Every family is different and we all have our own way of doing things, but the one thing that every family has in common is that we want to do what is best for our children. Our habits, values, and interests may vary greatly. Sleeping habits are one of the most different things that all families have. Some parents choose to have their children sleep in their own rooms from a very young age, while other parents use bunk beds to keep their children together in the same room. Other families opt to co-sleep with their children.
Co-sleeping is a common way that many families choose to sleep, especially when their children are young. If you choose to co-sleep with your children, you will experience tremendous benefits, but if you have a smaller bed it may be challenging to do this. Before deciding to co-sleep with your child, or children, you should look into getting the family bed. This bed is large enough to fit an entire family and can help keep the whole family sleeping comfortably throughout the night. Here are some of the wonderful benefits you can expect if you decide that co-sleeping is right for you and your family.
#1) Better Sleep For Parents and Children
All parents know that getting a full and restful night’s sleep when you have young children is almost impossible. You are up all night worrying about if they are still breathing if they are going to wake up crying, or if they are awake. Research has proven that co-sleeping can help both parents and children get more sleep and improve your overall health.
Children may sleep better when they sleep in the same bed as their parents because it makes them feel more comfortable. They can hear and feel your breathing and your heart and this resembles what they felt in the womb. If your child can feel, hear, and smell you, they will likely sleep better throughout the night.
When you co-sleep with your children you can be closer to them and feel more comfortable knowing that they are next to you. If you are sleeping with young children you need to make sure that you co-sleep safely to ensure that you do not roll onto them during the night. You can safely co-sleep with your children by getting a larger, family bed or by using a specially designed co-sleeper to place your child in.
#2) Reduced Risk Of SIDS
Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, or SIDS, is a very tragic thing that can happen to children from birth to one-year-old. SIDS occurs randomly, and most often when a child is sleeping. There are no warning signs, making it one of the scariest things that a parent has to worry about.
Recent research has found that co-sleeping with your children can reduce the risk of SIDS by nearly fifty percent. This puts a lot of parents at ease and helps them relax knowing that their child is safer sleeping in bed with them. While researchers are still trying to determine why co-sleeping can reduce the risk of SIDS, this statistic has many parents choosing to sleep with their infants.
#3) Easy To Breastfeed
If you have chosen to breastfeed your child, you likely already know how difficult it can be. Waking up throughout the night to breastfeed leaves you exhausted. If your child sleeps in a crib, you must get up out of bed, feed your baby, and then try to put them back in the crib. While it does not seem like a lot, all moms know that this task is very difficult because putting your baby back in the crib after they have been in your arms feeding likely causes them to wake up and make the process start all over again.
Co-sleeping makes the process of breastfeeding your baby much easier. You do not have to get up out of bed to feed your baby and, instead, can feed them in bed with you. This helps ensure that you and your baby have an easier time falling asleep. There are fewer transitions to worry about and, therefore, fewer disruptions that prevent sleep.
While co-sleeping does have a lot of benefits for both you and your child, every family has their own way of doing things. If you are looking to increase your sleep, you may decide to give co-sleeping a try.
