Co-sleeping: benefits, advice and opinions on sleeping close to your baby
In collaboration with Chicco
In the first months of a child's life, parents' greatest apprehension concerns the moment of bedtime of their puppy (and, let's face it, also of ... their own). A newborn brings a lot of joy to a home but also some inevitable discomfort: the peaceful and quiet sleep of the past in fact leaves the field to decidedly less easy nights, between wailing, feeding and continuous awakening to check that the baby has no problems. Obviously, there is no perfect recipe that ensures the best possible sleep for the baby, but recently, also at the suggestion of world-renowned pediatricians, the "habit of co-sleeping" is spreading, literally "sleeping together" or "sleeping close to each other". own child, a practice that is gathering more and more consensus.
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What is co-sleeping
As we said, co-sleeping is the act of sleeping together or neighbors, or letting your child sleep with mum and dad. Generally there are two types of co-sleeping: bed-sharing, that is, sharing a bed with children. parents, and room-sharing, the simple sharing of the room. But unlike what one might think, bed-sharing is not a good habit: welcoming the newborn in the bed, if on the one hand it seems to offer him that "attention and that the protection he needs at night, actually exposes him to many risks, as also confirmed by the "American Academy of Pediatrics, the prestigious American Academy of pediatricians. Babies who sleep in their mother's and father's bed are in fact in danger of suffocation , overheating, airway obstruction and rebreathing, all factors that contribute to increasing the chances of SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome), the sudden death that affects infants in the very first months of life. eng.
Much better, on the other hand, is room-sharing, which provides that the child sleeps in a cot placed close to the parents' bed, as close to the mother as possible. With all the benefits that we are going to explain now.
The benefits of room-sharing
The best way to guarantee a safe sleep to the baby in his first months of life, is therefore to place a cot next to the bed of the parents and of the mother in particular. This practice is called room-sharing and the benefits are obvious. The biggest ones concern comfort, since in this way the mother no longer needs to get up every time the baby wakes up (even for breastfeeding) since she has it within arm's reach; safety, since the newborn can sleep next to his parents without the risk of suffocation (and not only) that would run when sleeping in the bed; and the psychological well-being of the child himself, who, feeling cared for and protected at night by the proximity of mum and dad, will tend to sleep more peacefully, eventually acquiring the biological rhythms of his parents.
For a safe sleep it is also necessary to follow these simple and fundamental rules, obviously relating not only to co-sleeping but valid for every situation: the child must always sleep in a supine position, preferably on a flat and rigid surface (avoid, vice versa , soft and bulky materials such as quilts, duvets, bulky pillows and stuffed animals). It is also a good idea to secure the blanket well to the edge of the mattress so that it does not accidentally cover the baby's face and make sure there are no gaps between the mattress and the headboard, walls and other surfaces that can trap the baby.
Another very frequent question about co-sleeping is until or until what age should it be practiced. Also in this case there is no single answer, but the general trend is to limit the practice to the first 6 months after birth. . At the end of this period, the importance of falling asleep and bedtime certainly does not diminish, quite the opposite, but in all likelihood the child will more easily get used to sleeping away from the mother: first in the cradle in the parents' room , but away from their bed, and then in the cot in his room.
Co-sleeping: the opinions of mothers and pediatricians
Opinions on co-sleeping are for the most part positive and encourage mothers who are still doubtful to break the last delay, placing their baby's cradle next to the bed to convey the well-being and serenity they need. Not only does the aforementioned American Academy of Pediatrics strongly suggest letting the baby sleep in the same room as the parents (but not, let's repeat it, in the same bed) for the reasons we have already listed, but the recommendation also comes from many mothers who have tried room-sharing with success, finding a greater propensity of the newborn to go back to sleep after waking up (a baby of a few months who woke up in the middle of the night, if he "feels" to have his mother next to him, calms himself more easily) and, more generally, a decrease in sleep disturbances.
Other mothers have admitted that they are able to sleep more peacefully knowing that their puppy is nearby, but without any danger of crushing or suffocating it, so that they can control any regurgitation or simply to touch it or feel its breath. Also interesting is the opinion of two well-known blogger mothers, Alessandra from thewomoms.com and Olga from mammaholic.com, whose experience of sleeping with their children has turned into an absolutely unrepeatable moment of sharing.
In short, not a few mothers have underlined how the management of nocturnal sleep (of all: of the child, of the mother and ... father) has changed, naturally for the better, since they placed the cradle next to the bed.
Co-sleeping: the ideal cot to place next to the bed
After having explained the advantages, benefits and effects of room-sharing, let's now move on to the practical part: what characteristics should the ideal cradle for co-sleeping have? First of all, it must be able to perfectly match (that is, without leaving any space, even if of a few cm, and without invading it) to the parents' bed. Then it is essential that it can adapt to any type of bed and that, in the future, it also provides the possibility of detaching itself to progressively favor the independent sleep of the little one.
There are, then, cradles that add to these basic requirements others, very functional ... this is the case of the new Next2Me Dream Chicco which has another not negligible feature: the side panel that can be opened (and closed) with one hand, even when is hooked to mom and dad's bed. Not only that, when the cradle is not attached to the bed, the four wheels with brakes make it easy to move around the house and, thanks to a simple mechanism that can be operated with a foot, it can also swing, so as to cradle the little one. Thanks to the adjustment in six different heights and its articulated feet, the Next2Me Dream cradle can be adapted to any bed, even to the chest of drawers and can be tilted in 4 different levels to facilitate the digestion of the child or make him breathe better, in case of nasal congestion… In short, everything designed to make the nights of adults and children more comfortable, thus promoting peaceful sleep.
