Save the lingerie for nights when it’s just you and your partner in the bed.Babies have more sensitive noses and airways. Again, make sure that the surface of your bed is firm enough if your baby is sleeping in it and avoid making mistakes like sleeping with your infant when you’re intoxicated or on medication that affects your sleep.There’s no one right way to sleep with your infant, but as you’ve learned, there are some incorrect methods. Since they’re already in the same bedroom as you are, things become less of a hassle.Cuddle time with an infant is precious.

Reviewed on June 2, 2019 .

You’re not likely to be alert, and if there’s an issue, you might not wake up to take care of it. Guidelines to Sleeping Safe with Infants: Adapted from: Maximizing the chances of Safe Infant Sleep in the Solitary and Cosleeping (Specifically, Bed-sharing) Contexts, by James J. McKenna, Ph.D.

Approximately It’s important to note that the co-sleeping arrangement is technically sharing a room, not bed sharing.Women are less likely to become pregnant while breastfeeding. Avoid strong-smelling hairsprays, deodorants, and perfumes that can make it difficult for them to breathe or cause coughing and choking.Whether you’ve chosen to sleep in the bed with your infant or place them in a crib, many of the same rules apply when it comes to creating a safe sleep area for your little one.Co-sleeping is ideal for newborns, especially if mom is nursing.

Toddler Safe Sleep Practices. The infant may be in a crib or bassinet that’s across the room or next to the parents’ sleeping surface.The advantage of this arrangement is that the parents can still be nearby for safety and security, but they’re allowing the child to experience sleeping alone.

Safe Cosleeping Guidelines. If you want your child’s babysitter to engage in co-sleeping, then make sure it’s a sidecar or room sharing arrangement instead.The logic behind this is the same as why we don’t recommend bed sharing for babysitters. It may seem unlikely, but it’s still a potential threat. by Marygrace Taylor. Also, side sleeping poses less of a risk of rolling over than back sleeping does.As long as parents take precautions, co-sleeping or bed sharing is safe at any age.

Keep your infant close, and make sure that there is no possible way to fall.

Likely, this is an evolutionary mechanism that allows from mom to focus on her bundle of joy without having to navigate the fatigue and potential morning sickness that goes along with being pregnant.A bed sharing arrangement can prolong this effect even further, so if you and your partner are trying to space out the birth of another child, then co-sleeping is a helpful habit to discourage impregnation.Both mom and child may have separation anxiety. Always place your baby on his or her back to sleep, at naptime and night time. Post-natally safe infant sleep begins especially with the presence of an informed, breastfeeding, committed mother, or an informed and committed father.Regardless of whether an infant sleeps on the same surface as his or her parents, on a same-surface co-sleeper, in a bassinet or in a separate crib, in the same room as their parents or in a separate room, all infants should follow these same guidelines: The bed should not have any stuffed animals or pillows around the infant and never should an infant be placed to sleep on top of a pillow or otherwise soft bedding.Sheepskins or other fluffy material and especially beanbag mattresses should never be used with infants.

Inevitably, young infants wake during the night due to hunger or being startled out of sleep. This practice is the most convenient, but it does come with risks, and we’ll recommend several best practices when we get the section called, “Bedsharing Dos.”This method is what’s recommended by doctors because it allows mom and baby to access each other without presenting roll-over, suffocation or choking hazards.