Co-Sleeping Safety: A Warm Bed or a Slippery Slope?
Co-sleeping safety, the practice of parents sharing a bed with their children, has sparked ongoing debate for years. I remember the conversation when I gave birth to my own daughter, later on when I had an early childhood center, in my work with parents, and now… as a grandmother.
Don’t you look at a photo of a parent cuddling a sleeping child and feel those fuzzy, warm feelings? I know I do.
And yet… feelings are not always the full story.
Warm feelings can comfort us—but they can also distract us from asking the harder questions.
Ronit Baras
My Experience: The “Annoying” Parent Who Slept
The topic of sleep has never been a challenge for me. Not my own sleep, and not that of my three children.
Yes… I’m that mother.
I’m the mother that other parents sometimes look at and think, “Seriously?”
The very good friends, who can count on their hands the restful nights say, “ I hate you” and I totally understand why.
I can count on two hands the number of nights I didn’t sleep because of my children. (I have three) and when I woke up and attended the kids, I would put my head back on the pillow, take two to three breaths and be totally asleep.
Honestly, I’ve lost more sleep over drinking coffee or tea after 12 noon. My kids had their own beds. Their own rooms. I slept well. They slept well.
Let me tell you, parenting is so much easier when you and your children sleep well.
And here’s the thing I truly believe:
Sleeping parents are happy parents.
Happy parents raise happy children.
It’s simple. Not always easy—but simple.
And maybe that’s why, when I look at co-sleeping safety, I don’t just see comfort. I also see the long-term cost.
