Is Co-Sleeping With a Baby a Good Idea?

By Lisa Pecos

Co-sleeping is one of the most controversial issues in contemporary parenting, with some parents advocating it as a beneficial way to encourage parent-child bonding, and others arguing that it is not only unnecessary but dangerous. While there are no easy answers to this question, and both the benefits and the risks of co-sleeping are certainly real in many respects, most experts ultimately recommend moderation. Let us look more deeply at this issue and consider some of the main issues involved.

Co-sleeping background

To put it simply, co-sleeping is the practice of sharing your bed with your baby. In many parts of the world, co-sleeping is standard practice, and it has been common throughout human history. For example, a 2006 study found that 93% of Indian children aged 3 to 10 co-slept with their parents. However, in the developed world, there has been a longstanding trend away from co-sleeping, and completely separate sleeping is now the norm in North America, Europe, and Australia.

The co-sleeping movement is beginning to make a dent in this trend. Proponents hold that this movement can promote child health by providing easier access for breastfeeding, and that it also promotes bonding and prevents parents from having to continuously get up during the night to tend to the baby. It has been argued that co-sleeping is also better for the baby’s mental health, making the child feel safe, happier, and less anxious.

On the other side of the issue, opponents to co-sleeping cite the potential dangers of the habit. Most importantly, co-sleeping increases the chances that a parent will inadvertently smother the baby, and it often encourages babies to sleep in positions that place them at higher risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). Meanwhile, co-sleeping can also be damaging to the parents’ relationship, making it more difficult to have sexual intercourse and reducing parental communication during the early years of the child’s life.

Co-sleeping recommendations

When it comes to children’s sleeping conditions, safety should always be the number-one concern, and parenting experts note that careful parents can co-sleep with their children without it becoming dangerous. However, in order to diminish the dangers sometimes associated with co-sleeping, parents should keep these things in mind:

• make sure the babies sleeps on his or her back, which reduces the risk of SIDS;
• only co-sleep on beds that are large enough to comfortably handle both parents as well as the baby without crowding;
• make sure there are no structural components of the bed where the child’s hands, feet, or head can get trapped, and ensure that the mattress fits snugly without gaps on either side;
• minimized the amount of bedding used, avoiding fluffy blankets and large pillows;
• ensure that the baby’s head and face will never be covered by the bedding;
• never co-sleep when one or both parents have taken drugs, alcohol, sleep medication, or nighttime cold medications, as these things can dangerously decrease the parent’s responsiveness to the child.

Although these tips are useful for parents who insist on co-sleeping, it is important to note that the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission and the American Academy of Pediatrics both recommend that parents completely avoid co-sleeping.

In the end, many parents who sympathize with the co-sleeping movement but do not want to take on the added risk opt to compromise by sleeping close to the child but not in the same bed. While simply placing the crib or bassinet close to the bed is an easy way to do this, there have also been a number of bedding options invented specifically to facilitate safe near-co-sleeping. For example, there are bassinets that can be attached to the side of the bed so that parent and child can have easy access to one another without the possibility of the parent rolling over on the child.

If you are still not sure where you stand on this issue, talk to your doctor about the best options for you and your child.