Co-sleeping and sleep training can be quite a controversial topic to discuss. While main organizations like the American Academy of Pediatricians (AAP) have a clear stance against co-sleeping when it comes to babies, many families still practice bed-sharing some or all the time as it is the norm in some cultures.
This divisive opinion between the stances of experts and what parents actually do can lead to a lack of honest conversation between doctors and parents. Hence, it is so important for parents to prepare themselves with the actual facts of co-sleeping and talk to their doctors about any issues with regard to their baby's sleep. Here's what you should know about the benefits and risks of co-sleeping.
What the study says
The hard truth about parents who co-sleep with their infants is related to the increased risk of accidental death in babies. The AAP's safe sleeping guidelines state that babies should never sleep in the same bed with their parents due to the risk of suffocation,sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), and other sleep-related deaths.
A 2021 review on the risks of co-sleeping from the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists in the UK found the risks are higher when:
- Co-sleeping is done on the sofa versus a bed
- The baby is under 98 days old
- Co-sleeping is done all night versus some of the night
- If the adult co-sleeping has smoked
- If the adult co-sleeping has consumed alcohol
Where a baby sleeps, whether they sleep on their own or co-sleeping with a parent, has a major impact on their safety. It is not safe for babies to sleep on a couch, armchair, or other soft lumpy surface that can create air pockets that are going to cause them breathing difficulties. Which makes it even more dangerous during late-night feedings when both parents and baby are drowsy.
Why do parents choose co-sleeping?
Despite all the known risks, some parents still choose to co-sleep for its deemed benefits like parent-baby bonding and practicality. Not only does co-sleeping keeps parents physically close to their little one but it also makes it easier for the breastfeeding parent to nurse and respond to the baby's needs at night.
Other than practicality, some parents believe that children gain a greater sense of security and well-being from sleeping with their parents.
Co-sleeping downsides
Some of the risks of co-sleeping are more than just physical safety.
- Developing a sleep crutch - Always having a parent around at bedtime can become a strong sleep crutch or sleep prop, which is something your kid can't doze off without. Your child needs to learn to fall asleep without a parent nearby.
- Displaying anxious behaviours - Some children will come to expect interactions such as back rubbing, patting, and being held to fall asleep. Hence, they may show anxious behaviours to convince a parent to stay nearby at bedtime as they are having a hard time falling asleep on their own.
- Parents' sleep quality may deteriorate - Children can disrupt their parents' sleep by kicking and thrashing around in their sleep which can then make the parents exhausted either by the restless sleep of the kids or the needs of each kid after an awakening.
- Risks of SIDS and suffocation - Parents or objects like pillows or blankets may unknowingly roll onto the baby at night which may lead to injury, suffocation, or death. The AAP states that co-sleeping is especially dangerous if the baby is younger than 4 months, was born prematurely, or had a low birth weight.
A safer alternative to co-sleeping
While the AAP strongly advises against bed-sharing with babies, they highly recommend room-sharing, which keeps the baby close to the parents in their room, but on their own safe sleeping surface like a bassinet or cot. This close proximity still supports breastfeeding and allows parents to quickly respond to their baby's needs at night.
The benefits of room-sharing are significant the AAP suggests room-sharing for the first year of a baby's life or at a minimum, the first 6 months of life.
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