Hello
Here are short press cuting of a very intersting article about the subject.
If some of you want the entire article, ask me.
Kindly
Francoise Raihet
Manager of the LLL France Medical Associates Program
[log in to unmask]



Should Infants Sleep With Their Parents?


Catherine Kelley, MD. Archives of Adolescent and Pediatric Medicine,
November 2000; 154


"Don't sleep with your baby or put the baby down to sleep in an adult bed."
Ann Brown, chair of the US Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), voiced
this statement in the September 30, 1999, New York Times through a CPSC
press release.
The release previewed data from an October 1999 Archives of Pediatrics and
Adolescent Medicine study entitled "Review of Hazards Associated With
Children Placed in Adult Beds."1 The news flew over the Associated Press
wires, and emotionally charged commentaries were printed in newspapers and
magazines nationwide, a clear indication of the public interest on this
issue. Numerous websites espouse the benefits of cosleeping, also reflecting
current interest in the family bed concept.2


Recommendations

To my knowledge, to date, the literature offers insufficient data to
recommend or discourage babies and parents from cosleeping. Meanwhile, many
parents and health care professionals believe that cosleeping is the best
way to raise a baby physiologically, psychologically, and emotionally.

Therefore, are pediatricians justified in condemning the family bed, making
parents feel guilty about harming their baby? Clearly, pediatricians must
counsel families about the dangers of smoking, drinking alcohol, or taking
drugs that impair arousal, and the potential for infant suffocation in beds,
cribs, and bedding. However, until there is more compelling evidence, the
decision to cosleep, like many other child rearing practices, should be left
to the family.

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