Co-Sleeping-Yay or Nay?


The controversy that surrounds where a baby sleeps has developed into two camps. Put her in a crib, some people say, and you'll deprive her of necessary, reassuring contact. Put her in the parents' bed, others maintain, and she'll never learn to be independent. A recent report from the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission added new fuel to the fire: Do not put the baby in the parents' bed, it advised, or she may come to real harm.
"A report from 1999 advised parents against keeping a baby in the adult bed, citing a study of 515 baby deaths in a seven-year period that were related to suffocation and entrapment. But many experts, including the renowned pediatrician Penelope Leach, refuted the wisdom of this advice and questioned the findings, noting that other risk factors weren't taken into account, such as whether the parents were drinking or taking drugs, or if the babies had been lying on their stomachs (which could indicate sudden infant death syndrome).

As with most parenting decisions, there is no right or wrong choice in this matter; it all depends on the needs, desires and lifestyles of everyone concerned. But such a dire official recommendation might scare parents away from making a choice that, with some simple precautions, can be perfectly safe."

Want to know more? Read the full article here!