Q: Effects of bed sharing?

Posted Tuesday, January 08, 2008 1:36 PM

Q: I'm wondering about any future effects on bed sharing, in terms of future sleep and any psychological impact.

Jennifer Waldburger & Jill Spivack of The Sleepeasy Solution: There is no clear link that we've seen between co-sleeping and either poor sleep or better sleep down the road. There's lots of variation from one family to the next. Some children sleep soundly all night long next to mom and dad; other are very restless, waking to feed or play or needing lots of assistance to fall back asleep. What we do know, though, is that all children -- barring a medical or developmental issue standing in the way -- are capable of becoming great sleepers in a very short time, once parents have all the tools they need to teach them. This is true whether children remain in bed or sleep on their own.

As far as psychological impact on babies of co-sleeping or not, what we've noticed is that it doesn't seem to be where the baby sleeps, per se, that determines whether a baby thrives. Rather, it is the parents' sense of connectedness to each other, their agreement about choices and decisions as parents, and everyone getting good quality rest that seem to be some of the strongest predictors of not only a baby's but a family's well being.

Guest experts Jennifer Waldburger, LCSW and Jill Spivack, LMSW are co-creators of The Sleepeasy Solution, and offer a book and DVD by the same name. Jennifer and Jill are also co-founders of sleep consultation service Sleepy Planet.