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All new parents seek the answer to the question of how to get enough sleep to remain coherent, much less savvy enough to care for a young baby. There are two basic choices when it comes to laying baby down to sleep - he can sleep with you or in a bassinet or crib. However, loads of advice weigh down the decision, making it difficult to know which is best for your child. In the end, it may be most important to simply discover what works for your family, making sure to combine your actions with simple safety precautions to ensure the health of your infant.
One of the best known advocates for co-sleeping is Dr. William Sears. As a pediatrician and the father of eight children, Dr. Sears calls on his years of experience to state that what he terms "sleep sharing" is good and right for babies and mothers. Through his observations and discussions with other parents, he has come to believe that sleep sharing carries benefits for both mother and child. Many breastfeeding mothers report actually getting more rest since they do not have to get up to nurse. Babies who sleep share tend to sleep lighter and awaken more frequently than those who don't, leading Dr. Sears and others to hypothesize that this decreases the chance of SIDS. Also, many families believe that sleep sharing strengthens the bond between parents and children.
The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) advises that parents have their child sleep in the parents' room for the first year in a crib safety tested by the Consumer Products Safety Commission. This keeps the baby close enough to have his needs met but away from safety hazards such as soft bedding. There have been cases of infants suffocating while in the bed with an adult. However, many SIDS cases have been children alone in their beds, so it is not possible to state that simply sleeping with an adult is a suffocation hazard. Therefore, the AAP states that there is "insufficient data to conclude that bed sharing under carefully controlled conditions is clearly hazardous or clearly safe." For many families, choosing not to have the baby sleep in the same bed as the parents is a matter of practicality - there simply isn't room. This is compounded when one or more members of the family is a light sleeper, awakening with every knee in the back and snore in the ear. There is also the fact that safety concerns can keep a parent from being able to rest. If a parent is constantly worried about rolling over accidently, falling asleep is difficult, if not impossible.
Regardless of where you choose to have your child sleep, there are important safety recommendations that should be followed. If a baby is in a situation where he cannot breathe, he cannot move to remedy the problem the way an adult or older child could. Therefore, it is important to anticipate possible problems and prevent them. Loose or soft bedding should not be used, including pillows or comforters. If taking the child into your bed, use a separate blanket for yourself to ensure that the child's face will not be accidently covered. Do not allow the baby to become overheated. Use your own temperature as a guide; one thin layer more than what you need is probably sufficient. Of course, you know your child best, and if he tends to be warmer or colder than you, adjust accordingly. Always put your child to sleep on his back. This has been shown to lower SIDS rates in the United States. If you are excessively tired or if you have been drinking, do not sleep with your child. If you smoke, do not sleep with your child. The risk of accidental suffocation rises in each of these situations.
You may find that for your family, a mixture of co-sleeping and solitary sleeping works well. You may choose to invest in a co-sleeper bassinet that attaches to the side of your bed. A crib in a separate room with a monitor is also an option, as is putting the crib in your room. The decision you make will probably end up as a matter of what method allows everyone in the family the most sleep.
The decision of where your child will sleep is a personal one that each family should make for themselves. Keep in mind that there is no data to state that co-sleeping is dangerous in and of itself, and there is anecdotal evidence from thousands of families that co-sleeping has allowed everyone more rest and built positive parent-child relationships. Each child has different needs, and for some, co-sleeping may help to meet those needs. Also remember that a separate crib can be a safe way to ensure your child (and you) gets much-needed sleep and is an option chosen by many parents. Whichever you choose, may tonight be a restful one for you and yours!
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