Benefits of Co-Sleeping

Benefits of Co-Sleeping.

 I know many of you wouldn’t even think about co-sleeping with your children.  Perhaps you’ve been told its dangerous, or perhaps you think you will get better sleep without the child next to you.  And some don’t just because society tells them to do the opposite. 

 We have co-slept with our daughter for 6 years now.  And we will continue until she is ready and wants her own bed. But let me tell you why. 

 When we look to nature you will find that all parental animals sleep in a huddle with their children.  This establishes a connection with the tribe and also provides heat to the little ones.  It also ensures a little more safety for the children.  You see, animals protect their young.  Once they are born, they don’t put them in a separate cave to check on later once the mom has received plenty of sleep. 

 Human babies require a lot of attention, and they often depend on sensory experiences for their development.

When babies sleep in separate rooms, they can develop anxiety from not being able to hear, see, smell, or touch their parents. Sleeping together eliminates those barriers. Not only the child develops anxiety, but the mother could as well even if you are not aware of it consciously.

Co-sleeping is one way to remain close to your baby, monitor her, and make her feel protected throughout the night. This also satisfies your internal need to protect your child.  This reduces your alert vibration and stabilizes it to a more natural rhythm.

Your child has heard your heartbeat and your voice for 9 months within you.  To be brought to the outside world and then left alone without that heartbeat or warmth of the parent can be traumatic.  Unfortunately, we have become a society that has become very disconnected.  And it starts as a child.

When you are breast feeding, let’s be honest, the only person getting any sleep is the father.  If you constantly have to get up out of bed to breastfeed you aren’t getting any sleep anyways.  Having easy access to your child while breastfeeding is much easier on you and the baby.

Studies have even shown that co-sleeping babies get nearly twice the amount of breast milk as babies who sleep in separate rooms.

Some researchers suggest that co-sleeping babies get three times the amount of feedings.

James McKenna, PhD. is an expert and researcher on the benefits of co-sleeping. His 2011 study confirmed that the frequency of feedings is much higher for co-sleeping babies, while babies who sleep in separate rooms receive significantly fewer feedings.

Tired?

A 2019 study on parental sleep found that parents not only get less sleep, but their sleep is less satisfying overall. 

The fact that new parents aren’t sleeping well is no surprise—waking up to a crying baby every couple of hours is part of the job description.

What is surprising, however, is that the study found that parents continue to have lower-quality sleep for up to six years after the baby is born.

One of the benefits of co-sleeping is better sleep for parents, both in quality and quantity. Now, co-sleeping doesn’t mean baby won’t wake you up.

It just means you’re closer to your baby in need and can tend to her needs easier and quicker.

Lower the risk of SIDS.

Because SIDS usually happens during sleep, many people are concerned that co-sleeping may increase the risk of SIDS. However, it’s the opposite.

The latest American Academy of Pediatrics sleep recommendations includes room-sharing as a way to reduce the risk of SIDS.

According to the AAP, room-sharing decreases the risk of SIDS by up to 50%. 

 Separation Anxiety.

If your baby cries when you leave the room, they are experiencing anxiety.  Many people think that babies or infants really don’t have a concept of “reality” however they are more sensitive to energy. They are in their purest state.  It is up to us to nurture that state instead of suppress it. 

Co-sleeping can help alleviate separation anxiety before it’s even a problem. Having parents in the same room or near the same sleep surface is comforting and reassuring for babies.

Since babies internalize their environment, it’s easy to see why they feel less anxiety sleeping near parents compared to being alone in their own room.

Strengthen your bond

Some co-sleeping mothers report feeling more fulfilled as mothers having their babies so close to them in the night. It also gives parents peace of mind knowing their baby is within arm’s reach.

Co-sleeping is a method used in attachment parenting, which encourages both physical and emotional closeness between parents and babies.

In this parenting style, it’s believed that co-sleeping nurtures baby in her infancy, encouraging secure relationships later in life.

Babies Development

James McKenna, PhD. points out that co-sleeping is biologically normal and that separate sleeping is a recent Western behavior.

Some of the benefits of co-sleeping for babies include:

• Co-sleeping babies release less of the stress hormone, cortisol. Since chronic exposure to cortisol can affect immunity, co-sleeping babies may have better immune functioning.
• Co-sleeping babies receive significantly more breast milk, which is associated with lower risk of SIDS and a boosted immune system. Research has proven the many health benefits of breastfeeding. 
• Several of Dr. McKenna’s studies suggest that co-sleeping children grow up to be less anxious, better adjusted, and greater self-esteem.