Should Children Sleep With Their Parents?

A very common question among parents, especially mothers, is at what age children should stop sleeping with their parents. Are there benefits to sleeping together? What is recommended?

Letting children sleep with their parents can be a necessity during the first days or months of life. But what happens when they get a little older? How long should you let them sleep with one?

Nils Bergman, a pediatrician at Maternity Hospital Mowbray in South Africa, says that babies should sleep with their mothers until they are around three years old.

By observing the sleep patterns of 16 babies, the pediatrician and his team were able to show that the babies who slept alone in a crib had stress levels that were three times higher than those who were accompanied by their mother.

It has also been observed that babies who sleep alone in the crib experience interrupted sleep cycles. It can affect the baby’s normal development. The opposite is true for children who sleep with their parents.

It is important to consider the baby’s stress during separation. When you feel that he is ready to sleep alone, you must carefully help him to go through the separation. You need to reaffirm his ability to sleep alone, and at the same time make him understand why it is important to be independent.

We may be tempted to believe that babies never get stressed. It would be ideal, just as it would be if adults also let it go. But it is unfortunately impossible.

Stress is shown as follows:

• Irritability
• Bad mood

Remember that babies do not know how to get rid of stress. An adult can take a relaxing bath, listen to music or play sports, but babies can not. The only relief and comfort the child can receive is from his parents.

Therefore, you must treat the separation carefully and make sure that the child’s room is a place where she feels safe. Help her become independent and sleep in the most natural way to avoid traumatic experiences.

There is no rule carved in stone that says how long children can sleep with their parents. Advice will never be more than recommendations. Every parent knows what is best for their child and its well-being.

So it is up to the parents to decide if they want the baby to sleep with them. Some do not see it as a problem, but others prefer that the child sleeps alone in his crib.

Several specialists have recommended that babies sleep alone from the beginning and never sleep in the same bed as their parents. This is to avoid sudden infant death syndrome. It may be true that the causes are still unknown, but specialists try to reduce the risk by recommending it.

It never hurts to take preventative measures when sleeping with your baby, especially if it is only a few days or months old. It is at its most fragile stage in life, and therefore you must make sure that you do not damage it with your movements.

Try to avoid:

• To have very large pillows
• Being too tired, as it can affect your attention and judgment
• Drinking alcohol, smoking or using drugs
• Having pets in bed
• Wrapping the baby too much, as it may affect breathing