Eco Child's Play

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Cosleeping


I am a big advocate for cosleeping with your infant and toddler. I love this snuggle time and cherish it as a way to reconnect physically with my child after a busy day. I cannot imagine placing my newborn baby in a crib and having to get up every time the child needed to breastfeed. Cosleeping, for me, means a better nights sleep for both my child and me. That being said, cosleeping is not right for everyone, and I respect the choices parents make.

The Natural Child Project featured a wonderful parenting site this month called Tribal Baby. Tribal Baby asks the question, “‘How would we raise our baby if we were in a tribe?’ This is the question we asked ourselves when deciding the best way to raise our baby. Our research tells us that many of the things that our ancestors did through necessity, are still the most beneficial things for our baby today.” Sleep sharing is a topic featured on this great parenting site. Tribal Baby lists many natural consequences for “Night Nesting”:
*’thermal synchrony’ in which I regulate baby’s temperature with the temperature of my own body.
*’sleep synchrony’ in which our sleep patterns begin to match so nightly arousals are far less disturbing, are not even noticed a lot of the time.
*regulation of baby’s arousal patterns
*regulation of baby’s body temperature
*regulation of baby’s metabolic rate
*regulation of baby’s hormone levels
*regulation of baby’s enzyme production (which improves antibody levels and thus ability to fight bugs.)
*regulation of baby’s heart rate
*regulation of baby’s breathing (baby has lower oxygen levels when alone)
*regulation of baby’s immune system (the skin to skin contact releases oxytocin to boost baby’s immune system)
*bonding continues through the night as well as during the day

Of course, cosleeping is not appropriate for an intoxicated parent and you do have to adapt your habits with pillows and covers to ensure the child’s safety. We have followed Dr. Sears’ advice and placed our crib beside our bed as a sidecar, with one crib wall removed. This has extended our queen sized bed to accomodate the extra little one.

Many parents worry that if they cosleep with their child, that they will have trouble ending the family bed tradition. In my experience, children can be eased into their own beds by transitioning first to a futon or mattress on the floor beside the parents’ bed, to eventually their own bed. My daughter handled the move to her own bed without tears or struggle. Of course, we still spend a lot of time snuggling in both of our beds.

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Comments

  1. Anonymous says

    April 19, 2007 at 9:00 am

    Thankyou for talking about and linking to tribal baby! I LOVE sharing sleep with my baby.
    I will add your site to my new links page when the “Part time Nappy Free” section is launched!

    Charndra

    Reply
  2. Jennifer Lance says

    April 19, 2007 at 1:22 pm

    Tribal Baby is great!

    Reply
  3. 呼叫中心 says

    November 22, 2007 at 6:42 am

    Tribal Baby is great!

    Reply
  4. 呼叫中心 says

    November 22, 2007 at 6:43 am

    sharing sleep with my baby.
    I will add your site to my new links page when the “Part time Nappy Free” section is

    Reply
  5. 呼叫中心 says

    November 22, 2007 at 6:44 am

    Part time Nappy Free

    Reply

Trackbacks

  1. “Restfull” Infant Formula is Full of *Something* : Eco Child’s Play says:
    September 1, 2009 at 2:48 am

    […] Can I tell you a secret? I’m a total bitch when I don’t get enough sleep. One of the many reasons why I breastfeed. I’m not sure if all these frequently-waking formula-feeders are aware, but breastfeeding is (psst…) less work. [Hushed whisper…] You get more sleep if you breastfeed, especially if you co-sleep. […]

    Reply

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About Eco Child’s Play

Our ethos is to provide news, information, and opinions on natural, green parenting to help your family live a greener, healthier life! Additionally, we offer personal consulting services to help you achieve your green living goals.

Jennifer is a vegetarian, yoga teacher, gardener, hiker, teacher, and mother that has been living off-the-grid for over 20 years.

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