Co-sleeping, as per dictionary, is the practice of letting the babies sleep on the same bed where parents sleep or letting babies sleep in the same room in which one or both parents sleep. It is a common practice in many parts of the world.
Movies often show beautiful scenes of babies sleeping alongside their parents, especially their mothers listening to bedtime stories, poems or sweet lullabies. Toddlers need to be kept in the close proximity of their parents always. Is is best for toddler’s to share bed with their parents instead of a crib. Research proves that kids who shared bed with their parents in early childhood grow more confident and affectionate as adults. Co-sleeping for toddlers without any dispute is good. However, co-sleeping becomes a debatable topic when children in question are from the age group of 2 to 5 years. It is a proven fact that children feel more confident, happy and at peace with their parents around. At sleeping time, children feel more secure with their parents around.
- When made to sleep alone in a separate room, kids are more prone to developing anxiety disorders and unwanted stress.
- Majority of the children are scared of darkness, when made to sleep alone, they may have improper sleep because of fear.
- Kids are highly prone to suffocation and strangulation. They may develop certain illness or sleeping disorder due to wrong posture, which can’t be attended to if they sleep in a separate room.
- On the flip side, many believe that a child may be ignorant of other relationships and its emotional quotient if they sleep with their parents.
- Many parents are of the opinion that co-sleeping is against basic etiquettes. A child if made to sleep in a separate room from childhood becomes more independent and mature.
Co-sleeping has many psychological effects on babies. Studies have shown that kids who have grown more closely with their parents have more amounts of hormones necessary for physical growth than those children who were isolated at an early age. Kids who have grown closely with their parents, grow up to be more balanced adults both emotionally and physically. Whatever, the arguments if a parent feels that the child is independent enough to sleep alone it is not a bad idea to give them a separate room and bed. However, the decision should not be forced on the child, he/she should not be left alone in a room to deal with their fears alone. The child has to be mentally prepared, all fears eradicated before parents decide that their child should sleep separately.
