Would you like to have me answer your sleep question in my next video? If so, scroll down and submit your question in the comment section below. I will pick several questions a month to answer and post them here on the blog!
If you would rather read than watch my above video then here is the transcript of this week’s co-sleeping video:
Hi. Kim West, the Sleep Lady. And today, I want to talk about a hot topic, “Co-Sleeping.” A lot of people will say to me or write to me asking, “Are you against co-sleeping Kim? Because if so, we have something to say to you.” So I thought I would set the record straight on my blog.
Professionals from the medical field have said to me, “Kim, you shouldn’t be talking about co-sleeping”. As you may know there is a statistic that says that 50 percent of parents are co-sleeping at some point in the first year of their child’s life.
I am not interested in partaking in denial. I would much rather parents make wise decisions and if you choose to co-sleep, you do it safely. I think the perfect middle road is to get a co-sleeper, which is a side car that attaches to the side of the parents’ bed. After you feed your baby you can put them in the cosleeper attached to your bed. That way your baby is close to you but you don’t have to worry about any potential risks associated with sharing the same bed.
A second option would be to put the baby’s crib right near or next to your bed. That way you won’t have to worry about suffocation when sharing the same bed.
If you really want your baby in your bed, sharing your bed with you, I urge you to please do the research and do it safely.
Please remember, families only call me when they’re not sleeping well and not doing that well. If they are sleeping well and doing well, I of course don’t hear from them.
Families that are co-sleeping and it’s not working for them, are usually doing what’s called ‘reactive co-sleeping.’ Meaning that it’s the only way they can get their child to sleep or back to sleep and they’re doing it out of desperation.
I don’t think that this type of ‘reactive co-sleeping’ is the foundation of co-sleeping, or is helping the family’s wellbeing. That is why I address it in my book to help families end this type of co-sleeping. If you decide, “I really want to co-sleep with my child, and I’m going to do it safely, and I’ve done my homework and research,” or “I’m going to put my baby in a co-sleeper right next to me,” please know, that every person, every child at some point has to learn the skill of putting themselves to sleep and back to sleep. It doesn’t unfortunately happen naturally.
You may want to experiment with this when you feel comfortable– maybe starting with naps. Try putting your child down awake at naps or at bedtime, with you lying right on the bed next to them and help soothe them to sleep.
You don’t have to worry about this right now if co-sleeping is working for you, but just keep this in the back of your mind.
To read more about my sleep coaching philosophy, check out this blog post.
Okay. I hope that this sets the record straight on how I feel about co-sleeping.
Sweet dreams,
Kim
The Sleep Lady
Video filmed by In Focus Studios
If you have had a personal experience with cosleeping feel free to share your experiences. Please feel free to click the “reply” link under this article and leave them a comment. Supporting each other makes parenting so much easier!
