You love your baby alright. You want to cuddle, pamper, and snuggle her as often as possible, especially during sleep. But is bed-sharing a healthy exercise for both you as a parent and your baby?
While parents in other cultures are allowed or even encouraged to co-sleep and bed-share with their infants and toddlers, these practices are being discouraged in Americans because of its alleged negative benefits to children.
Some parents opposed to the idea of bed-sharing with their children on the belief that babies and toddlers are safer and more comfortable sleeping in their bassinet or crib.
Motherly instinct
Many doctors nowadays advise mothers to leave their infants alone in their sleep. This idea comes from the risk of SIDS or sudden infant death syndrome, a medical condition where a baby, often a boy in his second and third month, die in his sleep. The cause of SIDS remains a mystery, and doctors suspect that co-sleeping of a parent with their babies leads to it.
But as a mother, you love to be with your infant most of the time, if possible, even during sleep. Still, the fear that SIDS can happen anytime when you are sleeping with your baby. This concern for your child getting killed because you’re by his side during bedtime might have led this idea to spread. Just imagining the guilt and the grief of losing your child to SIDS while he is by your side is dreadful enough to convince you not to sleep-share with your baby anymore.
With all the negative views and opinions against the sleep-sharing with toddlers, how could you shower your maternal bond with your baby during their rest time?
The good news is science has found out that the benefits of bed-sharing outweigh the costs. Recent studies have debunked many of the myths about the adverse effects of bed-sharing, and more and more doctors are now advocating for sleeping beside your baby.
Reasons for bed-sharing
Bed-sharing has the following benefits for your baby:
It boosts your child’s independence
It is commonly believed that bed-sharing infants grow up to be dependent adults. But modern research disprove this notion and came up with a conclusion that bed-sharing promotes independence. Waking up knowing that mom is there to feed or comfort makes frees a baby from separation anxiety, which makes a child less clingy to her mom.
It promotes breastfeeding
Breastfeeding has tons of health and psychological benefits that you don’t want your baby to miss during nighttime. Milk from breastfeeding contains a mixture of nutrients that are naturally formulated to nourish your baby’s body requirements. Aside from this, this act strengthens the bond between you and your baby.
It encourages your baby’s self-esteem and lowers her risk of stress disorders
Apart from separation anxiety, sleeping with your baby prevents the onset of other forms of anxieties and fears. Your presence during bedtime calms the worries that your child feels especially during the most dreadful hours of the day.
It improves physical and mental health
Sleeping beside your baby will allow her to get the necessary dose of touch and special care for optimal health. Humans, especially infants, biologically need touch. The discovery of marasmus, a condition where babies die not because of hunger but of lack of cradling and breastfeeding mothers prompted doctors to advise moms to cuddle, fondle and even talk to their kids. Bed-sharing allows your baby to get sufficient body’s warmth and comfort from your touch.
It makes your sleep cycle in sync with your baby’s
Among our instincts is to synchronize our habits with our loved ones, especially spouse and children that are physically close to us. One activity where we can notice synchrony is sleep. Bed-sharing with your child can influence her sleeping time to match with yours. Synchronized sleep of mother and child mean lesser time feeding time and fewer sleep disturbances at night.
It makes nursing easier for moms
The crying of your baby at night is a potent sleep disruptor. By bed-sharing, you do not have to get up and comfort your baby if she cries. Keeping your child near you can make it easier for you to soothe your baby.
Draws your family closer
Sleeping in one bed improves the bond among your family. Your husband may even be prompted to share with you in attending to your baby’s needs.
Bed-sharing dangers
While bed-sharing has plenty of benefits for your baby, it also has its share of risks. Some of the dangers are:
- Suffocation – Too much closeness to your baby during sleep can suffocate them. Maintain a distance that will not smother your children. Keep blankets, pillows, and other objects that may obstruct her airways. Make it a point to bed-share with your baby on a medium-soft mattress. A very soft mattress might suffocate her
- Accidents – Any error in bed-sleeping can lead to critical mistakes. Make sure to make the bed and its surrounding areas safe from things that might unintentionally hurt your baby. Also never place any electric devices, live wires, draperies and other items near the bed.
- Overheating – Too much heat can ruin your baby’s health and sleep. Upon sleeping, dress her in minimal clothing. You can also dress her in a sleepwear rather than be using blankets to avoid the risk of suffocation.
Moreover, doctors discourage moms to bed-share with babies less than four months.
Bed-sharing is a practice that has plenty of promises and risks. If done with caution and care, doing this baby-rearing practice with your baby can give her long-term benefits that can last a lifetime.
Bedding Stock offers a broad range of quality memory foam mattress that is perfect for bed sharing with your baby. Visit our website now to find out the best mattress that suits you.
About the author: Ethan Wright is a health enthusiast who believes every great day begins with a good night sleep. He is currently a researcher and writer for Bedding Stock, an online retailer of twin memory foam mattress in the USA. When not wearing his writing hat, you will see him traveling to places with his journal.
