It increases the risk of SIDS and suffocation Parents or objects (like pillows or blankets) may unknowingly roll onto the baby at night, leading to injury, suffocation, or death. The AAP says co-sleeping is especially dangerous if the baby is younger than 4 months, was born prematurely, or had a low birth weight.
The organization says the practice puts babies at risk for sleep-related deaths, including sudden infant death syndrome, accidental suffocation and accidental strangulation. About 3,700 babies die each year in the U.S. from sleep-related causes. AAP cites seven studies to support its recommendation against bed-sharing.
Co-sleeping more safely: positions and tips
Make sure your baby can't fall out of bed or become trapped between the mattress and wall. Keep pillows, sheets and blankets away from your baby to avoid them over-heating or covering their face and obstructing their breathing. You could use baby sleeping bags instead.
Here's what the survey found
The survey found that the majority of new parents are getting between 5 and 6 hours of sleep each night. Sadly, no surprises there. On average, each new parent loses a staggering 109 minutes of sleep every night for the first year after having a baby.
In fact, 62% of parents said they co-sleep so their families get more sleep, while another 62% said they do so because they want to make their kids feel safe and secure. Just over half, 52%, cited bonding with their infants as to why they share a bed.
Because of the risks involved, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) warn against bed-sharing. The AAP does recommend the practice of room-sharing without bed-sharing. Sleeping in the parents' room but on a separate surface lowers a baby's risk of SIDS.
If you're loving every minute of co-sleeping (or if you've been forcing yourself to sleep separately), you can relax. Despite the myths and false information, co-sleeping will not make your baby clingy. Enjoy it while you can.
Of course there are always exceptions to any rule – some babies crave their own space. But for the most part, babies sleep best when they're next to their mothers.
Ideally, a parent should stay home with a child for the first 2 to 3 years of life.
Experts recommend that new moms get at least seven hours. While this study provides valuable insight into the importance of sleep, be patient with you and your baby in the postpartum period. Consider asking for help, sleeping when your baby sleeps, and forgoing bed sharing to optimize your sleep schedule.
Komisar says both are needed in a child's first three years, but children require much more of the sensitive and empathetic nurturing. “So the more you're with your baby, the more you're present, physically and emotionally for your baby, the less stressed that baby is and the less stressed the mother is,” Komisar said.
Goodstein said, when babies sleep in the same room as their parents, the background sounds or stirrings prevent very deep sleep and that helps keeps the babies safe. Room sharing also makes breast-feeding easier, which is protective against SIDS.
Here's our guidelines for appropriate bedtimes, based on age (keep in mind, the lower range aligns with the younger age): Newborns (0 - 3.5 months) - 7:30-9:30pm (later because newborn sleep cycles aren't yet in place and circadian rhythm isn't driving sleep) 3.5 - 6 months old - 7-8:30 pm. 6 - 12 months old - 6-8pm.
There are no set rules about how long to wait before taking a newborn out into the world or when to let people near the baby. Some doctors recommend that parents wait until their baby is a few months old before going to crowded public places (like malls, movie theaters, and airplanes).
According to most pediatric health experts, infants can be taken out in public or outside right away as long as parents follow some basic safety precautions. There's no need to wait until 6 weeks or 2 months of age. Getting out, and in particular, getting outside in nature, is good for parents and babies.
Between 4 and 9 months is the overnighter sweet spot. Before that, your baby may still be perfecting breastfeeding, waking up a lot at night, and bonding with parents, which makes it a less-than-ideal (but not impossible) time to leave them with a sitter overnight.
Studies have shown that by three months of age your baby can discriminate between their mother's face and the face of a stranger.
One of my favorite things to do is show mothers how their baby can smell them from as far away as 1 to 2 feet.
While having a baby sleep on mother's (or father's) chest whilst parents are awake has not been shown to be a risk, and such close contact is in fact beneficial, sleeping a baby on their front when unsupervised gives rise to a greatly increased risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) also known as cot death.
Co-sleeping always increases the risk of SUDI including SIDS and fatal sleeping accidents. Co-sleeping increases SUDI risk even more in the following situations: You're very tired or you're unwell.
SIDS is more likely if parents co-sleep after drinking or taking drugs;9 having an open conversation can help them to understand why they should be very careful not to fall asleep with their baby after drinking or taking drugs. Drink and drugs also affect normal functioning and decision-making.
Co-sleeping with your baby is very dangerous if:
you or anyone in the bed smokes. you or anyone in the bed has taken any drugs or medication that make you feel sleepy. your baby was born prematurely (before 37 weeks of pregnancy) or weighed under 2.5kg or 5½ lbs when they were born.
White noise reduces the risk of SIDS.
A relatively famous study (famous if you read a lot about baby sleep, so honestly you should be a little proud if you haven't heard of it) showed that babies had a significant reduction in the risk of SIDS if they had a fan in their room.