Cosleeping...

So, in the course of my researching as much as possible in regards to child-rearing and styles of parenting, some issues have come up. Well-meaning friends have made comments about co-sleeping being NOT SAFE for babies. So I used the research I had come up with when talking to Brian, but because it's just from one source (Dr. William Sears), it's just not enough.

So I said I would do MORE research on this topic, trying to find studies that are for co-sleeping and some that are against, to show the pros and cons of co-sleeping as compared to crib sleeping. But, funny this, I can't find any good reliable study showing that cosleeping is NOT SAFE. I'm not surprised by this, but I'm not sure I'll be taken seriously when trying to make my point. It might just come across like I didn't research very thoroughly.

Does anyone know of any good reliable non-sears studies about co-sleeping, pro or con? I'm not giving up on this point. I don't think I should have to.

 

We coslept with my son from the day he came home from the hospital. Cosleeping is safer than crib sleeping, as long as you follow a few simple precautions:


- NO waterbeds.
- Pillow-top mattresses are iffy.
- Keep pillows, blankets, etc. away from baby.
- Put up a bed railing once baby is mobile/rolls a lot.

Babies are hardwired to be near their parents. The mother's breathing and heartbeat help regulate the baby's breathing and heartbeat. A baby is much less likely to die of SIDS if cosleeping and slightly less likely if sleeping in the same room as parents.

 

I'll find you the doctor's name who did the cosleeping studies and proved that cosleeping prevents SIDS more than back sleeping, a smoke free home and every thing else combined.

Dr. Sear's book "SIDS" has dozens of references about cosleeping, with studies done by people other than himself.

I think the doctor's name is McKenna. I'll find out for sure.

We used a waveless, firm water bed for our youngest three babies and us. I always put the babies ON my arm, on a firm pillow, and never left them alone in the waterbed. If I got up, the baby went into the crib, but, with a waveless, firm matress, we did fine, as long as you don't leave the baby alone in the bed before they can sit up by themselves.

 

Here's a great article, with references about cosleeping from more than 25 different authors. Including J. McKenna.

http://www.attachmentparenting.org/artbenefitscosleep.shtml

Yep, you'll find nothing reliable, because, cosleeping is safe and has never been proven not to be.

The "Report" from the Consumer Product Safety Division was simply a list of ways babies died. FEW of the babies died IN bed, WITH an adult. Almost all of the deaths were entrapment issues, when babies were ALONE on couches, poorly put together beds, and beleive it or not, many many babies in this report died after having been put to sleep on CHAIRS and these were counted as "cosleeping" because the parent may have rocked the baby to sleep in the chair.

Babies have slept with their mamas and daddies for millenia, most of the world co sleeps. Most animals co sleep, doing something else is only the domain of Industrialized countries.

 

Okay then. I've pointed out major bits of info within that one article (as well as finding a couple of others), and saved them to favourites for Brian to read fully on his own time.

Now I have another question. Where the hell do you find mattress guard rails?

Nevermind....found one on amazon/toysrus. yay

 

But i think the not safe thing prolly has to do with suffocating the child by accidentally rolling over on to them and smothering them....

My brother did that to his girlfriends cat....

 

The only time parents roll over on top of their child is if they are very very sick, very drunk or on drugs. Normal healthy parents never roll over on top of their children. And most healthy babies make their presents known if someone invades their space.

Kathi

 

I wouldn't get a guard rail with a small infant. It usually presents a bigger hazard (entrapment) than just falling out of the bed. Put something soft, like a small mattress or futon on the floor where the baby is (and the baby can be put there when you and your man want to make love, as well) and if the baby fall (highly unlikely) she will fall unto a soft surface. If you are still cosleeping with a two year old, then a rail is OK, but not all that safe with a newborn. A better idea, if you are nervous about a newborn in bed, is a Side Car arrangement, which is a little crib, which attaches to the side of the mama's side of the bed, and the baby can be placed in the side car. I never had one (they don't work with water beds) but some people like them.

I never used guard rails until my kids got "big girl beds" or "big boy beds" at the age of 2 or 3, where they were much safer from entrapment, and stronger than a newborn, who wouldn't be able to extricate himself from an entrapment situation. In fact, guard rails were part of the death rates in the Consumer Saftey Report. Put baby between you two, or keep an arm around him, while you sleep. Like Kathi said, unless someone is intoxicated or really sick and nearly unconscious, they will instinctively not roll on a baby. You KNOW the baby is there.

 

Here's one.

 

Here's an other one, this one is expensive, but beautiful. These come in every style you can imagine. In this one, you can remove one side when you attach it to the bed, and then use it as a crib, later if you want to.

 

http://www.mothering.com/articles/new_baby/sleep/kimmel.html

another article^^

i'm a really big fan of the sidecarred crib~it worked well for us at a few different ages. when ds started getting more mobile, we put took the bed off the frame and put the box and mattress right on the floor~it seemed safest to keep everything down low at that point.

more tips on cosleeping safely: http://www.kellymom.com/pantley/pantley21.html

 

Maggie! Where did you get that pic of the bed you just posted? It matches our bed! I gotta get it! Our bub is just about too big for his co sleeper and we need to upgrade.
Thanks!

 

Cosleeping is excellent, the wife did it with both kids.

 

Nevermind, I found it! It's on sail too! I can get a that exact model for barely more than the regular one because of a paint blemish. Better get one HF, while the gettin's good!

 

all of our children co-slept while we were in a nursing relationship Even now, the youngest 3 make these noctural migrations to our bed. Its fun waking up in a baby nest every morning

 

joey is in bed with me, kai's bed is put right up against the side of my bed. we're all awesome & slleping throught the night now.

 

Jazz, I am glad you were able to find it, because I didn't bookmark it! I just put "SideCar CoSleeper" into Google. (the only search engine I will ever use, from now on, they said NO to the Bush administration!!!!)

It IS a beautiful bed. It's cool you were able to find it on sale. Enjoy it.

 

We coslept with both of our kiddies. It started when my son had colic, and I was sooo tired! I brought him in to bed so I could lie down while he nursed, and woke up the next morning with a happy baby, and a somewhat rested body. I didn't know there was a name for what I'd done, and frankly I didn't care. My baby had let me sleep through the night, and seemed no worse for the wear... so I did it again the next night on purpose. And the next night, and the next...

My husband loved it. He works so many hours each week that often this was the only time he had to snuggle up tight with the kids. He would come home late & curl up with the baby between us, and just loved that he was able to be with the babies when they weren't crying murder.

With my daughter, we just planned on cosleeping with her from birth. By then we knew that there was a name for what we were doing, and we knew all of the benefits. I never had any type of special bed for it, but the cosleeper always looked like a good idea to me. It would have made putting the baby to bed before we were ready for sleep a lot easier. But we couldn't afford one at the time. We just tucked the blankets & everything under the end of the mattress so there wasn't miles of bedding for them to get caught in, (almost like short-sheeting a bed) and brought them right into bed with us.
love,
mom