co-sleeping prep
It's not often I waste my precious 'blogging-as-therapy' time rattling on about someone else but today is an exception.
Co-sleeping
According to recent media reports, infant deaths are increased in number this year compared with last year, and the blame is being firmly placed on co-sleeping. Allegedly, over half this year's deaths involved adults sharing sleeping arrangements with the infant. A child's death is always a tragedy for all involved, but I don't think that the blanket bans on co-sleeping are warranted. Statistically more people (including babies) die in a bed but that hasn't led to beds being banned outright. So why should co-sleeping be so vilified in the media and by a large number of medical professionals?
This vilification recently extended to an extremely unbalanced report featuring my friend, Amber, which aired on CBC this week. Faced up against a medical representative, Amber's family decision to co-sleep was branded irresponsible and she was not given the chance to explain what measures were in place to ensure safety. Neither was a 'professional' supporting view included in the post, thus pitting poor 'amateur' Amber against the mighty good of a trained medical 'expert'.
For those of you who do co-sleep, you will know that there is a great deal of advice available regarding safe practices and potential hazards to avoid. Decluttering the family bed of plush bedding, squishy mattresses, and other suffocation hazards is a must, as is the reminder to never co-sleep under the influence of alcohol or hypnotic drugs/sedatives. Wise families note never to fall asleep with a child on a sofa. There are so many precautions which can be taken and simple measures available.
Wise families will also know where to turn to for advice. I chose Deborah Jackson's "Three In A Bed" as my primary source (attention: affiliate link on the left), with supplemental reading provided by both Drs. Sears and James Mackenna, both strong advocates of co-sleeping's benefits to both parents and child. Wise families will heed advice on unsafe scenarios, such as drugs, alcohol use, positioning baby in bed, and even consider whether obesity is a risk factor. Wise families are generally informed families and will not likely fall into accidental bed sharing which can be unsafe.
In summary, they will provide a safe sleeping environment for their infant.
So why can't we get balanced, informative reporting instead of the tabloid sensationalism? You know, maybe provide actual news rather than bias for a change?
