Co-Sleeping Doesn't Have to Mean Bed Sharing

I’m sure you have heard people talk about the “dangers” of co-sleeping, or maybe a friend gave you that look when you mentioned you and your family had decided on co-sleeping, or maybe a parent has lectured you on the dangers of sleeping with your baby (that they heard or read in the news!)…maybe all of the above. While the risk of SIDS is very real and very scary, it does not go hand-in-hand with co-sleeping or bed-sharing. If you safely co-sleep with your baby you do not increase your risk of SIDS, but you can enjoy: heightened awareness of your baby, similar protective sleeping patterns with your baby, easier breastfeeding, more sleep, a healthier baby, and much more.  You can safely co-sleeping with your baby in your bed (as with bed-sharing) or right next to your bed – as with a bassinet or a bed created for co-sleeping like the Arm’s Reach beds, you just need to follow safety steps keep the lines of communication open. Co-sleeping does not have to mean bed-sharing.
​A respected and knowledgeable Dr. in the field of babies and co-sleeping is Dr. Sears. He has done scientific research and studies as well as anthropological research on co-sleeping. His research shows:

• Cultures who traditionally practice safe co-sleeping, such as Asians, enjoy the lowest incidence of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS).
• Trusted research by Dr. James McKenna, Director of the Mother-Baby Sleep Laboratory of the University of Notre Dame, showed that mothers and babies who sleep close to each other enjoy similar protective sleep patterns.  Mothers enjoy a heightened awareness of their baby’s presence, what I call a “nighttime sleep harmony,” that protects baby.  The co-sleeping mother is more aware if her baby’s well-being is in danger.
• Babies who sleep close to their mothers enjoy “protective arousal,” a state of sleep that enables them to more easily awaken if their health is in danger, such as breathing difficulties.
• Co-sleeping makes breastfeeding easier, which provides many health benefits for mother and baby.
• More infant deaths occur in unsafe cribs than in parents’ bed.
• Co-sleeping tragedies that have occurred have nearly always been associated with dangerous practices, such as unsafe beds, or parents under the influence of substances that dampen their awareness of baby.
• Research shows that co-sleeping infants cry less during the night, compared to solo sleepers who startle repeatedly throughout the night and spend 4 times the number of minutes crying. Startling and crying releases adrenaline, which can interfere with restful sleep and leads to long term sleep anxiety.
• Infants who sleep near to parents have more stable temperatures, regular heart rhythms, and fewer long pauses in breathing compared to babies who sleep alone.  This means baby sleeps physiologically safer.
• A recent large study concluded that bed sharing did NOT increase the risk of SIDS, unless the mom was a smoker or abused alcohol.
  
  

Here are some steps to safely bed-share:

• Place babies to sleep on their backs.
• Be sure there are no crevices between the mattress and guardrail or headboard that allows baby’s head to sink into.
• Do not allow anyone but mother to sleep next to the baby, since only mothers have that protective awareness of baby.  Place baby between mother and a guardrail, not between mother and father. Father should sleep on the other side of mother.
• Don’t fall asleep with baby on a cushy surface, such as a beanbag, couch, or wavy waterbed.
• Don’t bed-share if you smoke or are under the influence of drugs, alcohol, or medications that affect your sleep.
  
  

The decision to co-sleeping and bed-share is for you and your partner to decide. It is a personal decision and it can change with each child, but it should be based on research and communication, not fear and the unknown. I hope this blog helps you feel more empowered and knowledgeable to make the best decision for you and your baby!
Find the complete article by Dr. Sears and further research,  here.