Raising Children Network: the Australian parenting website
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Sharing your bed with baby

By Raising Children Network
 
 

In many cultures, babies and adults have always slept together. A growing number of parents in Western cultures such as Australia are now choosing to bring their baby into their bed.

Why share a bed?

Many parents who co-sleep believe it helps their babies to feel safe and secure. They like the close bodily contact, feel it is rewarding and satisfying, and believe that it's good for their relationship with their baby.

Some parents also bed-share because they find it more practical, and breastfeeding during the night is easier. They can respond quickly to their hungry baby and then settle her back to sleep quickly.

For these reasons, advocates of co-sleeping feel it's well worth making the adjustments necessary to learn to sleep with a small child. The critical thing is that bed-sharing is done safely.

Bed-sharing with a parent is a common experience for Australian babies. Research has found that 80% of infants will share their parent’s bed at some time in the first six months of life – most of these for more than two hours in each 24 hour period. Bed-sharing is more common in the first 12 weeks of life than the next 12 weeks. 70% of babies bed-share with their mother only, 17% with both parents, and 3% with mother and a sibling. Most babies bed-share at night, but there are also some who only bed-share during the day.

Bed-sharing safely

Some people believe that sleeping next to your baby can help reduce the risk of SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome), but there is no reliable research that has demonstrated this.

In fact, co-sleeping is associated with SIDS and other fatal sleep accidents in some circumstances. Researchers and advocates of co-sleeping are unanimous that the risk of SIDS is increased by co-sleeping if:

  • you or your partner smoke
  • you or your partner take drugs, alcohol or any type of sedative medication that causes heavy sleep.

It is not advisable to share a bed with your baby if you smoke or take drugs.

All the principles of safe sleeping apply to babies who share their parent’s bed, including putting your baby on her back (never on her tummy or side), making sure her head remains uncovered during sleep, keeping her environment smoke-free, and providing firm and safe bedding.

Some simple additional safety precautions can be adopted to reduce the chance of accidental death through smothering. They are:

  • avoid sleeping together on the couch (this is very dangerous because baby can be trapped between you and the cushions, and can suffocate)
  • make sure your bed is firm and don't use anything soft underneath (for example, a lamb's wool underlay)
  • use lightweight blankets, not heavy quilts or doonas
  • keep sheets and blankets low down on the bed so they can’t cover your baby’s head
  • keep baby away from any pillows
  • put baby beside one parent, but not between parents, so that there is less chance that she will slip under the bedding
  • put baby where she can’t fall out of bed, but not against pillows or a wall (babies can suffocate under pillows and have died after becoming trapped between the bed and the wall) – a safer alternative is placing the mattress on the floor.

Experts continue to debate the safety of bed-sharing

There is still some debate about the safety of co-sleeping in Western-style bedding.

Some researchers argue there are benefits to bed-sharing and that bed-sharing can be made safer when the precautions described above are used. Others, such as the American Academy of Pediatrics, have taken a more cautious line, recently recommending against bed-sharing. They believe the safest sleeping arrangement is to have your baby in your room, but not in your bed.

This recommendation has also been made by Australian experts on infant sleep safety: 'SIDS and Kids recommends sleeping with a baby in a cot next to the parents’ bed for the first 6-12 months as this has been shown to lower the risk of SIDS'.

When bed-sharing is a problem

Bed-sharing can be a problem if:

  • it has not been by choice – some parents bring a baby into bed because of difficulties with the baby waking or coming into their bed at night; for some, this turns out to be an effective solution; for others, it's not satisfactory for them or their baby
  • there is lack of agreement or tension between partners about co-sleeping
  • parents want their child to move into her own bed before she wants to move; many parents who sleep with their children also report that the child usually wants their own bed by the age of two or three; but it can take longer than this and, as a result, sometimes the parents tire of co-sleeping before their children do.

If you are experiencing any of these problems, co-sleeping may not be the best option. See our step-by-step guide for managing settling and sleeping problems if bed-sharing is a problem for you.

 
  • Last reviewed08-05-2006
  • References

    American Academy of Pediatrics, Task Force on Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (2005). Policy statement: The changing concept of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome: Diagnostic coding shifts, controversies regarding the sleep environment, and new variables to consider reducing risk. Pediatrics, 116, 1245-1255.

    Beal, S.M., & Byard, R. W. (2000).  Sudden infant death syndrome in South Australia 1968–97. Part 3: Is bed sharing safe for infants?, Journal of Paediatrics and Child Health, 36, 552–554

    Rigda, R.S., McMillen, I.C., & Buckley, P. (2000). Bed sharing patterns in a cohort of Australian infants during the first six months after birth, Journal of Paediatrics and Child Health, 36, 117–121.

  • Acknowledgements

    Thanks to Kids & SIDS for their helpful comments on earlier versions of this article.

    J. Hendricks, MD, President, Oklahoma Chapter American Academy of Pediatrics.