2 of 17

Write now Article Tools

If you asked the modern medical community, they would tell you that co-sleeping is dangerous and should be avoided. Ask a mother, however, who has gone from sleepless nights getting up every few hours to feed and comfort her baby to resting peacefully with her baby by her side, and you will see a different side.

Despite arguments against co-sleeping by most of the medical community, there are several reasons why a family would benefit from co-sleeping. The most obvious one is more sleep. In the early months, a baby may need to eat several times during the night. Typically this means the mother must get up, walk to her baby's room, feed the baby, then try to get the baby back to sleep, and finally, attempt to sleep herself again. Only to have to wake and do it again in a couple hours. With co-sleeping a mother can begin breastfeeding as soon as her baby stirs. Neither need to wake up fully and can drift back off to sleep peacefully.

Another benefit is being able to more easily respond to your baby's needs. Having your baby close at hand when your baby is ill or upset can be a positive for both the child and parents. The feeling of having parents nearby when ill or distressed can calm and sooth a child, allowing them to sleep more easily and get much needed rest. This can be a help for parents as well as they can rest better knowing their child is sleeping, and they are closer if they should be needed in the middle of the night. Being able to respond immediately and knowing that you will always hear if your child needs you makes many parents feel safer during the night.

According to some experts, such as Dr. Sears and Margot Sutherland, co-sleeping can also decrease the chances of SIDS. Being near their parents at night helps a baby to regulate their breathing. Often the baby and mother find their breathing in harmony when sleeping next to each other, which prevents the sleep apnea that can cause a baby to stop breathing. Being next to each other also means the parents can respond to their baby during the night. Dr. Sears often talks of a mother instinctively adjusting their baby during sleep which helps prevent the baby from falling too deeply into sleep and being unable to wake up.

Being able to sleep better at night, being closer to respond to your child's needs, and being able to comfort an ill or upset child make co-sleeping something that can benefit many families. However, the decreased risk of SIDS in infants makes co-sleeping something that should be more looked at by each family.

Learn more about this author, Summer Minor.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.

Add your voice

Know something about Arguments for co-sleeping?
We want to hear your view. Write now!