Our Smart Baby

The Family Bed

So many new parents, especially moms, are sleep
deprived. I never had a problem with this. Why? We
co-sleep! Baby wakes up hungry, all you have to do is
roll over and nurse him. You don’t even have to get
up! I wouldn’t trade co-sleeping with our kids for
anything. What’s better than snuggling with your baby?
Nothing!

Let’s talk about safety. Always make sure that your
baby cannot roll off of the bed and get hurt. You can
do this in a few different ways. The easiest is to
just have your mattress directly on the floor. If that
doesn’t work for you, make sure your bed is tight
against the wall (no spaces for babe to get stuck in),
sidecar a crib or get one of the many rails or
bolsters they make for beds now. You want to make sure
you have tight fitting sheets and no fluffy blankets
or pillows on baby’s side of the bed. This can pose a
suffocation threat. A firm mattress is best. You don’t
want to ever co-sleep in a waterbed or a bed with a
feather mattress or topper. Make sure that your head
and footboards don’t have any spaces that your baby
can get stuck in. As always, put your baby to sleep on
his back. Nothing that’s really rocket science here.

There are a few instances where you should not
co-sleep. If you have been drinking or are taking any
drugs (prescription or not) that make you drowsy you
should not sleep with your baby in the bed with you.
You may not be as aware of him as normal. You also
should not sleep with the baby in the bed with you if
you smoke or are extremely overweight.

There are a ton of great books out there on the family
bed and night time with your baby in general. Any book
by Dr. Sears or Dr. Jay Gordon is a great investment.
A good rule of thumb is to look at the author’s
credentials. There are some people that are writing
books who have no medical training but are passing
themselves off as doctors. Just a word to the wise. ;)

If you have *any* questions about co-sleeping/family
bed, please don’t hesitate to email me!

By Danica Bailey