zaterdag 28 september 2013
AppId is over the quota
by Danielle Tropea 10 hours ago

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Every time a co-sleeping tragedy pops up in the news, it's followed by a host of comments from moms and dads who have been co-sleeping for years with no problems. Sharing a bed with baby, they say, is fine if you do it the right way!
It's a fair comment -- parents have shared the bed with baby for centuries, so it can't be all bad. But what exactly is the "right" way to co-sleep? What is safe co-sleeping? Is there really such a thing?
The American Academy of Pediatrics says no. The AAP even suggests breastfeeding moms put baby back in their crib after a night-time feed.
Still thinking about doing it? Some studies have shown it can be good -- especially for breastfeeding moms -- so it's really a mom's decision.
If you're on board, here are some guidelines experts say should definitely be followed.
1. Don't drink or use illegal substances while co-sleeping. Studies have found a link between SIDS, cosleeping and recent parental use of alcohol or drugs.
2. Don't co-sleep on the couch. Babies need firm surfaces to sleep on.
3. Avoid blankets and stuffed animals in the bed. What applies to a crib should also apply to the family bed -- these hazards are not conducive to safe sleep for baby.
4. Pull back long hair. I never thought of this one, but the experts at the University of Notre Dame's Behavioral Sleep Laboratory warn that a mother's long hair can actually get tangled around an infant's neck!
5. Make sure both parents are on board with co-sleeping. If your partner isn't comfortable with the idea of a family bed, find out WHY. Maybe they have a reason to think your baby won't be safe (do they move around in sleep a lot, for example?).
6. Don't co-sleep with older kids and a baby at once. The term family bed can be misleading. Experts generally warn against older children being in bed with infants and their parents because older kids might not be aware of the baby's presence and safety requirements.
7. Consider a co-sleeper. Babies don't have to be in the bed to be sharing a bedroom with you -- there are a number of co-sleepers out there that attach to the bed, allowing baby to be within arm's reach but protecting them from a parent rolling over on them, as well as offering that firm mattress and blanket-free space.
Do you co-sleep? What are your best co-sleeping tips?
Image via elisabet ottosson/Flickr
Click the "Like" button below to get Natural Parenting stories on Facebook.writes articles for The Stir by day, slays closet monsters and bounds through bedtime stories with her elementary schooler by night. The Phineas and Ferb soundtrack reverberates through her brain.
MoreI wasn't going to co-sleep with my baby. I thought it was weird and barbaric. But then my anthropologist friends talked me into it. (Yes, of course, it's always the anthropologists.) They went over all the reasons why it makes perfect sense, from the security it gives your infant to the way it bonds the whole family together. And then, when my son was born, I couldn't stand to be parted from him anyway. Co-sleeping just made sense to me.
I get that it's not for everyone. But man, people who don't get it really don't get it. Can you please spare us your judgment? Here are 10 annoying things you should never say to a co-sleeping parent.
1. Isn't that illegal? No, actually. It's not.
2. How do you not roll over your baby? Surprisingly, I don't go to bed drunk or on drugs. Also, you actually do have a physical sense of where your baby is, even when you're asleep.
3. I know someone who knows someone who knows someone whose baby died from co-sleeping. Okay.
4. How do you have sex? 1. Don't worry, sex happens. 2. You don't need to know the details. Do I ask about your sex life?
5. You'll never get that kid out of your bed. Yes, actually, I did. It's not easy, but when the time comes, you really can get your kid to sleep in their own bed.
6. That's kind of creepy and incestuous. Oh, and leaving your baby to sleep ALONE in a separate room is so humane?
7. I don't see how you can get any sleep that way. It's extremely cozy. In fact, I slept great because I never had to get up in the middle of the night. If my baby woke, I just nursed him quietly and quickly went back to sleep.
8. You'll spoil your kids. You can't spoil a baby. How many times do we have to say it?
9. Babies need to be sleep trained. Actually, they don't. You can not sleep train your baby and they'll still grow up to be a fully functional, independent adult.
10. That's just weird. I think you're weird! Okay, sorry, that was immature. I'll put it this way -- more people co-sleep either deliberately or accidentally than you'd think. It's pretty common.
Did I miss anything?
Image via Karen Sheets de Gracia/Flickr
Click the "Like" button below to get Natural Parenting stories on Facebook.is a staff writer who dabbles in food, parenting, news, entertainment, molecular biology, and anything else that that pops into her head. She lives with her elementary school-aged son in Brooklyn, land of urban farms and artisan everything.
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