These issues include the safety of different sleep environments as well as the physiological and / or psychological consequences of the choice of
sleeping arrangements parents make.
Not exact matches
We wanted to present people with something exciting that they would want to pick up and read, but this seemed just about impossible when our living
arrangements consisted of
sleeping on mattresses in a friend's
parent's basement.
In our interviews for the nanny we also discussed things like discipline, travel, vacations, sick day
arrangements, communication with
parents / grandparents if the need arises,
sleep training, etc..
I thought Dr. James McKenna's conclusion was quite fitting, «I do not recommend to any
parents any particular type of
sleeping arrangement since I do not know the circumstances within which particular
parents live.
You'd be surprised how many
parents who are on the verge of divorce send their children to
sleep away camp thinking that a couple of weeks without the children will give them the time to make
arrangements for finding a second place to live, etc..
This is a stage at which many
parents transition their children to separate
sleeping arrangements.
Therefore, we do not recommend any particular
sleeping arrangement to
parents.
Check out the Snuggle Me Organic Original Co-
Sleeping Baby Bed and see for yourself why
parents and caregivers continue to order this great product as part of their co
sleeping arrangements!
Society must realize that it is not okay to judge
parents for their chosen
sleeping arrangement.
Many
parents, those who consider themselves to be attachment
parents and those who do not, see several advantages to shared
sleeping arrangements.
The way I see our
sleeping arrangement is that our daughter will gradually become more comfortable
sleeping away from her
parents, but that it is our job to encourage her trust in her
parents as well as her own self - confidence by staying with her through the night, reassuring her that we are there for her no matter what.
Using traditional anthropological and medical research techniques, the laboratory cuts through myths and controversies to provide scholars,
parents, and the news media with accurate scientific information on a variety of
sleeping arrangements, including safe co-
sleeping practices.
And the assumption by pediatric
sleep researchers that there is one ideal
sleeping arrangement for all, or that cosleeping is harmful and detrimental or that infants need to «consolidate their
sleep as soon in life as is possible» is not only fallacious but harmful and it explains why western
parents are the most exhausted, disappointed least satisfied, (yet, most educated and well read), I am convinced, than any other
parents on the planet, as regards their infant's
sleep.
Some safety issues are known, so certainly they should be followed as I have outlined in answering many of these questions But what any infants
sleep location socially or psychologically means to
parents is very powerful and it affects the overall safety and satisfaction that different families have to the same
sleeping arrangement and environment.
I think that as
parents we should find the
sleeping arrangement that works best for our family.
Aside from never letting an infant
sleep outside the presence of a committed adult, i.e. separate - surface cosleeping which is safe for all infants, I do not recommend to any
parents any particular type of
sleeping arrangement since I do not know the circumstances within which particular
parents live.
Each child and each family will need to find the
sleep arrangement that fits both the needs of the child and that of the
parents.
Just as with most
parenting issues, finding the right
sleep arrangement for your baby and your family can be a bit of trial and error.
Further, it has been shown that in the majority of cases where a child was apparently suffocated, some abnormal
sleeping arrangement was present, such as too many people in too small a bed,
parents under the influence of
sleep - altering drugs or alcohol, or unsafe
sleeping surfaces such as couches or bean bags.
While you should, of course, make this decision based on your child's needs above your own, it's normal to wonder what benefits you as a
parent can get from this unique
sleeping arrangement.
The book covers topics that all
parents face at one point or another - from breast - feeding to
sleeping arrangements to discipline.
Sage
Parenting: Where Nature Meets Nurture is similar to What to Expect When You're Expecting in that it documents the course of events beginning with pregnancy and covers topics such as
sleeping arrangement and breastfeeding, but the author ventures into topics that mainstream authors dare not go such as mother guilt, bed - sharing, discipline and attachment.
This fantastic book is for everyone, regardless of
parenting style, feeding situation or
sleeping arrangement.
Still,
parents and health care professionals who advocate the practice say children can benefit from this type of
sleeping arrangement.
