If there’s one thing that people like to debate, it’s how to take care of a child. While this is true of children of all ages, the fact of the matter is that when it comes to babies, people tend to be very opinionated. After all, babies can’t care for themselves, and it’s up to parents to make sure that babies have what they need when they need it.
One of the questions that folks like to debate is where your baby sleeps. Many experts suggest that your baby should sleep in your room until he’s a year old. There are a number of reasons that these experts cite for this, including:
- Ease of nighttime feeding. Your baby is going to need to eat every couple of hours for those first few months of life. If you’re getting up two or three times or more each night, having your baby nearby makes the whole process much more convenient.
- Soothing. Many babies have a hard time going back to sleep if they can’t see you. Their egocentric understanding tells them that, if you’re not there, you’re not anywhere. Just being able to take a peek and see you for a moment is enough of a comfort to some babies to go back to sleep.
- Awareness. Even with a baby monitor, you’re still much more likely to hear when your baby is having a problem at night, and to be able to respond to that need more quickly, when he’s in the same room as you.
Some experts even suggest you cosleep with your baby. This means that your baby sleeps in your bed with you. Some, including the American Pediatric Association, recommend against cosleeping. There are a number of strong arguments on both sides, but parents that wish to err on the side of caution should probably stay clear of cosleeping.
Having baby sleep in your room means you can keep better tabs on her, that you can respond more quickly to her needs and that she can experience the comfort of knowing you’re nearby at all times, even in the middle of the night.