Newborn Sleep: Co-sleeping

Newborn sleep concerns are something that may keep you awake - and your spouse too! You never thought you would have so many questions and opinions regarding your little munchkin's sleep pattern and routine - but you have them now. Co-sleeping (i.e. sleeping with your baby) is one such topic.

So, your spouse would like the baby sleeping safely and separately in the cot/ crib, but you insist on sandwiching your little bird in the middle - making it cuddly and cozy. What to do now? You have a 50-50 tie here and this article will serve as the tie breaker! Weigh the pros and cons of co-sleeping and you will have a clear winner. How does that sound? : )

Poll

Are you in favor of co-sleeping. Have your say and see what other parents think. It will take less than 30 seconds!

Even if you have already made up your mind, we would recommend you to have a glance at the following negatives and positives - they may change or reaffirm your decision.

Advantages of co-sleeping:

Night time breastfeeding becomes convenient. You do not need to step out of the bed while you cosleep.
You can have a less interrupted sleep as you can easily breastfeed your baby and snooze off. However, this may not guarantee you a perfect sleep as babies cry at night due to different reasons. Teething could be one of those.
Some researchers believe that co-sleeping actually helps in preventing cot deaths or SIDS as you can easily check your baby from time to time. Many researchers however oppose this. To know more about the SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome), click here to read our article filled with stunning facts and figures (and we have made sure it doesn't sound Greek :)).
If you and your spouse go out to work during the day and the baby is left on nanny or any other person, co-sleeping can be a good idea to bond with your baby. And to make it more special, you can sing your favorite lullabies - there is nothing more soothing that a lullaby from mommy.
With parents around, babies have a stronger sense of security and they tend to sleep for a longer duration at night. Though this does not, in any way, means that to improve your baby’s sleep routine at night, you should always co-sleep. Read our article for more insight on how to make your baby sleep well through the night. If you still feel that your baby is not getting enough sleep and is not comfortable due to any unknown reason, solve this sleeping problem by reading our highly informative article on things that prevent your baby from a sound sleep.

Disadvantages of co-sleeping:

It might not be easy at first for you or your partner to share a bed with a wriggly and squeaky sleeping newborn who will most probably start kicking you in a couple of months.
Studies show that co-sleeping could increase the risk of cot deaths or SIDS in parents who use drugs or smoke, or take alcohol, as these parents might not be aware of the presence of the delicate little baby during their sleep.
Co-sleeping may affect your love life as having a baby sleeping between you two isn’t too romantic, is it? ; )

If you have specially created your baby's nursery, you can place the crib/ cot in your room at night time, and this way you can be with your sleeping baby without having to share the bed. This is something that doctors and experts on SIDS recommend to ensure a sound newborn sleep at night.

For first-time parents, newborn sleep may seem like a difficult thing to master. Whether co-sleeping is going to help you out or not is a matter of personal preference. Hopefully, by reading the pros and cons of newborn sleep, you can make the right decision for your baby, your spouse, and yourself. All I can say now is: Sleep well! :-)

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