Few early childhood parenting conversations cause as much anxiety and judgement as our children's sleep: where should they sleep and how do we get them to sleep through the night? We label newborn babies as 'good' or bad, depending on how much they disturb us during the night, or how much we think their sleep reflects our parenting skills.
But anthropologist James J. McKenna, in many of his 150 scientific articles on child sleep, says that our beliefs and decisions about children's sleep reflect more on the culture in which we live than on the scientific evidence about what is best for children. author of Safe Baby Sleep: Expert Answers to Your Co-Sleeping Questions. He has dedicated his career to understanding what happens when infants and their caregivers sleep together and apart.
McKenna's conclusions are supported by the research of other anthropologists and developmental scientists over the past 30 years, which puts him in direct conflict with the American Academy of Pediatrics' recommendations on where babies should sleep. "Separate," the paediatrician says, while McKenna and his colleagues say, "together, but safe." McKenna's easy-to-read book provides important insights into how to ensure co-sleeping is safe and what benefits it might bring to children's development and parents' well-being.
How did sleep become so controversial?
For most of human history, McKenna writes, parents have slept near their babies for their safety and protection, as well as for the parents' own breastfeeding and sleep convenience. The arrangements varied - some parents slept with their babies on the same bed, mat or carpet; others placed them in a hammock or basket within reach; still others placed them in a 'sidecar' next to an adult bed. But they all sleep within the baby's sensory range.
McKenna explains that about 500 years ago, Western societies were different from the rest of the world when it came to domestic sleep. Historical records from northern Europe show that Catholic priests heard the confessions of poor women who "covered" their newborns, suffocating them to death in a desperate attempt to limit family size - they could not raise another child. So the Church decreed that babies should sleep in a separate cradle until they were three years old.
Over time, other Western trends converged with the decree: increasing affluence and a focus on independence and individualism made separate bedrooms fashionable. In addition, Freudian psychology favoured the marriage bed and claimed that babies could be harmed if they were exposed to their parents' sexuality. Religious and psychological views held that children should not be coddled or indulged, but needed harsh discipline to grow up ('mind your own business and spoil your children').
Whatever the argument, each family handles it differently. Whether you choose to co-sleep or sleep in a different room to your baby. Our primary consideration is the baby's sleeping environment and the quality of sleep.
A good baby lounger will give your child a good sleeping environment. For the first 12 months I co-slept in the same room as my baby and I had a special bed for my baby. I chose the DORA MOMOKO baby nest with the [highest level of certification], 1. These certifications are all familiar to mothers. Because this cosleeping baby bed can be used for babies from 0 to 24 months. In the 13th month I started to move my baby into the children's room next door, together with his cot and the recliner.
Thanks to the baby nest sleeper, he quickly adapted to his new environment. He doesn't cry as much at night. The quality of sleep is as good as before. I also keep up my habit of getting up to check on the baby. I think the growth of a child is totally dependent on the careful attention of the parents. If you are thinking about these issues, I hope my approach can give you a reference.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09KC2PFJ1
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