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Date: | Wed, 28 Mar 2007 18:54:31 EDT |
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Nikki,
I think you very aptly summed up a very important public health
communications problem that applies to many issues, i.e. the subtleties of the message
are not easily communicated on a flyer or a bus stop poster.
That said, it would be so much better to educate parents about safe
co-sleeping than to simply tell them not to do it and walk away. Because obviously
many are co-sleeping anyhow, even though they are hearing everyone from their
mother-in-law to their doctor telling them not to. I know that things are
changing slowly in this regard, but people seem so reluctant to allow
themselves to be labeled as co-sleepers. I’ve heard so many parents say, “I only do
it when my child is sick…” or “He’s only with us early in the morning…” I
think those people don’t think that the co-sleeping safety “rules” apply to
them. Even mothers who use one of those sidecar beds (like the Arm’s Reach
co-sleeper) are probably pulling their babies into bed with them to nurse.
And I bet they fall back to sleep as they nurse (who wouldn’t?) and so
therefore, the safety “rules” apply to them.
I know I’m not directly answering your question, but I think one of first
steps in coming up with a sound public health message is to get people to
understand that the safe co-sleeping “rules” apply to ANYONE whose baby spends
ANY amount of time sleeping on an adult bed, with or without another person. I
wish the medical, public health, and parenting communities would start to
treat this as an issue that applies to most people (as opposed to what they see
as a fringe group) and start focusing on educating parents how to co-sleep
safely.
Susan Allison
Former public health communications professional, mom to a nursing,
co-sleeping 2-year-old
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