The method of co-sleeping is becoming more and more popular, although it is a natural practice. It consists of sleeping with your child. For some it is dangerous, for others the benefits are beneficial, both for them and for the parents. Scientific advice and how to go about it, we tell you everything!
Controversial are opinions regarding how to raise children and prepare them to grow up. Controversial are also opinions regarding how to care for a baby, in order to best understand his well-being and future character. Some will tell you that you have to breastfeed this way or that, others will tell you that this is not the way it is. Some will tell you that it is beneficial to sleep with your children, others will tell you that it is not. It is above all important to do as you can, and especially as you feel.
At the heart of the controversy: the co-sleeping. Co-sleeping is simply sleeping with your child, and not just when they are having a nightmare. This method would have more than beneficial effects on a toddler and comforting for the parents. We tell you everything!
Small cultural point: making a baby sleep in his own bed in a separate room would be a very Western phenomenon. In many cultures parents like to have their children nearby, so they can be reassured and can be alert when something goes wrong. In the Philippines for example, it is very common for parents to sleep with their babies.
Co-sleeping with her 2-year-old son: Caroline Receveur responds to her detractors
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What scientific studies say
Several scientists from both sides of the globe have looked into the subject. According to American pediatricians, the method of co-sleeping has been shown to be beneficial in the long term. A survey of a group of psychology students reveals that adults who slept with their parents "have better self-esteem, and less guilt and anxiety ". More particularly in men. An anonymous person said: "It always gave me a sense of security knowing that if I had a bad dream I could crawl into bed with my mom and dad.".
Apparently sleeping with his parents would make it easier to have physical contact and relationships in the future. According to the doctors, "Women who slept with their parents as children reported being more comfortable with physical contact and affection and increased their sexuality, while men reported a greater frequency of sex”.
According to the director of the Mother-Baby Behavioral Sleep Lab at the University of Notre Dame, James McKenna, co-sleep can help make children more independent, more confident and more socially comfortable. He notes that, according to an English study, children who never sleep in their parents' bed are likely to be more difficult to control, less happy and have more temper tantrums. “They were also more fearful and more dependent on their parents than children who always slept in their parents' bed.", according to Doctor McKenna.
And that's not all ! James McKenna noted in a 1997 study, moms who regularly share a bed with their babies breastfeed more frequently and for longer at night. It could "have a significant positive impact on infant well-being, as it is almost universally recognized that increasing breastfeeding reduces infant morbidity and mortality worldwide”. So many good reasons to adopt this practice!
What you should know before adopting co-sleeping
The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) would like to warn parents against the improper practice of co-sleeping. Indeed, she do not recommend sleeping with a baby under 6 months. The best would even be to wait until he is 1 year old. The reasons are obviously safe. Parents can obviously place their baby's cradle in their room!
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Doctor McKenna informs that adult beds are not suitable for young children. You must use a co-sleeping bed! All occupants of the bed should be aware of the child's presence, and he strongly advises against making your child sleep with his big brothers or big sisters. It must be with an adult. Security Question ! Here is the procedure to follow according to the doctor: “Whether an infant sleeps on the same surface as its parents, in a crib on the same surface, in a crib or in a separate bed, in the same room as its parents or in a separate room, all parents should follow the guidelines. same guidelines: infants should always sleep on their backs, on firm surfaces, on clean surfaces, free of smoke, and their heads should never be covered ”.
If you're planning on co-sleeping, go for it! It has no more secrets for you.