9 Safety Tips for Co-sleeping with a Baby

Tiny, fragile and completely dependent on you— taking care of a newborn can be very overwhelming, especially if you are a first time mom.      

Sleep deprivation in the initial months after your baby’s birth might make things worse. And this could include your health as well.

Co-sleeping can be an absolute life-saver when it comes to getting some sleep while taking care of a newborn.

After the newborn stage, co-sleeping is still quite beneficial for both the baby and the mother.

And because of those benefits of co-sleeping with a baby, many mothers and caretakers around the globe choose to co-sleep with a baby.

If you want to co-sleep with your baby, there are a few precautions that you need to take in order to make sure that your baby remains safe while sleeping.

Here are a few tips for co-sleeping safely with a baby—      

1. Make sure that you sleep facing your baby.

While co-sleeping with a baby, make sure that you do not turn your back to the baby, even when both of you are asleep.

Whether you are taking a nap together or going to bed at night, you need to sleep with your face to the baby. Especially in the first six months of your baby’s life.

You need to be careful enough not to roll onto the baby in your sleep as that might cause the baby to get suffocated.

For your baby to stay safe while co-sleeping with you, you can practice the C curl sleeping position.

The C curl is a safe co-sleeping position whereby you curve your body into a C-shape and thus, create a protective barrier within which your baby can sleep safely.

So, how to form the C curl?

Lay the baby down on her back in this safe space that you have created with your body.

Then, gently place your lower arm above your baby’s head. Make sure that that same arm is tucked under your own head so that it does not cover her face accidentally.

Next, bend your knees in front of you, forming a C-shape. Putting your body in this position can be useful in preventing yourself from rolling onto your baby.    

2. Use a firm sleeping surface.

When your baby sleeps on the same surface as you, there is a risk of the baby getting suffocated.    

In order to prevent this from happening, what you can do is sleep with your baby on a mattress that is firm and flat.

If there is another mattress next to the one you are sleeping on, make sure that the level of the mattresses match.

Also, always avoid sleeping on soft surfaces such as air mattresses, arm chairs, couches and memory foam mattresses.

These types of materials may create a dent when the baby is laid down on it, and when you lie down next to the baby.

This can be a suffocation hazard.

Remember that the surface you and your baby sleeps on should not indent when you place the baby on it.

In addition to all that, the sleeping surface should not be inclined more than 10 degrees.          

3. Choose a safe sleeping position for the baby.

One of the most important tips for co-sleeping with a baby suggests that you always need to place your baby on her back for sleep.

On her back is considered to be the safest sleeping position for a baby, atleast upto the age of 6 months.

This is a great sleeping position for your baby irrespective of the fact that you are co-sleeping or not.

Keep in mind that you should never put your baby on her stomach when she’s about to take a nap or go to bed for the night.

Also, if your baby is going through some illness or has a health condition and it’s hard for the baby to breathe while lying on her back, you need to consult her pediatrician to learn about the best sleeping position for her.        

4. Keep the baby’s sleeping area clear.

New safe sleep guidelines for babies state that the sleeping space of a baby needs to be free from any unnecessary item as it creates a suffocation risk.

So, before you put your baby down for a nap or at bedtime, make sure that you clear out her sleeping space.

Even soft objects such as soft toys, pillows, blankets, duvet, comforters and bumpers should not be there.

These types of items create the risk of overheating and suffocation.

If you have other kids or pets in the house, do not let them sleep in the same bed as you and your baby as doing this would increase the risk of suffocation.  

5. Make sure that the baby does not overheat.

Reducing extra items (blankets, soft toys etc.) from the bed already reduces the risk of overheating in babies.      

Another factor you need to consider if you want to cut down the chances of overheating is the kind of dress your baby is wearing.

Dress the baby in multiple layers of thin and semi-thin clothes instead of one thick sweater or jacket.

This helps in proper ventilation and prevents overheating, potentially saving the baby’s life.

While co-sleeping with a baby, do not use a swaddle to wrap the baby overnight or even for a short nap.

Swaddling contributes greatly to a baby getting overheated, especially if the baby is sleeping in the same bed with you.

One other element you need to pay attention to while co-sleeping if you want to avoid overheating the baby is the kind of headgear a baby wears.

Make sure that the baby’s face and head is never covered with any kind of cap, bonnet or hood when the baby goes to bed.

Even if the baby needs to wear a cap in the house, make sure that you remove it before bedtime or naptime.          

6. Neutralise the risk of entrapment.

Co-sleeping with an older baby is a bit different than co-sleeping with a newborn baby. So, how to safely co-sleep with a newborn?          

One of the most important elements of co-sleeping with a newborn baby is to neutralise the risk of entrapment of the newborn baby.

Newborns are small in size. They can get stuck between a mattress and a wall or between two mattresses depending on the way that they have been placed.

In order to prevent that from happening, set up the mattress in a way that there is absolutely no gap between the bed and the wall, or between two mattresses.

When there are no gaps in the setup of the baby’s sleeping space, there is no danger of the baby getting stuck in a gap and getting suffocated or injured.

Usually, newborn babies don’t crawl or even roll over, but still, the danger of them getting stuck in a gap between a wall and a mattress is very real.  

7. Cut down the risk of falling.

A negative aspect of co-sleeping with a baby is that the risk of them falling off the bed is very real.

However, simply adhering to a few safety measures can help in making sure that this does not happen.        

So, how to make co-sleeping with a baby safe?

You can push your mattress against the wall, and place the baby between you and the wall in order to keep her safe.

Once she starts crawling, make sure to never leave the baby alone on the bed.

