According to a new study, there is no link between “co-sleeping” and the attachment between the infant and his mother.
- Sharing the bed with her baby does not influence her behavior.
- If co-sleeping is associated with greater ease of breastfeeding and managing the baby’s nocturnal awakenings, it is recommended to carefully follow the safety instructions to avoid sudden infant death syndrome.
For many parents, co-sleeping when a new child arrives is often the panacea. Presented as a miracle solution to reassure the newborn, sharing the bed between the parents and the baby would also help to maintain breastfeeding and allow a stronger maternal attachment.
A new study, conducted by researchers at the University of Kent (England), and published in the Journal of Developmental & Behavioral Pediatrics, however, calls this last statement into question. According to its authors, contrary to popular belief, co-sleeping is not associated with positive or negative outcomes related to infant attachment. Nor would mothers practicing it develop a stronger bond with their baby.
No stronger maternal attachment
To reach this conclusion, the researchers followed 178 infants and their parents. Data were collected at birth, three, six and eighteen months. Their analysis found no association between bedsharing for the first six months and infant-mother attachment. Similarly, no conclusive results on the baby’s behaviors (levels of attention/hyperactivity and persistence in the task) were found at eighteen months. Finally, bed sharing during the first six months did not influence maternal bonding and sensitivity in interaction with the infant.
“Many people believe that bedsharing is necessary to promote secure attachment in infants. However, there is little research in this area and the results are quite mixed. There is a need to better understand the outcomes of bedsharing to better inform parents, guardians and practitioners”says Dr Ayten Bilgin of the Kent School of Psychology, who co-led the work.
Respect the safety instructions
In recent years, co-sleeping has been the subject of many controversial debates, especially when the baby shares the bed with his parents, and therefore does not benefit from a cradle attached to the parental bed. Practitioners often recommend not sharing the bed with your newborn, especially if the newborn is under four months old, due to the increased risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS).
Nevertheless, a report of the Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine published in 2020 estimated that co-sleeping is not a risk factor for SIDS, provided you practice it well and follow the safety instructions. It is therefore advisable to have a firm mattress, to remove the duvet and pillows, and to place the infant on his back, in a sleeping bag.
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