For parents wondering when is co sleeping safe?, there
are many factors that need to be considered.
Here’s the truth: there are many different sleep
practices that often get grouped under the “co-sleeping” umbrella.
And while some—like enjoying the benefits of a bedside
cosleeper—offer an ASTM, TÜV, and Confidence in Textiles certified-safe
solution for helping baby catch some rest while sleeping by your side, other common
“co sleeping” practices don’t offer the same safety guarantee.
“Bed sharing,” for instance, references the practice of
inviting a baby into your own bed to sleep during the night. Though bed sharing
is often considered one form of co-sleeping, there are key safety differences
between the two.
BED SHARING: WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT SAFETY AND THE
QUESTION when is co sleeping safe?
The American Academy of Pediatrics knows that keeping
your baby close during the first year of their life carries a whole host
of benefits (like making nighttime nursing a breeze and helping you easily—and
quickly!—respond to every crisis call).
That’s why they recommend room sharing with baby for at
least the first 6 months of their life, and ideally through the first
year.
But in the eyes of the AAP, room sharing is not the same as
bed-sharing.
While bed-sharing with 6 month-old or younger babies can
carry risks—like concerns about comfy bedding, soft objects, or any other
pillowy or quilted materials causing harm—room sharing does not create these
same concerns.
When you room share, you offer baby the firm,
made-just-for-them sleep space they need to feel comfortable, cozy, and safe
all night long.
You get to enjoy the adult mattress and oh-so-plush bedding
you’ve come to love, while giving baby a sleeping space all their own that
is perfectly designed to support them and keep them safe.
Because you’re sharing a space rather than sharing
a bed, you can room share with baby from the first moment they come home
from the hospital.
But bed-sharing with 6 month-old or younger babies
is not as easily recommended since baby has yet to learn the escape artist
skills they need to untangle themselves from any soft fabrics that come their
way. (Those escape artist skills will come one day! But not for a while down
the road.)
That means that you can feel confident practicing forms of
co-sleeping that give baby a sleeping space that’s made just for them from the
moment they come home from the hospital.
But you should take a second safety glance before practicing
any co sleeping methods (like bed-sharing with 6 month-old or younger
babies) that encourage baby to sleep in a space that isn’t specially designed
just for them, but is designed with your own adult comforts in
mind.
HOW TO CO-SLEEP SAFELY
Luckily, it doesn’t have to be hard to co-sleep
safely.
There are certain gold-star cosleeping practices that help
you get stress-free nights of sound rest while supporting your baby’s body and
mind.
Bedside sleepers deliver all the benefits of co
sleeping—we’re talking more bonding time with baby, easier nighttime nursing,
and boosted support for baby’s healthy physical and mental growth—while gifting
you with peace of mind (which is one of the best gifts of all, can’t we
agree?).
Bedside sleepers like the babybay attach snugly to the
side of your own mattress, allowing you to sleep comfortably on the soft
bedding you love while giving your baby a made-just-for-them sleeping space
that properly supports their needs.
That means they can enjoy the firm mattress that’s
safest for them—without you having to sacrifice any of your own sleep
comfort.
The best part? Bedside co-sleepers allow you to always be
within arm’s reach of your baby all through the night. That means you’ll be
able to soak up all the close-by-baby benefits of cosleeping, without a single
moment of stress or worry.
WHEN IS CO-SLEEPING SAFE WITH A BEDSIDE CO-SLEEPER?
The babybay bedside co sleeper has been lovingly designed to
support your baby through nights of safe co sleeping as soon as they come home
from the hospital.
That means that the babybay will be there to support all of
your co-sleeping needs from the moment that your baby is born!
And when you feel it’s the best age to transition from
co-sleeping, you can be sure that your baby will be ready to get full nights of
rest all on your own, with full confidence that you’re there to support them
during every step of the way.
That’s why parents that wonder when is co-sleeping
safe? should keep this in mind—how you co-sleep matters when you’re
trying to decide the right time to start.