co-sleeping is one of those issues that happens to be one of the most controversial and talked about topics in parenting. it seems as though you either fully agree or fully disagree. there isn’t any amount of gray. my opinion towards co-sleeping is on the side of disagree. it’s not because i don’t love to snuggle with my babies, or as hudson would say “nuggle,” but rather it’s because i find it very dangerous. it’s one of those things where you think nothing will ever happen to your baby in your bed, but the reality is it happens to someone. sadly, not just a single someone, but multiple families lose their little ones due to co-sleeping every day. your bed isn’t a safe place for your tiny one to be with you. especially because in most cases you are co-sleeping due to complete exhaustion. you’re not as alert as you should be and when your body experiencing this type of exhaustion your not aware of what you may or may not do in your sleep. i see the perks of co-sleeping. as it makes it easier to feed and attend to your baby when they are right there with you and you don’t have to get up out of bed and make the trek down the hall or over to the bassinet. i fully understand the reasoning behind this, but not enough to outweigh the risks involved. i also understand that parents want to bond with their babies and give them skin to skin, and time to be physically close to one another. this again, i agree with and feel is very important. i believe making time for this during the daytime hours is the safe way to get this type of bonding. many co-sleep because they want to be there the second their baby ‘needs’ them. this is an entirely another topic of discussion and one we can get into later, as it’s definitely one of my reasons for disagreeing with co-sleep as a sleep solution. in a nutshell i truly don’t agree with co-sleeping for the safety of my babies and everyone else’s. i know we are all trying to do our best and we all have our own beliefs on the many issues involved with parenting. often we have to learn to agree to disagree, but in terms of co-sleep i stand firm in my belief that it just isn’t safe!!
i read this article from the globe and mail about an ad campaign that was done in regards to co-sleeping. it is a startling ad and one that caught many people’s attention. it brings about a great discussion because the ad photograph is extremely abrupt and for those who agree with co-sleeping you will most likely find it disgusting or too harsh. click co-sleeping to read this article and find out why they are comparing co-sleeping to laying your child by knives…interesting analogy to say the least!
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Also, I'd be happy to share the research with you in order to inform your opinion, especially if you are instructing other parents about infant sleep. "Cot death" is just as serious, and sleeping away from parents caries more risks than safe cosleeping. I'm not intersted in changing your opinion, just informing it with the current evidence. It's just not black or white, and is wholly grey. At the end of the debate, though, cosleeping is indeed safe when done safely. SIDS Canada reps will even admit that one to one. It's akin to putting your baby in a car safely in a car seat, vs lying your baby on the seat itself… Both are driving, and one is a safe route. However, sadly that baby could still experience trauma from a crash. Most don't refuse to drive, though, they simply make it as safe as possible. Be well! Ashley
thank you ashley for reading! i really appreciate your comments and thoughts. you are right when you say that this isn't a black or white debate. just like all issues with parenting there truly is a variety of gray! i 100% believe you have to do what you believe in and what you feel is best for your child as the parent. that being said, you are again correct in that you need to do your research in order to obtain a safe situation for your baby. i don't believe in co-sleeping and that is what i feel is best for me and my family. i am not telling people what to do, but i do feel everyone needs to do research, read and learn about anything they choose to do with or for their kids to be sure they are making the safest choice. after all, keeping our kids happy, healthy and safe is all we really want for our kids!!