Who Shouldn't Cosleep with Babies?

Cosleeping-- the practice of letting a baby sleep with one or both parents-- is one of the most rabid arenas in the battlefield of parenthood. Parents on both sides of the spectrum hold strong feelings about the safety and appropriateness of cosleeping. Some regard the practice as inherently and unacceptably dangerous, while others find it equally unacceptable for a child to sleep alone in a separate room.

I am an advocate of cosleeping, when parents make the effort to meet all standard safety guidelines. However, there are some parents who should not cosleep with their babies at all. Here are a few factors that can make cosleeping a serious hazard to a baby's health and safety.

1. You should not cosleep if you are not breastfeeding.

According to Dr. Sears, author of "The Attachment Parenting Book," breastfeeding enables the responsive bond between mothers and their cosleeping babies. If you are not nursing your baby, you can not be as physically aware of her presence as a mother who is nursing. Non-nursing caregivers, including fathers, babysitters, grandparents and older siblings, should also not cosleep directly beside a baby who is under 9 months of age.

2. Do not cosleep if you smoke. Smoking presents a double-whammy hazard to the safety of young babies. Dr. Sears reports that smoking diminishes levels of prolactin, a hormone that helps to regulate a mother's awareness of her nursing child. Smoking mothers also exude cigarette toxins from their hair, clothing and breath. As a result, cosleeping babies of smoking parents experience eight times the ordinary mortality rate. Smoking parents should not cosleep at all.

3. Obese parents shouldn't cosleep. Obesity increases your risk of sleep apnea, a condition that can cause you to stop breathing for brief periods of time in your sleep. Sleep apnea is often undiagnosed in adults, but it tremendously increases your baby's risk of death from a rollover or suffocation. Obesity also causes you to sleep more deeply, and a large body mass can make your baby more prone to suffocation and injury.

4. Never cosleep after using drugs or alcohol. Even weak sedatives such as Benadryl can drastically reduce your awareness of your baby. Small amounts of alcohol, such as a single glass of wine, also increase the risk of rolling over on your baby or suffocating him in your sleep. Never, ever let your baby sleep in your bed if you've used any kind of stronger sedative, such as benzodiazepene drugs.

5. Do not cosleep unless you are entirely confident in your ability to do so safely. When it doubt, it is always best to trust your instincts. If you feel at all insecure in your capacity to safely cosleep with your baby, don't do it. Cosleeping is only safe if you are confident enough, healthy enough, and clear-minded enough to be aware of your child's presence throughout the night.