Sleep With Your Parents, Yes Or No?
Sleeping with parents can be a necessity for the first few days and months of life, but what happens when time goes by? How long should we let the little ones sleep next to us? Fortunately, these and other questions have simpler answers than we think.
A very common question that parents – and especially mothers – ask is what age should the baby sleep with the parents? Are there any advantages to sleeping with your parents? What is advisable?
The benefits of sleeping with parents
Nils Bergman, a neonatologist and director of Mowbray Maternity Hospital, South Africa, says the baby should sleep with its mother until at least 3 years old.
By observing the sleep patterns of 16 babies, the pediatrician and his team were able to show that babies who sleep alone in their crib are three times as stressed as those who have their mother’s company.
According to Bergman, children who sleep with their parents up to the age of 3 suffer less stress than children who sleep alone.
In addition , it has been observed that babies who sleep alone in the crib have interruptions in their sleep cycles, which can significantly affect the normal development of the child – in contrast to the children who sleep with their parents.
On the other hand, it is necessary to take into account the stress that the child may have at the time of separation. Once we feel that it is ready to sleep alone, we need to carefully help it separate from us. We should reaffirm the possibilities of sleeping in his own room while at the same time making him understand why it is important to be independent.
Stress in the baby
We might assume that babies are never stressed. That would be ideal, and it would also be ideal that no adult was stressed. But the reality is that this is impossible. To say that a baby is not stressed is wrong, stress is not just something that happens to adults.
Stress is more or less an active part of everyone’s life, so under certain circumstances children may also experience stress.
Symptoms of stress in babies include:
- irritability
- Bad mood
Remember, the baby does not know how to cope with the stress. An adult can accomplish this through a relaxing bath, listening to music, or doing their favorite sport. The only relief and consolation for the child is that which his parents give him.
Therefore, the separation must be done carefully and their room should be a place where they feel safe and comfortable. Help your child be independent at bedtime. This should happen of course, and in any case avoid letting the experience become traumatic.
The decision rests with the parents
There is no hard and fast rule about sleeping with parents. And on the other hand, advice will only ever be advice. Parents know very well what is best for their child and thus ensure their well-being.
So the final decision as to whether the baby should sleep with mom and dad should be made by their parents. Some do not see this problem and prefer to avoid sleeping with the child and put the child in the crib or bed to sleep.
The sudden infant death syndrome
Several specialists have recommended that the baby should sleep alone from the start, and never with the parents, to avoid the baby’s sudden death. Although the exact causes of death are still unknown, specialists use this recommendation to try to reduce the risks.
It never hurts to take precautions when sleeping with our babies, especially if they are only a few days or a few months old. We have to try not to hurt them with any movement when they are in their most vulnerable stage of life.
Here are a few things to avoid:
- Place very large pillows around the baby.
- Too much tiredness. Exhaustion can lead to us being inattentive when it comes to the baby’s needs.
- Being drunk, smoking, or using drugs.
- Have pets in bed.
- Covering the baby too tightly as it can make breathing difficult.
In this way, as parents, we will have the care and attention our children need. You will no doubt thank us for it in adulthood.