Looking at the work of people like James McKenna, Ph.D., Director of the Mother - Baby Behavioural
Sleep Laboratory of the University of Notre Dame and author of
Sleeping with Your Baby: A
Parent's Guide to Co-
sleeping, it seems the positives greatly outweigh the negatives if both
parents are happy with the
arrangement and it is done safely.
I would have never anticipated this
arrangement, although as a child I
slept on and off in my
parents» bed until I was 7.
Breastfeeding and
Sleeping Arrangements - Science and History in
Parenting.
No study has shown, however, that the goals for separateness and independence (or happiness, for that matter) are obtained in the individual by, among other things, separate
sleeping arrangements for
parents and children, nor do any studies demonstrate negative consequences for children or
parents who choose to cosleep for ideological or emotional purposes, except when cosleeping is part of a larger psychologically disordered set of family relationships or when cosleeping occurs under dangerous social or physical circumstances.
Sleeping with Hayden opened our hearts and minds to the fact that there are many nighttime
parenting styles, and
parents need to be sensible and use whatever
arrangement gets all family members the best night's
sleep.
Older children share
sleep after they outgrow the need for the
parent's bed or the sidecar
arrangement.
They discount the possibility that a father - to - be would research
parenting options, discuss them with his partner and together they would make a decision on the
sleep arrangements that they feel are best for their family.
Ultimately, these are personal lifestyle choices, and since
parents and babies need healthy
sleep, they should be based on whichever
arrangement provides the most
sleep for everyone.
For most mothers in contemporary Western societies, breastfeeding and infant
sleeping arrangements are two distinct
parenting practices with little or no relation to one another.
Some children need assistance longer than others, and while it is every
parent's individual decision, the Montessori way takes into account the needs and preferences of the child; children are not forced to comply with
sleeping arrangements or expectations that they are insecure or upset by.
So, whenever I answer
parents» questions about
sleep, I first ask this: are you okay with your current
sleeping arrangement and is the
sleeping area safe?
Cosleeping is when
parent and infant
sleep in close proximity (on the same surface or different surfaces) so as to be able to see, hear, and / or touch each other.139, 140 Cosleeping
arrangements can include bed - sharing or
sleeping in the same room in close proximity.140, 141 Bed - sharing refers to a specific type of cosleeping when the infant is
sleeping on the same surface with another person.140 Because the term cosleeping can be misconstrued and does not precisely describe
sleep arrangements, the AAP recommends use of the terms «room - sharing» and «bed - sharing.»
However, not all babies go for it as it can be a bit too far away from the
parents; as your son is used to
sleeping between the two of you, he may not be keen on this new
arrangement.
The AAP recommends the
arrangement of room - sharing without bed - sharing, or having the infant
sleep in the
parents» room but on a separate
sleep surface (crib or similar surface) close to the
parents» bed.
Breastfeeding mother - infant dyads are biologically designed (emotionally, socially and physiologically) to
sleep next to each other, and the fact that their proximity settles infants, increases
sleep for both, and enhances breastfeeding makes this
arrangement hard for
parents to steadfastly avoid.
The
parent study collected information on infant feeding and health, breastfeeding cessation, infant formula,
sleeping arrangements, child care, employment, and health over the child's first year of life.
It is my understanding that Dr McKenna defines co-
sleeping as any
arrangement were adult and baby are
sleeping in the same room so this could include rooming in with baby in a cot,
parent and baby
sleeping together on a sofa or the whole family including older siblings all in the same bed.
Co-sleeping with your baby can be a beneficial
sleep arrangement for both
parents and babies.
For example, if the rule is to
sleep in separate rooms while staying with the
parents despite having many sleepovers on your own, be considerate and respectful of this
arrangement.
And for those who are looking to get fancy with their pup's
sleeping arrangements, pet
parents can buy heated and even orthopedic mattresses.
A child can
sleep with his
parents for years after he becomes partial to the
arrangement.