While many believe it is unsafe, sleeping with a baby with proper precautions can have many benefits. Promotes confidence and self-esteem. Babies who don't sleep with their parents are more difficult to manage, less able to cope with stress, and more prone to addiction to their parents. Most children sleep with their parents and it is only a Western phenomenon that they have a room of their own. According to the largest American medical associations, including pediatric ones, it is safer for babies to sleep in the same room with their mother until they are six months of age.
The American Pediatric Association and Consumer Safety Commission recommend sleeping on separate surfaces, while other experts such as Professor James McKenna, director of Notre Dame University's mother-child behavioral laboratory, recommend bed-sharing as the ideal method..
Before your baby is born, make sure your bed and bedroom are safe by following these steps. Think of your bed as a large crib and follow basic guidelines for its safety.
Steps
Step 1. Breastfeeding
Nursing mothers have a more intense bond with their babies as they share their sleep. Infants who are breastfed in fact align themselves with the mother's breast while they sleep, keeping away from the pillow instead.
Step 2. Use as stable a surface as possible
It is unsafe to sleep on water mattresses, feather mattresses or overly soft mattresses.
Step 3. Think big
A double bed is better, so spend the money you would have used on the crib to replace the bed and buy a bigger, more stable one. However, if it is safe, a bed of any size will do.
Step 4. Make sure the sheets are tight on the mattress
If they are too slow you can buy those rubber bands to put on the corners to make sure they don't slip.
Step 5. Remove all pillows, blankets, duvet covers and stuffed animals
Keep only what you absolutely need.
Step 6. Stay close
The baby is safe between the mother's body and a rail or wall. (Mothers usually know where the baby is even when they sleep, while partners or older babies don't have the same perception.)
Step 7. Pay attention to the hole
The bed should have something to the side or be placed close to a wall. Insert pillows or a tightly rolled blanket to make up for any gaps. Remember that the rail is made to prevent little ones from rolling out of bed and may not be safe for a newborn. (Which is much smaller in size so it could go through the middle or get stuck.)
Step 8. Place the baby on his back
Regardless of where he sleeps, he should still do it on his back.
Step 9. Lower the bed
When the child is old enough to get off, it will be safer to remove the bed frame and directly place the nets and mattress on the floor in case of a fall. Teach your child how to get out of bed with little feet, just like he would to get off the stairs
Step 10. Soften the blow
If your room has hard floors, place a rug next to the bed and at the end to cushion any falls.
Step 11. If you smoke, quit
According to some studies, a newborn's risk of Sudden Death Syndrome is higher if the baby shares a bed with a smoker. If you smoke it is not recommended to sleep with a baby next to you.
Advice
- Dress the baby in layers, such as with long sleeves and a special sleeping bag and place it on the sheets. Check your temperature to prevent sweating. Remember that the warmth is the same for mother and child when they sleep together, so if something is comfortable for the mother it will be also for the baby.
- If you don't feel safe with the baby in bed, buy one of those handy cribs or a crib-hammock, or put the crib right in your room. Both mother and baby will benefit from sharing at this level as well. A crib close to your bed but with one side down is NOT a safe option. It creates the risk of trapping the baby or strangling him.
- A low-cost way to prevent the baby from becoming trapped in the space between the bed and the wall is to slip a body pillow into this gap so that only a small part of it sticks out and is stable to the touch.
- Once grown, the little one will be able to sleep peacefully in the middle of the bed, as long as your partner or other children present can perceive his presence and turn around do not go over him.
- Make sure the whole room is childproof as soon as he starts climbing, so he can get off while staying safe even if you sleep. Close the bedroom doors or use a gate so it doesn't leave the room.
- When traveling and in beds other than yours, sleeping bags are perfect for keeping your baby close. Use them open on the floor and make sure they're no more stuffed than a regular mattress. Otherwise the risk of suffocation rises.
Warnings
- Do not let other children sleep next to the little one. They may not notice its presence in bed, and the rate of Sudden Death Syndrome in these cases is dramatically high.
- Do not swaddle the baby if you sleep with it. His arms must be able to move so that the mother can feel him better.
- Some research has shown that when tragedies happen, it is because a certain "safety procedure" is not used. This is especially important for the back position. There is research that has shown that babies accustomed to sleeping on their backs who are suddenly placed on their side or on their stomach run a higher risk of Sudden Death Syndrome. This risk factor rises from a standard rate of 0.56 deaths per 1000 to 6.19 per 1000 for the flank position, to 8.2 for the belly position.
- Do not sleep with your baby if you have taken drugs or are drunk: you may not feel his presence next to you.
- Do not wear sleeping clothes that are too loose or have strings that could be dangerous for the little one. Same thing for your partner.
- If you have sleep apnea that prevents you from waking up promptly, don't share a bed with your baby.
- Do not sleep with your baby if you are exhausted or sick or if you are unable to feel their presence next to you.
- If your room is not childproof, Not make him go down, unless you get up with him.
- Contrary to the myth, obese mothers can comfortably share a bed with their little one, if they follow safety guidelines and have no health problems that prevent them from waking up easily.
- If you smoke, don't sleep with your baby. The risk of Sudden Death Syndrome is three times higher if you are a smoker.
