by Vicky Bladen

Created on: May 18, 2010   Last Updated: May 19, 2010

Is co-sleeping a good idea? No i believe it is definitely not, in fact all of the information i got from my midwife during both my pregnancies was advising against co-sleeping.

Although some people may argue it is a good way to bond with your baby i think it is dangerous, what would happen if you or your partner rolled over during the night, or your baby fell between your bed and a wall, or even fell out of bed all together.

The risk of cot death is a lot higher with babies who share a bed with their parents, suffocation is a lot more likely, especially with those parents who smoke and drink.

If you have taken any medication, are extra tired (and lets face it, most of us are when we are up all night with a new born baby) then there is less of a chance of waking up if you roll over onto your beautiful new born baby.

If you are worried about missing out on the chance of bonding with your baby, then think about how you would feel if he/she was taken away from you if he/she suffocated in bed with you, breastfeeding is a good way to bond with your baby you don't need to share your bed.

Co-sleeping could also lead onto problems when the baby is older and you try to move him into a room on his own, after all he cant sleep with you forever. If he has slept in a bed with you since he was born then he will be used to it and may not settle into his own room, and for years to come you may have to deal with your baby not sleeping as well as he could and coming into your room climbing into your bed late at night, keeping you awake too.

It's not just cot death or the babies sleeping habits you have to think about, what about yourself, surely its better for the baby to have a well rested mum and dad. You need time to yourselves and a good night sleep to have a good relationship with each other and your baby.

If you really don't want to be apart from your baby at night another option is to have your babies cot in your bedroom so you can be nearby at all times and still have a better nights sleep.

In my own experience I have kept both my babies in my room at night sleeping in their own cots, and then at 6 weeks old moved them into their own room. I have had no problems with either child sleeping, my 2 year old was sleeping through from 12 weeks and my 6 month old was sleeping through from 10 weeks old. I also breastfed both of my children and sleeping away from each other did not affect this at all.

In the end it is a parents own choice if they want to co-sleep with their baby, but I think they should take all the dangers into consideration and also put themselves first too because a well rested mum is always going to be best for a baby.

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