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Featured Question and Answer |
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Answered by James J. McKenna, Ph.D. |
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Babies are biologically designed to sleep next to their mothers, and mothers are biologically designed to have their infants do so. Nighttime co-sleeping with breast-feeding is an exquisitely adaptive system. Under normal circumstances it is not only safe but also potentially beneficial. A safe co-sleeping environment, where babies sleep within arms reach of a committed responsible caregiver, provides an optimal situation within which the babies nutritional, immunological, thermal, and socio-emotional needs can be met. There are many important factors associated both with social conditions and modern sleep furniture and how it is used or positioned which should be considered. These factors, including the sobriety and age of sleeping partners, can transform an otherwise safe sleeping arrangement into something risky and dangerous. For example, smoking and bed-sharing is known to increase the risks of SIDS. It is also known that where one or both of the adult co-sleepers are desensitized by drugs (alcohol, sleep medications, antihistamines, illicit drugs, etc.) a sleeping infant is in danger. Infants and parents should avoid waterbeds and sleeping together on couches as babies can end up wedged face down against the back or between the seat pillows. Mattresses should always be relatively hard or stiff. Headboards should meet the mattress firmly, as should the footboard. Parents should make sure there are no crevices into which babies can slip or get wedged. Of special danger are mattresses on the floor, that work their way away from the wall without the parent noticing. In these situations the baby's head can slip down between the wall and mattress and the baby can asphyxiate. Toddlers should never be permitted to sleep next to an infant, nor should babies ever be left alone on an adult bed. Pillows should not surround the infant's head, nor should a baby ever sleep on top of a pillow. Sleep furniture is always somewhat unique so the parent should look for situations wherein a baby could theoretically get wedged. If these situations cannot be corrected it is advisable for the infant to sleep on a different surface. Parents may prefer a surface that is attached to their bed or a crib or bassinet right next to the bed. This is one form of co-sleeping. Across all sleep environments, the baby should be placed on his/her back for sleep. Duvets should be avoided, as should any blanket that could flip over the baby's head. No sleep environment is risk free, nor can any sleep environment guarantee that an infant will not die from SIDS. But if these common safety factors are respected co-sleeping can prove to be both safe and rewarding for infants and their families. |
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