If you are considering a co-sleeper bassinet then you may be wondering what the benefits of cosleeping are and if there any possible drawbacks to a co-sleeper bassinet.
Yes, there are many cosleeping benefits. It has long been held that co-sleeping was beneficial to infants. Of course part of that was determined by the fact that families had but one room and a newborn had to sleep with parents due to space considerations. These days though we have plenty of room and still the evidence points to there being hidden benefits of cosleeping.
There was a study done by a Notre Dame researcher and anthropologist Dr. James McKenna which revealed that babies who sleep with parents spend less time in stage 3 sleep. This is a very deep state of sleep where the risk of sleep apnea seems to be increased.
There are two benefits of this obviously. The hidden benefit of cosleeping is that the risk of tragedy and sleep apnea seem to be reduced. The second benefit is that babies who co-sleep are shown to nurse roughly twice as frequently as those who are isolated to sleep. This obviously increases baby’s nutrition and of course all the benefits of breast milk.
Also though babies nurse twice as frequently one of the obvious cosleeping benefits is that baby is right next to mom and there is less lost sleep time to reach over bring the baby close in the middle of the night and nurse. They also spend a lot less time crying, which will result in more sleep for the entire family.
Co-sleeper safety is one reason some might shy from choosing a co-sleeper bassinet. With today’s designs co-sleepers are proven to be as safe as a standard bassinet. Some stand alone right beside the bed while others hook to the mattress. Some might create a sleeping area for the infant in the bed itself. No matter what, the main aim of a co-sleeper bassinet is to establish an area of comfort and safety for the infant right next to the parents and it succeeds admirably.
Co-sleeping is very common in most parts of the world. Only in our culture has it been believed that there are no cosleeping benefits for the infant or the parent. Since cosleepers have been proven to be safe and beneficial, it is probably time for us to rethink the many benefits of cosleeping.