To Co-Sleep or Not to Co-Sleep With Your Baby?

Traditionally babies would sleep in their own nursery, seperate from their parent or parents, however the practice of co-sleeping suggests that sleeping in close proximity to their parent/s for the first few years of their life can be beneficial for babies. Co-sleeping may involve simply having your baby's bassinet in your bedroom or may even involve sharing your bed with your little one.

There are both advantages and disadvantages for co-sleeping, but the most important thing if you decide to co-sleep with your baby, is that you do it safely.

Advantages of Co-Sleeping

• Co-sleeping can enhance bonding
• Co-sleeping can make it more convenient for parents to attend to their baby
• Co-sleeping helps improve sleeping patterns for the family
• Co-sleeping reduces disturbances to sleep due to proximity of mum to her baby
• Co-sleeping makes it’s easier to breastfeed at night. 

Research has also suggested that the physiology of co-sleeping babies is more stable, including more stable temperatures, more regular heart rhythms, and fewer long pauses in breathing than babies who sleep alone. Likewise, the stress levels in mothers who co-slept with their babies were generally lower than those who didn't.

Disadvantages of Co-Sleeping

• The practices of co-sleeping and bed-sharing may interfere with the parents’ relationship, by reducing both communication and sexual activity, which may have a negative effect on the relationship in both short-term and long-term situations.
• Bed-sharing has several risk factors such as rolling on to the baby and suffocation
• From a psychological perspective, there is also the suggestion that bed sharing may promote an unhealthy dependence towards parents in their child.

So as you can see there are both positives and negatives to the debate around co-sleeping and that is what makes it confusing for so many parents who just want to make the best decision for their baby. Ultimately, the decision to co-sleep with your baby is a matter of personal choice and it's not necessarily for everyone. 

However, if you would like the option of trying both options we have a few great product suggestions to use:

Sweet Dreams Co-Sleeper

Cocoon Snuggle Time Co Sleeper

Love N Care Dreamtime Co Sleeper

Chicco Magic Next 2 Me Co Sleeper

All of these products make it easier to co-sleep with your baby in a safe environment. Click on the links for more information, or come into our store at Baby Mode and speak to one of our highly experienced consultants.