Is it okay to let the baby share your bed with you? There is
no single correct answer to this situation. It is up to you, as a parent, to
decide after knowing its pros and cons:
Advantages of co-sleeping
Co-sleeping with your baby can foster a closer bond between you
and your child.It gives you more time to
spend with your baby. This is especially important for working couples.According to some studies,
breastfeeding is higher amongst babies who share their parents’ bed. Babies who sleep with their
parents are believed to enjoy better sleep.Some studies report that
babies who co-sleep wake less often during the night and fall asleep
faster.Co-sleeping tends to reduce
crying amongst babies.It is easier for parents to
attend to the baby’s needs at night.Co-sleeping enables parents
to respond immediately to babies when they cry.
Disadvantages of co-sleeping
Once they get used to
sleeping with them, babies may refuse to sleep in the parents’ absence.It may be difficult to teach
co-sleeping babies to sleep alone later.Sleeping with a restless baby
may disrupt the parents’ sleep.Parents may see a baby in bed
as an intrusion in their love life.