How to Co-Sleep Safely With Your Baby

Co-Sleeping (also known as "bedsharing" or the "family bed") is a practice that goes back for millenia, and has many benefits for both mother and child. It creates an atmosphere of bonding, allows everyone to get more sleep, makes breastfeeding easier at night, and actually reduces the risk of SIDS (for more info on this, read "The Sleep Book" by Dr. William Sears, or "Good Nights" by Jay Gordon & Maria Goodavage. All you need are a few simple safety guidlines:

Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• Firm Mattress
• Infant Sleep Positioner
• Towels
• Toddler Safety Rail

1. First, prepare the bed. Make sure you have a firm mattress (no pillow top or water bed). A soft sleeping surface can be a suffocation risk. Next, get rid of excess pillows or loose bedding. Nothing should come near baby's face, except mother's breast while nursing. For the first few months, a waterproof pad or towel under your sheets might be wise, to help protect your mattress from spit-up, milk, etc.
2. Place baby in the middle of the bed, away from the edge. Fill any gaps between the bed and the wall with rolled towels, to prevent baby from rolling into them. To make it easier to nurse on both sides, use a toddler safety rail on the mother's side of the bed, to prevent baby from falling out of bed while she nurses on that side. For added safety, simply ditch the bed frame all together, and put your mattress on the floor.
3. Always put baby to sleep on his/her back (side-lying while nursing is safe, too). For newborns, an infant sleep positioner can help, not only by cradling the baby in a safe position, but also by serving as a soft barrier to bumps from Mom and Dad.
4. Make sure baby's face is at least on the same level as yours. Bedding should be tucked in firmly at the foot of the bed, so you cannot pull it up high enough to cover baby's face.

Tips & Warnings

• An alternative to baby sleeping in your bed is a co-sleeper bassinet which fits up against the side of your bed. Try www.armsreach.com
• DO NOT ATTEMPT while under the influence of alcohol or medication which may cause drowsiness.
• DO NOT ATTEMPT if you are very obese, have sleep apnea, or cannot be easily roused from sleep.
• DO NOT ATTEMPT if you are overly sleep deprived.
• DO NOT ATTEMPT on soft surfaces, such as a couch, water bed, or pillow-top mattress.
• DO NOT ALLOW SMALL CHILDREN TO SLEEP NEXT TO BABY. A toddler or small child does not have the maternal awareness to prevent injury to a baby.
• DO NOT ATTEMPT with a baby who is not your own. Maternal awareness is much more acute with a biological parent than with an unrelated caregiver.
• DON'T ALLOW BABY TO OVERHEAT. Between your body heat and blanket, a heavy nightgown or bundling may be overdoing it.
• This article is not meant as a substitute for medical advice. For additional concerns, consult your pediatrician.