Sleep with your baby

Recently a study done by the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) claimed that many deaths of infants were caused by sleeping in bed with their parents. The study did not determine if safe bedding practices were kept or if the parents were under the influence of any form of drugs or alcohol. There are some parents who feel that this study was simply another way to encourage people to buy cribs, seeing as the CPSC supposedly stood to have more to gains if that were true.

The bottom line is that if you choose to sleep with your baby in your bed for any amount of time, you need to follow safe bedding practices. The first thing is where you sleep. You should never sleep on the couch or on a waterbed with your baby. Your bed mattress should be firm, flat and clean. 

You should avoid overheating for your baby, dress them lightly when they sleep with you and do not use huge blankets to cover them. Sheets and light blankets are usually sufficient to keep you and your baby warm. It is best to face your baby when you sleep with him or her, this prevent your baby from falling out of bed or falling between the bed and the wall. Be sure your partner knows that the baby is in your bed. It is probably better to not have pets also sharing your bed.

Sleeping with your baby is a personal choice. It should be made with your family's needs in mind and not the opinions of others. Try what works for your family and alter the arrangements safely until you find where everyone gets the most sleep.