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Co-Sleeping: Should Your Child Share Your Bed?

What’s the single biggest issue in parenting? It’s sleep -- who’s getting it, how they’re getting it, and how they can get some more of it!  But where are your children sleeping, and where should they sleep?  In your room or your bed?  Or in theirs?  If they’re in your room, that’s called co-sleeping -- and it may happen accidentally, because a baby cries in the middle of the night, or because of a lifestyle decision.  But which way is best? And for how long?  Join our host Dr. Winnie King, and find out what you need to know about your child’s safety, his independence, and the impact of co-sleeping in later life.

GUESTS:

Kenny and Makeda Green -- Sleepy parents
Javan Green -- Kenny and Makeda’s baby
Peter and Kathy Nonken -- Parents who co-sleep with their children
Natalie, Max and Gabe Nonken -- Peter and Kathy's chidren
Deborah Campbell, MD – Section Chief,  Neonatology, The Children’s Hospital at Montefiore; Chief Professor of Clinical Pediatrics and Associate Professor OB-GYN and Women’s Health, Albert Einstein College of Medicine.
Jodi Mindell, PhD – Associate Director, Sleep Disorders Center at  Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia; Clinical Psychologist, St. Joseph's University; Professor of Psychology, and Director of the Graduate Program in Psychology, St. Joseph's University, Philadelphia
Published works: Sleeping Through The Night – How Infants, Toddlers and Their Parents Can Get a Good Night’s Sleep. (Harper Collins 2005)


TIPS:                                                                               

If you decide to co-sleep with your baby, here’s how to do it safely:

  • Babies should ALWAYS sleep on their BACKS
  • To prevent smothering:  use firm mattress and avoid pillows, waterbeds, and comforters.
  • NEVER co-sleep on a couch or recliner – they are very dangerous! Babies can roll off.  They can also suffocate in the wedges of a couch.
  • Beware of spaces and gaps that your baby can get trapped in.  For example, use a rolled up towel to fill in gaps between the mattress and the wall and headboard. Check gaps nightly.
  • Consider sleeping on a mattress or futon on the floor so that there’s less risk of falling off.
  • Baby-proof your bedroom in case your child wanders during the night.
  • Separate infants from older kids.
  • Keep pets out of bed.
  • DON’T SMOKE AROUND YOUR BABY!!!!!!!


Do not share your bed with your child if:

  • You are using drugs or alcohol.
  • You have a sleep disorder.
  • You are ill or unusually tired
  • Any one of these factors can HINDER your ability to care for your baby. 

When and if you decide to transition your baby or child into his/her own room:

  • Start by having naptime in the child’s room.
  • Or begin the evening routine in the child’s room.
  • Sleep in your child’s room until he’s comfortable there.
  • Give the child his own bed on your bedroom floor until he’s ready to be in his own room.


RESOURCES: 

Kidshealth.org from the Nemours Foundation
http://kidshealth.org/parent/general/sleep/cosleeping.html

James J. McKenna, Ph.D. Professor of Biological Anthropology, Director, Mother-Baby Sleep Laboratory, University of Notre Dame.
http://www.nd.edu/~jmckenn1/lab/index.html

La Leche League
http://www.lalecheleague.org/FAQ/cosleep.html

Sleeping Through The Night; How Infants, Toddlers, And Their Parents Can Get A Good Night’s Sleep
by Jodi Mindell, PhD

Good Nights:The Happy Parents’ Guide To The Family Bed (And A Peaceful Night’s Sleep)
by Jay Gordon, MD and Maria Goodavage