Co-sleeping is not a new practice in this country or in the world. For most of recorded history, parents have ensured the safety and healthy development of their babies by sharing sleeping space with them. (While making breastfeeding easier and getting a more peaceful night’s rest themselves—that’s what we like to call a win-win!)
To this day, many cultures around the world sing the praises of co-sleeping and consider it the normal— and natural— way of easing baby’s stress while helping them learn to breathe regularly and develop healthily.
Studies have confirmed that co-sleeping is a safe practice that improves parents’ sleep, cares for baby’s development, and promotes bonding through touch.
While co sleeping is one of the oldest and most popular methods for sleeping with a newborn, it’s important that you co-sleep safely.
Before baby and parent tuck in for a more caring and nurturing night of rest, the co-sleeping environment needs to be properly prepped.
To create a safe co sleeping environment, you should…
- Keep your baby close
- Create the right room conditions
- Ensure safe body position
- Choose the right bedside sleeper
Ready to help your baby co sleep safe and sound?
Let’s break these safe co-sleeping conditions down further.
Keep Your Baby Close
Co-sleeping helps you bond with your baby. (In fact, emotional and physical bonding is one of co sleeping’s biggest benefits!) But you can put the brakes on that bonding—and create an unsafe sleeping environment—if you choose to sleep too far away.
While co sleeping, you should never be more than an arm’s reach away from your baby. Sleeping next to your baby helps you become in-tune to their emotions.
And when your breathing is close enough to your baby for her to hear you, your baby will start modeling her breathing patterns to your rhythm, helping keep her asleep for longer.
Not only will sleeping close help you sense their needs faster and with more ease, you’ll be close enough to respond immediately—without needing to fly to the other room or wake up your partner.
Create the Right Room Conditions for Co-Sleeping
Dark, light, with the window open, with the window closed, with the thermostat set to a toasty 82 degrees—we all have an opinion on what kind of conditions create the best night’s rest.
But when co sleeping, the room conditions need to be designed with your baby’s needs in mind. That means the room shouldn’t be too toasty, and there should be no extra pillows, stuffed animals, or blankets crowding the mattress.
These kinds of fluffy materials can quickly grow unsafe if a baby rolls onto them or gets wrapped up during the night.
As soon as your baby takes up residence in your room, it’s time to start thinking of it as their space as well as yours.
Find a bedside co sleeper ​that fits with your bedroom style, and you’ll create a cozy environment for both you and your newborn.
That means being open to letting go of your old sleep habits to guarantee that your baby is protected, well-rested, and unconditionally supported throughout the night.
But don’t worry, you’ll be rewarded for your efforts. Soon you’ll be getting more sleep (get ready for your new parent friends to be jealous!) and curbing separation anxiety while making nighttime nursing easier than ever.
Choosing the Right Baby Co Sleeper
While you may prefer a weightless waterbed, babies need baby-safe beds that have been rigorously tested for safety.
Be sure your chosen bedside sleeper has no toxic wood glues, cheap fillers, plastics, or other harmful chemicals.
Any mattress you use for co sleeping should sit tightly against the bed frame so there are no gaps, space, or crevices that your baby could accidentally slip into.
Here’s the truth: Adult mattresses just aren’t designed to protect your baby.
They’re designed with adult comfort in mind.
That’s why it’s best to choose a crib, baby co sleeper, or co sleeper bassinet that is designed to tuck your baby in for a long night of firm and safe co sleeping.
These bedside sleepers fit snugly against your own bed, letting you care for your baby through the night while drifting off to dreamland with peace of mind.
The babybay isn’t designed for adults. It’s uniquely designed with your baby in mind. Because of that, choosing a Co sleeper bassinet like the babybay can take a lot of the guesswork out of safe co-sleeping.
By choosing a product specially designed by experts to provide a safe co-sleeping environment, you can spend less time worrying about whether you’re facilitating the right room conditions for safe co sleeping with baby.
Instead, you can spend more time enjoying the feeling of sleeping beside your baby, knowing that they are spending their night comforted and protected by your nearby touch.