Why experts say babies should not sleep in the same bed as parents

For many new parents, bringing a baby into bed feels natural. It is warm, comforting, and seems like the easiest way to manage night feeds and restless sleep.

Despite how common the practice is, pediatric experts advise against co-sleeping with your baby.

Co-sleeping is defined as parents and infants sleeping together in an adult bed.

Although something of a controversial practice in Kenya, co-sleeping or bed sharing remains the most common sleeping arrangement in a majority of cultures around the world.

Experts believe that co-sleeping can do more harm than good.

According to Thomas Keens, an attending Physician in Pulmonology and Sleep Medicine at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, he highlights the risks and alternatives of co-sleeping.

“The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends that infants should sleep in a crib, bassinet, or cradle approved by the CPSC, should sleep in the same room as the parents, and should not co-sleep with other individuals for at least the first six months of life and, ideally, for up to a year,” he explains

Why co-sleeping can harm your baby

Safety concerns are the top reason research on the subject opposes co-sleeping. Those serious safety concerns include:

• Overlying
• Smothering
• Suffocation
• Entrapment
• Strangulation
• Sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS)

Other concerns with co-sleeping involve the delayed development of infant independence and sleep issues.

For example, infants who fall asleep with their parents in the same bed have been observed to have more sleep problems associated with shorter and more fragmented sleep.

Best sleeping arrangement for you and your infant

Keens recommends that infants sleep in proximity to their mothers but sleep on their own sleeping surface, such as a crib, bassinet, or cradle, to avoid safety risks, injury, or even death.

This sleeping arrangement offers the best of both worlds, both to aid in breastfeeding success and keep the newborn infant safe. Bed attachments called bedside sleepers can accommodate the recommended sleeping arrangement.

A safe alternative to co-sleeping

According to Keen, it is important for parents to use a bedside sleeper.

Worth noting is that a bedside sleeper has a strong frame assembly that is secured to an adult bed and may be combined with a fabric or mesh intended to provide a sleeping environment for infants.

Bedside sleepers are anchored to the adult bed so the infant can be within arm’s reach without being exposed to any of the risks connected to sleeping in an adult bed.