when is it safe to co sleep

For parents who are just beginning to explore co-sleeping, one of the most commonly asked questions is: When is it safe to co-sleep?

We get why that question is the first one that comes to mind. Because once you start to hear about all the co-sleeping benefits you can expect to enjoy, co-sleeping becomes one of those “so….when can I start?!” kind of things.

(Among the best co-sleeping benefits to expect? Better rest for the whole family. As well as reduced stress and more support as your baby works on growing big and strong.)

But asking about the “when” of co-sleeping isn’t always the best place to start.

Because figuring out the timeline of your co-sleeping journey is a natural step in the process. But asking about the “how” of safe co-sleeping is an important part of keeping your baby safe and happy. While having full peace of mind from Day 1.

How to Co-Sleep Safely: Why The “How” Matters

“Co-sleeping” is commonly used as a catch-all phrase to describe the practice of sleeping in the same room as your child. However, it’s important to understand that there are many different ways that parents choose to co-sleep: with some offering far more peace of mind than others. 

Though “bed-sharing” is often considered a type of co-sleeping, there are actually significant differences between the two practices. 

When bed-sharing, you invite your child to share space on your own mattress. This means making room for them to get comfy surrounded by the sheets, comforters, and pillows that you prefer. 

When co-sleeping, you sleep easily in arm’s reach of your child. While offering them a made-just-for-them sleeping space that offers the firm support that their growing body needs. 

Actual bed-sharing can lead to sleepless nights full of wondering and worry about whether your child will roll over and get trapped in too-soft bedding. Or worry about whether they’ll feel unsupported by your too-soft mattress during the night. But co-sleeping offers big benefits while whisking those worries away. 

What’s the Deal with Bedside Co-Sleepers?

A co-sleeping solution like the babybay bedside co-sleeper gives your child a safe co-sleeping bed that attaches securely to your own. While allowing both you and your baby to rest easy in a sleeping space that fully supports your unique needs.

And though there are other ways to co-sleep safely that go beyond using a safe co-sleeping bed, one thing remains true…

When it comes to the question When is it safe to co-sleep?, parents who have a co-sleeper bed for their child feel confident that their little one is getting safe and sound nights of co-sleeping rest. Because they know their baby is sleeping the night away in a space that has been perfectly engineered to support their growing body with love. With nothing that’s too-soft or too-warm getting in the way. 

The best part? They’ll feel that confidence not just some nights: but from the first moment their beautiful baby is brought home. 

When Is It Safe to Co-Sleep with a Bedside Co-Sleeper? 

The American Academy of Pediatrics stresses the benefits of sharing a room with your baby during at least the first six months of their life. But ideally, they say, you’ll room-share through the first year.

You can start sleeping beside your baby in a safe co-sleeper bed from the first moment they get home.

In fact, not only can you sleep with your baby in a co-sleeper bed from the first moment — that’s how many parents love doing it!

Why do so many parents love starting their baby’s life by sleeping snug in a bedside co-sleeper bed?

Partly because it’s one of the easiest ways to get better sleep — while your baby gets better sleep too.

But also because it gives you a sense of peace of mind that your baby is sleeping safe and secure from the first day of their life. Which can feel like the ultimate comfort to parents like you.

Bedside sleepers like the babybay are specially engineered and built with care to offer your baby a co-sleeping bed that is a safe space for them to catch some Zs. While still letting them remain close by your side all night long. 

And while other sleeping practices—like bed-sharing—can leave you tossing and turning with worries and “what if” thoughts all night long, bedside co-sleepers take all the guesswork and concerns away. 

With the babybay bedside co-sleeper, you’ll be be close enough to support baby’s healthy development and care for their every need, while giving your baby the firm, supportive mattress and just-for-them space they need to sleep secure and sound.

Which is the perfect recipe for sound sleep every night of the week. 

Why Do Experts Recommend Sleeping Beside Your Baby?

Not only does sharing a space make you more responsive to your baby’s needs (as well as a host of other benefits!), but it lets you function as a kind of “jump start” to support your baby’s healthy development.

As anthropologist James J. McKenna found, when parents and baby sleep close by, they naturally start to regulate their sleep state, oxygen levels, temperature, breathing patterns, heart rate, and brain waves to match.

So by sleeping close to your baby during their first months of life, you positively  support their still-developing biological and physiological systems in big ways. (Which is key to helping them grow healthy and strong!) 

By co-sleeping with baby from the first moment they come home, you’re able to put these “jump start” effects from the get-go. Which is important considering how much of your baby’s energy during the first months of their life is focused on learning and exploring the new world they’ve just come into.

Deciding When to Co-Sleep: The Big Takeaway

If there’s one big takeaway to leave with, it’s this: the answer to the question When is it safe to co-sleep? depends on how you co-sleep.

Every family’s needs and priorities are different, and ultimately only you know where your child is in their development and what that means for your co-sleeping journey. 

However, there’s one co-sleeping truth that’s not up for debate: once you’re ready to start co-sleeping, a bedside co-sleeper crib specially engineered to support your baby’s needs takes all the guesswork and worry out of how to co-sleep. 

So when you’re ready to start co-sleeping, babybay will be here to help you and baby spend every night sleeping sweet-dream sound.