by Emma Kelley
If you are a mother or a father and you are seeking for the optimal sleeping solution for your child, then the co-sleeping or bed sharing is what you can resort to. There are a lot of advantages of co-sleeping with your baby, and I am sure that you will share the best moment with him or her.
However, it is okay if you have never heard of bed sharing before, as the purpose of this article is to help you with that!
Because you need not go to other room to feed your child, thus, co-sleeping is the best way for you to take the full benefit of breastfeeding. With a “family bed,” a mother can quickly feed her baby without waking fully and is able to get necessary rest that she needs.
Therefore, the co-sleeping stimulates the mother to continue her breastfeeding so that her child can receive all of its excellent advantages until she/he can wean.
Encourage independence
Although we usually believe that co-sleeping may create dependent, clingy children, research has proven the trueness of the opposite side. Kids who experience bed sharing with their parents need less transitional objects and develop their independence earlier since they don’t experience the anxiety of separation.
When a child goes to bed routinely with an adult holding him/her or with an adult’s presence, it is rare to find the attachment to many security objects or thumb sucking.
Build self-esteem
A kid who has experienced bed sharing can increase her / his self-esteem and has less behavioral problems. Moreover, they report more general satisfaction and happiness with life and are less likely to peer pressure.
On the other hand, the likelihood of their suffering from the stress disorders is less than kids who do not experience co-sleeping with parents.
Decrease the risk of SIDS (or sudden infant death syndrome)
Many types of research around the world have proven that the rate of sudden infant death syndrome is the lowest in nations where the co-sleeping is normal.
Children who sleep either next to or in their mother or father’s bed experience a 4-time-decrease in the probability of SIDS.
Co-sleeping kid spends much more time sleeping on one side or on their back, which can significantly decrease risk of sudden infant death syndrome. Besides, studies show that CO2 exhaled by the mother or father works to encourage the breathing of baby.
Help with secure attachment and bonding
A safe attachment between caregiver and baby is such an emotional bond, which leaves the child feeling cared for and safe. This fostered infancy, secure attachment translates to your child a secure feeling and helps him/her know that his / her caregiver always return to meet his / her needs.
Kids with an appropriate secure attachment usually respond suitably to certain situations. They show less distress when their caregiver leaves and feel happier when their caregiver returns.
On the other hand, co-sleeping also helps foster attachment as the closeness of the baby’s mother helps release a “love hormone” called oxytocin. In fact, hormone oxytocin has a major role in attachment and bonding.
Furthermore, co-sleeping helps you respond quickly to your baby’s need and thus, helps them learn that you will be always by their side and meet their need. Although it is also possible to bond with your child without the need of co-sleeping, it doesn’t provide many opportunities for more closeness.
It is beneficial when your baby sleeping with eyes open. Some doctors have assumed that those who usually sleep with the eyes open may be a sign of damaged nerve. Therefore, co-sleeping helps your baby have a better sleep.
Co-sleeping means better rest for the mother
Not just the baby, his / her mother are also wired for closeness. Researches show that new mother cannot experience sleep with better quality if her kid is at a hospital nursery at night.
Co-sleeping cannot ensure more sound sleep for all mothers. However, many reports prove that a mother can sleep better if she knows her kid is safe and still close by her side. Mothers also release more oxytocin when she is close to her baby. Oxytocin helps improve the quality of your sleep and is good for breastfeeding as well.
If you do not feel safe when sleeping with your baby, then, you are suppposed to choose a co sleeper. It is an ideal compromise for your family since your kid is close so that you can easily grab her/him for nursing, but not on your own sleep surface.
Stable physiology
Researches reveal that babies who usually sleep near their parents have much more stable regular heart rhythms and temperatures, as well as fewer long pauses in their breathing, in comparison to kids who usually sleep alone. Therefore, this means that your baby can sleep physiologically safer.
Normalized temperature
Your kids still can’t regulate the temperature of their body. Therefore, it is vital to swaddle them and keep them in a warm room. If not, your baby may suffer from the heat losing through his/her head.
Kids who experience co-sleep have more stable and normal body temperatures that those who have to sleep alone. On the other hand, co-sleeping also limits babies congestion at night. The reason for this is that the body temperature of their parents helps in thermoregulation.
Reference resources:
https://www.askdrsears.com/topics/health-concerns/sleep-problems/scientific-benefits-co-sleeping
https://www.babycentre.co.uk/a558561/the-pros-and-cons-of-co-sleeping
http://www.momjunction.com/articles/amazing-benefits-of-co-sleeping-with-your-baby_0097473/#gref
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