The pros and cons of having your baby sleep in your room

Follow me on Twitter @drClaire According to the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), the best place for a baby to sleep is in his parents’ bedroom. He should sleep in his own crib or bassinet (or in a co-sleeper safely attached to the bed), but shouldn’t be in his own room until he is at least 6 months, better 12 months. This is because studies have shown that when babies are close by, it can help reduce the risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, or SIDS. A study published in the journal Pediatrics, however, points out a downside to this: babies don’t sleep as well, and by extension, neither do their parents. Researchers found that “early independent sleepers,” babies who slept in their own room before 4 months, slept longer, and for longer stretches, than babies who slept in their parents’ room. At 9 months, these babies were better sleepers, not just compared to those who slept in their parents’ room, but also to those who transitioned to their own room between 4 and 9 months. This is no small thing for sleep-deprived parents. Even a few extra minutes can make all the difference — and given that research suggests that sleeping well in infancy improves the chances of sleeping well in childhood, the study seems to suggest that getting babies out of their parents’ room from the get-go could be a real sanity saver. The study also found that babies who shared a room with their parents were four times more likely to end up in their parents’ bed during the nigh...
Source: Harvard Health Blog - Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Tags: Children's Health Parenting Prevention Safety Source Type: blogs