It seems that messages on bedsharing differ depending on where you are. If everyone is looking at the same evidence, why are they coming to different conclusions? A look at the research suggests not everyone is looking at it the same way...
Does bedsharing with a 10-year-old of the opposite sex constitute abuse? Should it be the thought that we first have when we hear of such a situation?
With yet another "safe sleep" campaign that focuses on fear-mongering over education and real statistics, it's time we looked at what is going on and why these campaigns continue to not work.
Stress-Free Discipline promises techniques to help parents that will build the parent-child relationship. Unfortunately, it seems to be more of a behaviourist handbook than anything that will help families parent and discipline gently and meaningfully.
"He would wake after two hours of being in the crib, though he had been sleeping longer stretches while in our bed. I attributed it to him realizing it was a different sleeping environment. Once he would cry, I would put him back in our bed for the rest of the night. I tried it again the next night and the same thing happened. So, we gave up the crib for a while."
Two new pieces of research highlight the intricate relationship between feeding method and sleep in infants, notably how parents perceive their child's sleep. Importantly, there are implications for the idea of building "bad habits" and sleep training.
Recent research suggests that "sleep problems" at 18 months carry a higher risk for later emotional and behavioural problems. What can we take from this research? Is it valid? Does it support things like extinction sleep training?
We are Risk Averse. We don't even like to acknowledge that we may make choices that increase the risk to our kids. But we all do it. And we need to own it.
A new video is making the rounds trying to convince people that bedsharing is dangerous using time-lapsed footage of someone sleeping. Warning: Your head may explode from the stupid in it!
Is it fair to have a blanket statement that formula feeding families cannot bedshare? Do the benefits of bedsharing require us to consider a more nuanced message? What does the research tell us?