Put her in a playpen if you are alone with her at home and need to use the toilet or take a shower.

What else?

One of the best things you can do to reduce the risk of your baby falling down from the bed is to place your mattress on the floor. And put foam playmats all around it.

This way, even if the baby takes a tumble, she would have a soft place to land on. It is a great way to ensure that she remains unharmed.    

8. Do not swaddle the baby.

Swaddling a newborn baby is a common practice observed by the people of different communities all around the world.

It is ok to swaddle a baby when she is taking a nap alone in a bed; atleast until the time she starts showing signs of rolling over.

But if you want to know how to co-sleep with a baby safely if she’s swaddled? The answer is that you can’t.

Never swaddle your baby if she sleeps in the same bed as yours.

Swaddling a co-sleeping baby creates numerous risks to the baby such as suffocation, entrapment and overheating.

Instead of swaddling a baby, you can use a sleep sack with the arms out. This would help in keeping the baby warm and safe at the same time.

9. Smoking, drinking and drugs.

This is a super-important point when it comes to co-sleeping with a baby. It is even mentioned in the safe sleep 7 guidelines.

Parents who smoke, drink or take (prescription) drugs that make them drowsy or less alert should not be co-sleeping with a baby or young child.

If you are someone who drinks alcohol or smokes occasionally, then you need to avoid co-sleeping with your baby on the nights or days when you have smoked or had a few drinks.

If you need to take medication on a regular basis and it affects your ability to care for your child, then you should not be co-sleeping with the baby.

If you are not the only adult co-sleeping with the baby, then this rule applies to your partner as well.    

Safe Co-sleeping FAQs

How do I avoid suffocation during co-sleeping?

Suffocation is not imminent while co-sleeping. In fact, it is completely avoidable.

In order to keep your baby safe while co-sleeping, you need to make sure that the sleep-surface is firm, not cushiony.

You also need to keep blankets, soft toys, pillows and any type of loose clothes away from the baby as the baby’s face can get covered accidentally and suffocate her while sleeping.

When you see photos of safe co-sleeping, you would notice that the area where the baby sleeps is clear of any objects.            

Even the mother or primary caretaker who co-sleeps with the baby usually sleeps without a pillow or a blanket.

If she takes a blanket, it is drawn upto her waist, not all the way upto her neck.      

What is the best age to stop co-sleeping?

There is no one-size-fits-all answer to this question. The best age to stop co-sleeping depends solely on the needs of an individual family.

Some people choose to stop co-sleeping with a baby once their next pregnancy starts.

Others choose to continue co-sleeping with their first child until the next baby arrives.

Sometimes, a mother or primary caretaker needs to stop co-sleeping with a child due to medical reasons.

Whether those medical issues are faced by the child or the adult, a person might have to end the co-sleeping journey in such cases.

Many people stop co-sleeping when the child reaches the age of 5 as there is less space for them in the parent’s bed.

Some families choose to stop co-sleeping early into their co-sleeping and bedsharing journey because the adult’s snoring keeps the baby awake at night.

There are many people who continue co-sleeping and bedsharing with their child until they want some space and privacy, and start asking for their own room.

So, no two babies are the same. Neither are their sleeping habits, behaviour and emotional needs.

Hence, when it comes to the question, how long to co-sleep and bedshare with a baby? Do what is best for your child and your family.  

       
Do babies who co-sleep sleep longer?

Upto about 18 months of age, most babies tend to wake up frequently during the night. They need to be fed, changed and soothed.  

However, babies who co-sleep with their parents or primary caretakers are known to sleep longer than babies who don’t.    

That is because when a baby is lying next to the mother, they don’t need to wait too long to be fed, changed or soothed.

These things take much less time when the baby is near the mother at night.

Also, once the baby is taken care of, it takes less time to make them sleep again.

Sometimes, they don’t even get fully awake. They take feedings while half asleep and simply drift back to sleep once their belly is full or their diaper is dry.

Babies who don’t co-sleep, get fully awake by the time their mother or primary caretaker reaches their side.

It takes longer to put them back to bed. Hence, less sleep-time.      

Can babies sense their mother's presence while sleeping?

As strange as it may seem, a lot of times, babies can sense their mother’s presence even while they are asleep.

Some babies put their faces close to their mother’s face. They can hear her mother’s breathing and even feel her breath on their face.

So, they know when the mother leaves the bed.

There are many babies who keep physical contact with their mother while sleeping.

They hold some part of their mother (cheek/hand/hair) and wake up the second they can’t feel it in their hands.

This is why it is so hard for some mothers to sneak away from the bed when they need to.

Some babies put their feet up on their mother’s stomach or legs and know instantly when the mother gets up from the bed.

Why does my baby only want to sleep with me?

It is very natural for babies wanting to be close to their mothers or primary caretakers.

At a young age, babies need warmth and comfort. They also need to feel safe in order for them to fall asleep.

In most cases, babies feel the safest when they are with their mother. Hence, they might want to sleep with only the mother and no one else in the family.

Developmentally, young babies can’t fall asleep or stay asleep on their own. They rely on the adults in the family to help them foster good sleeping habits.

Which country has the highest rate of co-sleeping?

Many countries around the world practice co-sleeping.        

Japan, South Korea, other Asian countries, Egypt, Latin America, and African countries rank high when it comes to the number of people who co-sleep with their babies.

In many of these countries, co-sleeping is continued well into childhood, almost till the child reaches teenagehood.    

Why do babies touch mom's face while sleeping?

When babies are falling asleep, and sometimes even in their sleep, they like to keep touching their mother’s face.

They do it because it assures them that their mother is still sleeping next to them. It also makes them feel safe and soothed.