Co-sleeping usually means sharing the same sleeping space as your child. While some parents love to share their sleeping space with their children, others prefer kids sleeping in their own rooms from a young age to foster independence. So, does that mean co-sleeping should be avoided? Absolutely not. Co-sleeping with your toddler has numerous benefits for parents as well as for the child. Learn all about the advantages of co-sleeping with your little one below.
Co-sleeping benefits parent-toddler bonding
One of the biggest benefits of parents and toddlers co-sleeping is that it helps them bond emotionally and strengthens their connection. Moreover, it gives the child an opportunity to have a heart-to-heart conversation with their mom and dad, especially if both of them are working parents. This closeness helps toddlers create a secure attachment and trust with their parents.
Co-sleeping makes breastfeeding easier
If you’re a breastfeeding mama, you can benefit from co-sleeping with your toddler as it will make your late-night feeding session much easier. You don’t have to rush to their room in the middle of the night to feed them. Sleeping nearby can make your feeding process much more relaxed and won’t affect your sleep as much as well. However, the same is not advisable for infants. If you are co-sleeping with infants, it’s always better to get a bassinet that you can place beside your bed, at arm’s reach, to breastfeed them easily at night.
Toddlers tend to sleep better while co-sleeping with parents
When a child feels safe and secure, they tend to sleep better. Even if they wake up in the middle of the night, your comforting touch and scent calm them down, which results in them falling asleep again soon after. This makes it easier for you to put your child back to sleep and is highly beneficial for parents who are already losing sleep due to their little one waking up at random times at night.
Co-sleeping with toddler benefits their breathing pattern
Sleeping together with your child might help with their breathing pattern. It is one of the main benefits of co-sleeping with toddlers. As per some experts, co-sleeping helps in stabilizing the body temperature of kids. It even encourages healthy breathing patterns in children. The CO2 released by the mom acts as a backup if the child’s breathing slows down. In a nutshell, the nasal area of the kids responds to the presence of CO2 nearby by breathing faster, ensuring constant and better breathing. Moreover, it reduces the risk of SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome), which occurs during sleep.
Co-sleeping ensures parents aren’t sleep-deprived
Co-sleeping with toddlers is beneficial for parents as well. They not only sleep better but wake up fresh as well. Waking up constantly at night for the toddler can disrupt the sleep of parents. However, when they are co-sleeping, parents can quickly respond to the needs of their children and minimize disruptions, allowing moms and dads to get more rest, which is crucial for overall health and well-being.
Although co-sleeping is beneficial, there are some negatives as well. For starters, parents miss out on free time. Secondly, with all the tossing and turning of the child, the quality of sleep gets disrupted sometimes. Thirdly, talking to your partner becomes a hush-hush affair or even enjoying some couple time becomes difficult. However, parents have to remember that co-sleeping with toddlers is a choice that they can make as per the needs of their child. It is a decision that varies depending on the family members’ preferences and there is no hard and fast rule about co-sleeping.
Also, co-sleeping is just a phase that eventually wears off when the kids get older and want separate rooms and beds. Even reality star and mom-of-four Kourtney Kardashian Barker talked about co-sleeping with her children while they were young on Dear Media’s “The Skinny Confidential Him & Her Podcast.” She said her her son Mason slept with her till he was seven years old, while her daughter Penelope slept with her “pretty much till she was eleven.” So, based on your child’s needs, make the call about whether co-sleeping is the right choice for you and your little ones.
