The Los
Angeles Times has an article called It's Okay to sleep next to your infant child. In fact, it's
beneficial. They wrote that sleeping with an infant is common in other
cultures, therefore it is probably the best way to do it.
The American Academy of
Pediatrics advises against parent-child co-sleeping,
or “bed-sharing,” citing safety concerns from accidental suffocation or falls.
Doctors worry that tired — or intoxicated — parents will roll onto their
infants in the middle of the night without realizing it. Putting babies in
cribs or cots in a separate room is also customary in Britain, Germany and
other parts of Western Europe.
Much of the rest of the world believes it is “downright cruel to have a
baby sleep alone.” There is so much contrary information out there; what is a
mother supposed to do? Speak to your husband about it and see what he would
prefer. This is the most important thing to do.
I don’t believe there is a right or wrong way in deciding how to do this, unless a
mother is an alcoholic, drug addict, or heavy sleeper. I would accidentally sleep
with my babies when they were infants while I was nursing and we would both
fall asleep but most of the time, I would put them in their bed right by my bed up until six weeks old.
Ken and I are such light sleepers that all of their little squeaks and noises
would keep us awake. There was no way we could sleep with them in the same room
for long. A mother and father getting no sleep or little sleep is not a good thing.
Also, it doesn’t matter what the rest of the world thinks or does. There
are many women I know who always slept with their infants and raised great children.
There are many women, like me, who didn’t sleep with their children and raised
great children. This should never be a cause for conflict among mothers. They should
do what their husbands want and feel comfortable with.
We made our infants sleep through the night by six weeks. I was too
exhausted to be woken up all throughout the night. It was better for both of us
when we had a good night sleep. A baby doesn’t know how to put themselves to
sleep so every time they wake up, they cry. Allowing them to cry the first time
they wake until they go to sleep will teach them that they can go to sleep without
their mama. This didn’t harm my children at all.
Other mothers could never dream of allowing their babies to “cry it out”
so they shouldn’t if they don’t want to as long as they aren't getting emotionally
and physically distraught for lack of sleep. Then they need to allow their
babies to cry so they can get to sleep. An terribly exhausted mother is not good for
anyone. However, this is no cause for conflict either. It’s a non-issue in my
mind. You’re not a better mom for whatever way you chose.
You’re a good mother if you raise your children in the nurture and the
admonition of the Lord. Period. This is what is important to the Lord so it
should be what is most important to us.
