Huggies releases tips for co-sleeping with your newborn baby
With Pregnancy Awareness Week approaching Huggies has released a few benefits of co-sleeping for parents.
Co-sleeping is often synonymous with bed-sharing or letting your baby sleep in the same bed with you, but it
can also mean putting your baby to sleep in the same room as you but in a separate bed.
Experts recommend healthy infants be placed on their backs to sleep as this is the safest position. Doing this, decreases the chances of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS).
This applies to daytime naps, as well as during the night.
Huggies expert and midwife, Lynne Bluff, covers the benefits of co-sleeping with a newborn baby.
“Remember for the first three to four months of life, as much as possible skin-to-skin contact between baby, mom and dad is recommended.
Skin-to-skin means baby only has a nappy on, but no clothes.
“Baby is then placed against mom or dad’s bare chest and is wrapped in a shirt or blanket against mom or dad’s chest.
“Many parents choose to co-sleep because it allows for more skin-to-skin contact,” said Bluff.
Here are a few benefits of keeping your baby close:
• Babies naturally fall into a day and night-time pattern; it isn’t uncommon for newborns to mix up their days and nights.
• Many babies sleep extra soundly throughout the day but can be restless or wakeful much of the night.
• Keeping baby close during the day with lights and noise around can eventually help baby stay a bit more alert during the day.
• Keeping baby close at night. Meeting his or her needs in a quiet and dim environment can help him or her learn to rest more at night.
• Babies also rest more soundly when they feel secure.
• Co-sleeping helps babies to practise waking themselves. While having your newborn fall into and staying in a deep sleep might sound appealing, it isn’t the type of sleep they were designed to have.
Co-sleeping babies are frequently roused when they are close to their moms.
This ‘practice rousing’ can help babies learn how to use their self-preservation instinct to wake up when there’s a danger of their overheating, being too cold or there is something blocking their airway.
Being able to rouse easily may reduce the risk of SIDS.
• Meet baby’s needs without getting up.
Most babies need to be fed, soothed and changed at night.
If baby is close by, mom can do all of these things while she is in bed and can remain in a restful state.
Getting out of bed, walking down the hall, changing nappies on the changing pad, feeding in a glider and soothing baby back to sleep requires being fully awake and alert.
• Experience less night-time crying.
Babies sleep well when they feel secure.
Knowing mom is close will likely help baby sleep better and fuss less.
Moms that co-sleep are able to notice earlier signs of hunger and the need to be changed.
Often mom wakes up during these early signs and meets baby’s needs before he or she begins to cry.
When you co-sleep there is less fuss before laying them down.
This often means less crying.
You aren’t likely to have an overtired baby fuss and protest about being laid down in the cot to sleep.
• Co-sleeping helps with bonding.
A secure bond between baby and caregiver is an emotional bond that leaves baby feeling secure and cared for.
This secure attachment, namely fostered infancy, translates to children feeling secure and knowing their caregiver will always return to meet their needs.
Children with a secure attachment often respond appropriately to situations, show minimal distress when their mother leaves, and are happy when their mother returns.
• Co-sleeping helps to maintain an adequate milk supply.
Feeding on demand helps moms maintain an adequate milk supply.
Breast milk production is a supply and demand process.
Babies are designed to eat frequently and at night, co-sleeping helps to make it easier for mom and baby to meet this need.
• Co-sleeping can mean better rest for mom.
Moms, not just babies, are wired for closeness.
Studies show that new moms do not experience a better quality of sleep if their babies go to the nursery at night.
Co-sleeping may not guarantee more sound sleep for every mom, but many have been quoted as saying they sleep better knowing that baby is safe and close by.
Moms also release oxytocin when they are close to their babies.
Oxytocin improves the quality of sleep and it’s also great for breastfeeding.
“As your baby grows, he may not want to sleep all night, every night, with you.
“With a bit of trial and error, you’ll eventually find a method that works for you, your partner and your baby,” Bluff added.
• Pregnancy Awareness Week is from February 12 to the 16.
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