Guide To Practicing Safe Co-sleeping
Many parents decide to put this method into practice and sleep with their babies. However, it is convenient to know what are the specifications that experts recommend taking into account to make a safe co-sleeping without posing any risk to your health.
There is a constant controversy between whether it is healthy to co-sleep or not. On the one hand, it is claimed that this enhances the emotional bond and that it is a good way to promote breastfeeding.
On the other hand, there is talk that it could be related to sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). Hence, the experts have decided to sit down and discuss the subject, beyond deciding whether or not it is a recommended practice.
For a safe co-sleeping
The Breastfeeding Committee of the Spanish Association of Pediatrics (AEP) and the Working Group on Sudden Infant Death of the AEP give us a series of guidelines to take into account to practice safe co-sleeping. Next, we explain them to you:
- The surface on which the baby rests must be firm.
- You should not have pillows, blankets or stuffed animals around you, in order to avoid possible suffocation.
- The position in which you should place the baby is on his back; never face down or side.
- Never place your baby on a pillow or on a waterbed.
- Make sure that the mattress is glued to the wall and that there is no space in which they could get trapped or suffocate. The same if you opt for a sidecar crib.
- They should never sleep in an armchair, since they are full of holes in which they could get trapped.
- Do not fall asleep with them in your arms, they could fall.
- Don’t put anything on their heads; this would make it difficult for you to breathe.
- Take care of the temperature of the room so that it is not too hot and avoid, in the same way, overcoat them.
- During the first weeks, it is recommended that the baby sleeps in a crib with a sidecar or between the wall and the mother. It takes a longer time for the father to get used to his presence and he could crush him with some sudden movement. After some time, it is more sensitized and the baby can sleep between both parents.
- Smoking during and after pregnancy increases the risk of sudden death; in this case, it does not just involve the mother. If either parent smokes, co-sleeping is not recommended. You can choose to send the smoker to another room.
- Similarly, the use of drugs, alcohol or sleeping pills is totally contraindicated, since it reduces our abilities.
- The practice of co-sleeping with obese people is not recommended, since they do not perceive the physical situation of the baby in the same way and can create a sag in the mattress that is dangerous for the little one.
- It is not advisable to share a bed with siblings under one year of age, since they are not yet aware of their movements or the presence of the baby.
Ways to co-sleep
When we talk about co-sleeping, the first thing that comes to mind is a big bed and everyone sleeping in it. Although it is true that this is the most common way to do it, there are other alternatives.
The market offers us sidecar cribs, from which the side bars are removed and attached to one side of the bed. In this way, they offer a little extra space and keep the baby close, but in an exclusive place for him.
There are even those who point out that co-sleeping refers to co-sleeping and that, in that sense, a normal crib placed next to the bed is also appropriate. When babies grow up, they can occupy an extra bed or even a mattress next to their parents.
The key is to reach a family consensus. Do what you all feel comfortable with and that facilitates the baby’s rest and safety.
The first few months can be difficult and even more difficult for the mother. Therefore, if you decide to sleep with your baby, just keep these considerations in mind to make a safe co-sleeping.
