Hot Topics Personal Position Paper, “Should I Let My Baby Sleep With Me?”
Co-Sleeping: NO!
Hannah Myers
University of Washington, School of Nursing
The hot topic of co-sleeping has recently been the source of much debate. Parents are indecisive about what will be best for them and their baby. It is a very confusing topic, but after sufficient research, I have found that the risks outweigh the benefits.
It is important to note that there are different “types” of co-sleeping, including room-sharing and bed-sharing. For the point of this paper, I will focus specifically on bed-sharing. However, co-sleeping and bed-sharing may be used interchangeably throughout this paper.
Personal Position
Before starting …show more content…
Family-centered care recognizes the family as the constant in a child 's life while including the needs of all the family members (Hockenberry & Wilson, 2015). It is the nurse’s responsibility to support families during this tough time of decision-making and help them along by providing them with a variety of educational information. After families have had time to review all of the information they are presented with, the nurse must also be ready to answer any and all questions they may …show more content…
I would start by asking them how they have come to the decision they have made so far and what they have heard about co-sleeping. Then, I would explain to them that it is my honest opinion that the risks of bed-sharing greatly outweigh the benefits. First, I would help families realize that there are their own beds can be a very dangerous place for their infant. I would tell them that there is plenty of research that shows that healthy, low-risk infants who bed-share with their parents have a fivefold increase risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) compared to infants who sleep in a cot next to their parents’ bed (Horne, Hauck, & Moon, 2015). Then, I would give parents instructions for creating a safe sleep environment for their baby. These recommendations include supine positioning of the infant, the use of a firm sleep surface, room-sharing without bed-sharing, and the avoidance of soft bedding and overheating (Moon, 2016). While presenting these risks I would also emphasize that the attachment promoting benefits they may have previously associated with bed-sharing can still be achieved without co-sleeping. Both breastfeeding and skin-to-skin contact are still possible without having their baby in bed with them. After presenting both the risks and better way of enjoying the associated benefits, I would then
Co-Sleeping: NO!
Hannah Myers
University of Washington, School of Nursing
The hot topic of co-sleeping has recently been the source of much debate. Parents are indecisive about what will be best for them and their baby. It is a very confusing topic, but after sufficient research, I have found that the risks outweigh the benefits.
It is important to note that there are different “types” of co-sleeping, including room-sharing and bed-sharing. For the point of this paper, I will focus specifically on bed-sharing. However, co-sleeping and bed-sharing may be used interchangeably throughout this paper.
Personal Position
Before starting …show more content…
Family-centered care recognizes the family as the constant in a child 's life while including the needs of all the family members (Hockenberry & Wilson, 2015). It is the nurse’s responsibility to support families during this tough time of decision-making and help them along by providing them with a variety of educational information. After families have had time to review all of the information they are presented with, the nurse must also be ready to answer any and all questions they may …show more content…
I would start by asking them how they have come to the decision they have made so far and what they have heard about co-sleeping. Then, I would explain to them that it is my honest opinion that the risks of bed-sharing greatly outweigh the benefits. First, I would help families realize that there are their own beds can be a very dangerous place for their infant. I would tell them that there is plenty of research that shows that healthy, low-risk infants who bed-share with their parents have a fivefold increase risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) compared to infants who sleep in a cot next to their parents’ bed (Horne, Hauck, & Moon, 2015). Then, I would give parents instructions for creating a safe sleep environment for their baby. These recommendations include supine positioning of the infant, the use of a firm sleep surface, room-sharing without bed-sharing, and the avoidance of soft bedding and overheating (Moon, 2016). While presenting these risks I would also emphasize that the attachment promoting benefits they may have previously associated with bed-sharing can still be achieved without co-sleeping. Both breastfeeding and skin-to-skin contact are still possible without having their baby in bed with them. After presenting both the risks and better way of enjoying the associated benefits, I would then