The benefits of co-sleeping have also been extolled by American anthropologist James J. McKenna, whose research shows that when parents and babies sleep together, their heart rate, brain waves, sleep state, oxygen levels, body temperature, and breathing improve. They have been shown to influence each other. . So this is a natural arrangement. In fact, co-sleeping has been shown to reduce testosterone levels in men. Men with low testosterone tend to be more sensitive and responsive parenting, which means they may make better fathers by sharing a bed.
“Co-sleeping has become a lifestyle choice,” says baby and child sleep consultant Andrea Grace. “People are now very cautious about attachment parenting and aware about mental health and parents are keen to make sure their baby has good mental health from the start and that This is achieved by protecting attachment.'' This is a marked departure from the approach popularized in the 1990s by Richard Ferber in his book Solving Your Child's Sleep Problems, which involves letting your baby 'cry it out' while It established the trend of “self-directed” sleep.
The Royal College of Midwives says advice about safe sleep is not consistently followed or understood by parents. So what do you need to know?
What is co-sleeping?
“Typically, when medical professionals and charities such as the Lullaby Trust talk about co-sleeping, they mean bed-sharing,” Grace explains.
This is different from a “co-sleeping” crib, which connects to the side of the parent's bed and gives the baby its own sleeping surface, she says. “These provide what is called ‘close contact sleeping’ rather than co-sleeping. ”
While some may plan on co-sleeping, Grace says most parents don't actually do that. “But most people do it at some point,” she says. “That's because babies waking up in the middle of the night can be hard to calm down and the only way to make sure everyone gets a good night's sleep is to bring them in. When babies are young, they tend to stay close to their parents. They tend to be more calm.”
Is it safe to co-sleep with my baby?
Advice from The Lullaby Trust is that to reduce the risk of death in a cot, your baby should always sleep in a separate cot, cot or Moses basket, and for the first six months move the cot away from your room. It should be placed in However, research shows that 9 out of 10 parents sleep together.
“While many parents make a conscious choice to co-sleep and take great care to make it as safe as possible, most parents who co-sleep with their baby had no intention of doing so beforehand,” Grace says. says.
