Co-Sleeping: Should Your Child Sleep In Your Bed?
Co-sleeping is the
practice where the child sleeps in bed with his parents. Not surprisingly, it
is one of the most hotly debated and controversial topics related to pediatric
sleep. Let’s see why.
Some people argue
that co-sleeping is the right and natural way to raise a child because the
practice fosters a stronger bond and a more secure attachment.
Conversely, others
will tell you that co-sleeping is risky, ridiculous, or even dangerous and they
don’t want it for their family.
So, which approach
holds the truth?
First, it’s
important to understand that co-sleeping is not magic. Although some proponents
of the family bed would disagree, numerous couples have reported that their
babies did not necessarily sleep deeper or longer because their parents were
close by. In fact, some parents found that their child slept longer and woke
less frequently when they stopped co-sleeping and moved him into his own crib.
However, whether
families choose to co-sleep or have their children sleep independently is a
personal decision, and if both parents and child are safe, rested, and fulfilled,
then co-sleeping is nothing to worry about.
If you decide to do
co-sleep, this commitment requires some very careful thinking about what you
and your spouse feel is right for you as individuals, as a couple, and as a
family.
Ask yourselves the
following questions:
• Is it nice to think about enjoying the
coziness of sleeping in close proximity, or does one or more of us tend to stay
active during sleeping – potentially disrupting the others?
• Does everyone in our family want to
co-sleep, or are we leaning toward it because one of us feels strongly?
• Are we willing to commit to being
quiet after our child falls asleep, or do we like to watch TV or talk in bed?
• Will we enjoy being able to feed our
baby more often throughout the night, or will have him next to us make it
tougher to wean nighttime feeds?
• Are we agreeable to getting into bed
when our child does, to ensure his safety?
• For working parents, does sleeping
next to our child allow us to feel more connected to him?
As expected,
co-sleeping has both advantages and disadvantages.
Let’s take a closer
look at them.
Advantages:
• Constant closeness whenever the child
is awake. Many children and parents enjoy this feeling.
• Immediate action and support for any
sleep-related problem
• The ability to nurse and respond to
other nighttime wakings without getting up
• More time to spend with the child
• Possibly better sleep for both the
child and the parents, if the child was sleeping poorly, to begin with
Disadvantages:
• Parents may sleep poorly if their
children are restless sleepers
• Parents may end up sleeping in
separate rooms and they may become angry at their child or with each other
• Children’s and adults’ sleep cycles do
not coincide
• Parents may have to go to bed at a
very early hour with their children and be left with little time for their own
evening activities
• Parents have little privacy
• There may be a slight increase in the
risk to the infant from SIDS and related causes.
The decision to co-sleep should be yours, made by the parent – or parents – and based on your own personal philosophies, not on pressure from your child or anyone else. Another family’s good or bad experience with co-sleeping should not influence your decision: your child is unique and your family is not the same.
The Big Change – Transitioning
Your Child From Crib To Bed
I want out! That’s the message
your toddler will send – one way or another – when he’s ready to wave goodbye
to the crib and say hello to a big-kid bed. Your child might actually verbalize
displeasure, or more likely, simply climb out of the crib.
So, what needs to be done?
First, resist the temptation to
move him too early. Most experts recommend doing so around age 3. Unless your
child is climbing out of his crib or needs more space than a crib can provide –
his body is growing at an astounding rate – it’s better to keep him in the
crib, which allows him to feel safe.
This way, your child can feel
comfortable taking giant developmental leaps during the day but still regress
to the security of his old crib at night.
Moreover, until age 3, toddlers
are very impulsive, and your child’s difficulty in understanding and being able
to follow directions or rules (like staying in bed all night) will make
sleeping in a bed a real challenge. If you transition to a bed before age 3,
you can plan on waking up to a little visitor next to your bed pretty much
every night.
When the time comes, however, you
need to help your child transition smoothly to sleeping in a bed. For that, you
need to follow certain steps. These are:
1. Create
a safe environment: Safety proof your child’s room and any adjacent areas he
may be able to visit into the middle of the night. Secure windows, tops of
stairs, and any stepstools that can be tripped over. Even better, you can
install a safety gate at your child’s door. You can even install a small
night-light in his room to help him orient himself and avoid hurting himself.
2. Pick
the mattress: Go to the mattress store – or any other store that sells
mattresses – and let your child help you choose the mattress or bed. With
safety in mind, all you need is a twin-size mattress and box spring and some
safety rails for the side. You should adjust the height of this new bed
accordingly, as it will need to sit low on the floor for some time until your child
gets used to it. Get some fun new sheets, some special pillowcases and you’re
set to go.
3. Disassemble
the crib (together): Once the new bed comes home, ask your child to help you to
take down the crib. This way, your child will feel part of the transition
process and will also be able to say good-bye to the crib.
4. Set
up the bed: Put the bed in a corner of your child’s room so that the head and
side of the bed are flush against the wall for protection. Add a safety rail to
the exposed side of the bed. Your child will feel safe this way, just as he did
in his crib.
5. Explain
the rules of bedtime: If your child is verbal before the first night of
sleeping in the bed, go over the rules of bedtime with him. Tell him that he is
a big boy now who needs to understand that when we go to sleep, we only wake up
when the sun is nice and bright.
6. Do
your bedtime routine: During the first few nights your child is sleeping in his
new bed, take an extra 10 minutes of reading time together to make him feel
comfortable in his new environment. The idea here is to make your child feel
safe. If your child seems excited about the new bed from the very start, you’re
one of those lucky people who has made this transition easily.
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