Dr. – Advice
Dr. Phil does not support parents and children regularly sharing a bed, which is known as co-sleeping. In his view, having children in the parental bed can be very disruptive to a healthy adult relationship, and can also cause regressive behavior on the part of the child.
If it’s difficult for your child to sleep alone, Dr. Phil suggests discussing the issue during daylight hours — not at bedtime. Establish rules, and make it clear that your bedroom is off limits for sleeping. Comfort your child by being available, but allow co-sleeping only on special circumstances (such as the occasional thunderstorm).
Get kids excited about the independence of sleeping in their own room. Make a game out of it, giving them gold stars or rewards for making progress. Start a new habit of going into your child’s room and reading a bedtime story — but do not sleep there. To help a child overcome fear of the dark, Dr. Phil suggests buying a lamp dimmer, so that with “successive approximations” — not one big leap — the child will feel more comfortable and safe. It may be difficult at first, but in a short time, children will develop their own methods of soothing themselves and feel safe, secure and comfortable under their own covers.
Still, Dr. Phil acknowledges that there are reputable sources on both sides of the debate:
The Pros
1) Babies sleep longer through the night (Dr. Sears)
2) No nighttime separation anxiety (Dr. Sears, Dr. Phil)
3) Easier to breast feed at night (Dr. Sears)
4) Time to bond with baby (Dr. Sears, Dr. Phil)
5) Studies show decreased chance of SIDS (Dr. Sears, James K. McKenna, PhD)
The Cons
1) Parents can roll over on baby (AAP; CPSC)
2) Baby can fall off the bed (AAP; CPSC)
3) Baby can fall between wall and headboard (American AAP; CPSC)
4) Baby can suffocate in loose bedding (AAP; CPSC)
5) May interfere with sex life and intimacy (Dr. Phil)
6) Creates co-dependency (Dr. Schmitt M.D., Dr. Phil)
7) Does not reduce chance of SIDS (AAP; CPSC)
CPSC – The Consumer Product Safety Commission
AAP – American Academy of Pediatrics
Similar articles
- Sharing Sleep with Your Baby – A Safe Family Bed
Through out the years sleeping with a baby in your bed was the norm. In Western culture this changed and more and more newborns were placed in cribs to sleep away from their parents. Though the family bed, or co-sleeping, is still the cultural norm in other parts of the world, it is not something
... - Sleep and Newborns
Where and How a Baby Should Sleep For the first weeks of life, most parents place their child’s crib or bassinet in their own bedroom. A separate room just seems too far away at this early point. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) recommend against bringing your
... - Resource Center
Safe Sleep for Your Baby Around the Clock: Birth to 12 Months Introduction U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission Cautions Tips to Make Sleeping Safe for Your Baby Where Should My Baby Sleep? Where Not to Sleep What Position Should My Baby Be In? How Do I Make My Baby’s Sleep Area Safe? Breastfeeding AAP Recommendations
... - Pillow or without it? on his back or on which side ?
What sleeping positions are best for a newborn? For many years in the United States, babies have been put to bed on their abdomens. In most other countries, babies sleep on their backs. Research has found a link between sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) and babies who sleep on their stomachs (in the prone position).
... - Five Steps to Get Your Baby to Sleep Better : The Baby Sleep Book
For every parent who has ever been deprived of sleep by a restless infant or toddler, now there’s hope. The Baby Sleep Book is the comprehensive, reassuring, solution-filled sleep resource that every family will want to own. Babies don’t automatically know how to sleep through the night; they need to be taught. The Searses have
...