it to their doctors because of the bias against cosleeping that has developed over the last 150 years. Parents choose to sleep with their babies for the most practical of reasons: everyone gets more sleep!

Scientific studies and the stories of many cosleeping parents suggest that sleeping with baby can help to regulate their breathing. Some evidence suggests that the risk of SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome) is reduced when the infant sleeps near an adult. The adult's breathing pattern seems to help the infant's immature respiratory system settle into a healthy pattern.

Cosleeping or sharing a family bed is one way that many parents have found to carve out extra time as a family in an increasingly hectic schedule. Both parents and children benefit from simply being together in a relaxed way. Especially when the mother works outside the home, these extra hours of snuggling and wakening peacefully together help to offset the hours that are spent apart.

Cosleeping can help mothers successfully breastfeed longer. Many babies learn to waken just enough to find the breast, then nurse themselves back to sleep without either mother or baby fully awakening. Baby may wish to nurse to sleep or upon wakening in the morning. This helps to provide healthy antibodies and extra nutrition even as baby is transitioning to solid food.

If you choose to sleep with your baby, be sure to follow all applicable safety guidelines. Never sleep with your baby if you have been drinking or are impaired by any drugs. Be sure that there are no gaps between the mattress and the headboard that could trap baby's head or body. Keep blankets and pillows away from the baby. You may wish to use a sleep sack or blanket sleepers to make sure baby stays warm with out dangerous blankets near their face.

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