What is cosleeping?

Co-Sleeping can be defined as sleeping in close proximity to your infant, whereas bedsharing, known also as the family bed is more specifically, sleeping next to your baby in the same bed.

Why should I cosleep?

Sleeping next to your baby will be one of the most rewarding and enjoyable experiences you will share with your little one. There is nothing quite as precious as those warm little hands and feet reaching out to touch you. Those smiling eyes looking up at you and most of all that feeling of security you have knowing you are there for your baby, even in the wee hours of the night. Much research has been done, papers have been written and the proof is there. Co-Sleeping is good for baby, good for parents (particularly Mom) and evidence supports bedsharing as a factor in S.I.D.S prevention. As with anything you do involving your children there are safe and not so safe ways to go about it. We wouldn't dream of letting our baby take a bath unattended, would never let our baby play with chokable objects, so it only seems fitting that there be general guidelines that parents need to follow in reference to sleeping next to our children. Even if using a crib parents have safety guidelines to follow. Please read our list of guidelines and do checkout the websites we have listed. They have much information on co-sleeping. Remember, your baby is only a baby for a very short time. Enjoy these years that will pass more quickly than you can imagine.

What is the safe way to cosleep?

Never leave an infant or toddler unattended on an adult bed. Co-Sleeping or family bed sharing consists of an adult & a child. Babies can roll off of beds (even when using a co-sleeping device) can become tangled in blankets, or otherwise need the attention of an adult. Babies aren't born with instruction booklets, but perhaps if they were, Rule #1 would be NEVER LEAVE CHILD UNATTENDED, when awake or when sleeping. We simply can't stress this enough.

Never sleep with your baby on a water bed or on a couch. Water beds and couches are associated with suffocation of babies.

Avoid adding railings or putting furniture next to the side of your bed. Baby could become lodged next to railing or furniture and suffocate. Avoid pushing your bed against a wall. Baby could also be lodged between the bed and wall causing suffocation.

Never let another sibling sleep next to your baby. Children sleep deeply and may roll over on baby. Baby is best placed next to Mom or Dad only.

Never sleep next to your baby if you are intoxicated or have been using drugs, are taking medications, are overly tired or in any other way feel that your ability to be aroused could be affected.

It is not recommended that you bed share if you smoked during your pregnancy or are currently smoking. (For your baby's sake and your own you should try and quit) This has been associated with higher incidence of S.I.D.S. If you still want to sleep near your baby at night, try one of the bed side co-sleepers.

Use a firm mattress for bed sharing. Soft mattresses can allow baby to accidentally roll over causing suffocation.

Make sure all bedding fits snuggle on the mattress. Fitted sheets that come loose could cover baby's face.

Make sure mattress fits snuggly against head and footboards. If there are any gaps baby could become lodged between head or footboard and mattress and cause suffocation.

Keep comforters, pillows, and other bedding away from baby's face to avoid suffocation.

Always place baby to sleep on her back. This has been shown to reduce the risk of S.I.D.S.

Avoid over dressing your baby. Overheating is also associated with an increased risk of S.I.D.S.

Avoid strings or ties on night clothes or blankets. These could cause strangulation. Be sure to remove toys or other objects from bed before sleep time, to avoid suffocation.

If you have long hair tie it in a pony tail or braid it. Long hair could cause suffocation or strangulation.

These cautions are taken from a list compiled by the American Academy of Pediatrics.

What research is available on cosleeping?

The following is compiled from information written and researched by James McKenna, Professor of Anthropology and Director of the Mother-Baby Behavior Sleep Laboratory at the University of Notre Dame.

Research concludes, that not only is it safe to sleep with your baby, IT IS UNSAFE NOT TO. When done safely, co-sleeping or bedsharing is an appropriate and healthy choice. The only true object or entity around which the human infant was designed to sleep is the Mother's body. It can be dangerous for infants to sleep alone, whether on beds or in cribs, but place a committed, breastfeeding mother alongside her baby and the infants survival chances are actually increased.

Humanity Infant and Herbal, the makers of the co-sleeping pillow, fully believe that the prevention of S.I.D.S. lies in the combination of bedsharing and breastfeeding and it is our hope that more parents are made aware of the dangers involved with allowing infants to have solitary, unsupervised sleep. Please click here to read more of Mr .McKenna's valuable information.

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