Is it okay to let the baby share your bed with you? There is no single correct answer to this situation. It is up to you, as a parent, to decide after knowing its pros and cons:
Advantages of co-sleeping
- Sleeping with your baby can foster a closer bond between you and your child.
- It gives you more time to spend with your baby. This is especially important for working couples.
- According to some studies, breastfeeding is higher amongst babies who share their parents’ bed.
- Babies who sleep with their parents are believed to enjoy better sleep.
- Some studies report that babies who co-sleep wake less often during the night and fall asleep faster.
- Co-sleeping tends to reduce crying amongst babies.
- It is easier for parents to attend to the baby’s needs at night.
- Co-sleeping enables parents to respond immediately to babies when they cry.
- Once they get used to sleeping with them, babies may refuse to sleep in the parents’ absence.
- It may be difficult to teach co-sleeping babies to sleep alone later.
- Sleeping with a restless baby may disrupt the parents’ sleep.
- Parents may see a baby in bed as an intrusion in their love life.