Advantages Of Co-Sleeping

Posted by The Popular News Today on Monday, July 16, 2012

By Dalila Cabrera


What is co-sleeping? Co-sleeping or bed sharing is a general custom in many non-Western cultures. However, some parents find it impossible to sleep with their children because of certain factors like night shift work and inadequate room space. Some even define this practice unsafe. On the other hand, medical research shows that co-sleeping is much safer for the little ones than sleeping alone. Cited below are some of the advantages of sharing bed with your little ones:

Promotes Autonomy

Many parents fear that co-sleeping will only make their littles ones clingy and reliant. Nonetheless, research reveals that the opposite is true. Those who sleep with their parents develop independence earlier because they are not experiencing separation anxiety. Dr. Jay Gordon also explained that when a child normally goes to sleep with an adult present, it is very rare to see thumb sucking or adjunct to transitional or security objects.

Practical Breastfeeding

With bed sharing, it is easier for a nursing mom to feed her child. According to one study, mothers who share their bed with their infants are able to feed twice as much as mothers who do not share bed with their children. Breast milk is the best gift a mom can give to her children. Mothers are encouraged to breastfeed more frequently particularly if the infants have LBW or low birth weight. Assuredly, it is easier to simply roll-over and pop out a breast to feed the baby than to get out of bed and nurse the baby in another room.

Promotes Bond

Children who co-sleep with their parents develop close bonds with the family. Bed sharing provides more hours for the family members to bond and share nurturing moments together. Aside from promoting rapport, co-sleeping babies grow up with higher self-esteem. They also have less emotional problems. Other studies suggest that children who share bed with their parents are less likely to develop psychiatric problems.

Co-sleeping has many benefits. Some of the benefits of sharing bed with kids are described above. In spite of this, it is important to know that co-sleeping is not for everyone. Families who have other kids like toddlers should not share bed with infants and newborns because tots are very young to be aware of the baby's presence. Furthermore, parents who smoke should avoid this sleeping practice because of the chance of SIDS is higher. Finally, those who are intoxicated of drugs should never co-sleep with their little ones because they may inadvertently harm their little offspring.




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