Cosleeping Source:Bednest

What is cosleeping?

Cosleeping implies that parent and baby are sleeping together in close proximity. The term covers both sharing a bed with your baby as well as having your baby sleep next to you in a three sided bedside „cosleeper‟ crib next to the side of your bed. 

Why consider cosleeping?

American bedsharing expert, James McKenna, sums it up when he says “Babies who sleep close to a „committed, adult care-giver‟ have half the chance of dying from SIDS, compared to those infants who sleep in a room alone, or even in a room with other children.” He goes on to say that “this closeness may take the form of a cot by the bed, or bedsharing with mother.” Dr Helen Ball, who has her own sleep laboratory as part of Durham University and, like Dr McKenna, is also considered an international authority on infant sleep goes further when she says, “the development of an early physical relationship between mothers and infants, where infants remain in direct contact with their mother‟s body night and day for periods of weeks or months following birth, is vital for both infant survival and normal development.

Benefits of cosleeping using a cosleeper

• Convenience!
• No need to get out of bed to feed at night Baby settles easily next to the parent bed More sleep for all your family
• Perfect for bonding with a new baby (which is vital for both infant survival and normal brain development without which future aggression and conduct disorders can manifest)
• Can breastfeed more easily (breastfeeding is recommended to help avoid cot death) with all the associated advantages of short & frequent breast feeds leading to less nipple trauma
• Can easily touch baby/hold baby‟s hand (there is a wealth of research about the importance of constant physical contact for young infants)
• Less disturbance when baby wakes due to proximity of Mum to baby
• Encourages breastfeeding whilst lying down (which aids latching)
• Eye to eye contact is unimpeded
• Baby can be rolled to Mum instead of being lifted out of a non cosleeper crib
• Unlike sitting feeding in a chair if Mum does fall asleep whilst feeding in bed lying down baby can‟t fall off the lap onto the floor
• Reduces incidence of cot death by half
• Increases probability of continuing to breastfeed until six months at least
• Allows for accessibility, interaction and unhindered access

Babies often show strong preferences about where they do or do not want to sleep and parents tend to change their arrangements accordingly. An unsettled baby means disturbed nights for the whole family. If that means that parents get more sleep because their baby is more settled then it is worth its weight in gold!

The following produced jointly by FSID and the Department of Health are the guide lines parents can take to reduce the risk of cot death

• Place your baby on the back to sleep, in a cot in a room with you
• Do not smoke in pregnancy or let anyone smoke in the same room as your baby
• Do not share a bed with your baby if you have been drinking alcohol, if you take drugs or if you are a smoker
• Never sleep with your baby on a sofa or armchair
• Do not let your baby get too hot keep your baby‟s head uncovered place your baby in the “feet to foot” position