Should you share a bed with your toddler?
In western civilisations there is a trend towards solitary sleeping and making sure that each child has it’s own room, but in many other countries around the world, parents sharing a bed with their toddlers is much more acceptable.
Researchers at Stony Brook University School of Medicine in New York, found that children’s intellectual and social development was not affected by co-sleeping.
The study took a closer look at the sleep patterns of 944 low-income mothers and their toddlers; who were aged between one and three years of age. Of the women studied, almost half said they had shared a bed with their child at some point.
Dr Lauren Hale, associate professor of preventive medicine at Stony Brook University, found that there was no difference in terms of intellect or behaviour of those children who shared a bed with their mothers and those who didn’t.
Dr Hale also added that mothers should not feel guilty for sharing a bed with their child if it suited their lifestyle.
She said: ‘Parents can do what works best for their family and not feel guilty if they choose to bed-share, because there probably aren’t lasting impacts.’
She told CNN: ‘When you compare mothers of the same ethnicity and the same level of education, whether they bed-share or not, does not predict a difference in cognitive or behavioural outcomes of their children.’
If your child is under a year old, should you co-sleep?
The advice given by FSIDS (the Foundation for the Study of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome) is that the safest place for your baby to sleep for the first six months is in a crib or cot in your room. However, if you do choose to co-sleep, the advice is that it is especially dangerous if you smoke, drink, take drugs or are especially tired. It is highly advisable to follow the above steps to ensure safe co-sleeping.The Foundation for the Study of Infant Deaths has a helpline, which can be contacted on 020 7233 2090 for further advice on how to make co-sleeping work for you or with any questions about this subject. See our article on creating a safe sleeping environemt. Alternatively, you can email them: helpline@sids.org.uk
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