By Megen Hibbins
We are told as parents that co-sleeping with our children is dangerous. That sleeping with our baby could lead to SIDS. I have had each of my children in our bed with their own little baby bed to avoid any problems and it has meant that they are able to sleep peacefully knowing that I am near.
Co-sleeping with your baby often means that you get more sleep. It is easier to breastfeed when your baby is close. All this means that you get more sleep yourself. So what about as your baby becomes a toddler or older, what then? And are there benefits to allowing them to co-sleep?
The sweet snuggles and cuddles and the little handholds that come with co-sleeping are of course amazing. The closeness that you have with your child is one that is precious and only a short period in their life. Let’s face it – you get such a short time in your baby’s life where snuggles are regular.
My beautiful little toddler, now a young two-and-a-half years old, is prone to the occasional nightmare. Co-sleeping when she chooses means that she gets more sleep and I am right there to calm and relax her when this happens.
Having your child cuddle up during the night also has lasting benefits, some of which have been proven, others just known by other parents. These include your baby doing better in school, having a stronger immune system, becoming far more independent, emotionally they are stronger (due to feeling secure), they wake up happier, and here is the clincher for me: MUMMY is HAPPIER! Why are mum and baby happier? It is due to the happy hormone oxytocin being released, the snuggle drug.
