Confused about safe co-sleeping practices? You are not alone. La Leche League International (www.lli.org) gives these great 7 tips for safe co-sleeping or bedsharing.
The Safe Sleep Seven
If a mother is:
1. A non-smoker
2. Sober
3. Breastfeeding
And her baby is:
4. Healthy
5. On his back
6. Lightly dressed and unswaddled
And they:
7. share a safe surface
Then the baby’s risk of SIDS is no greater than in a crib, and any breathing hazards have been hugely reduced.
They even have a rhyme (to the tune of Row, Row, Row your Boat!):
No smoke sober mom
Baby at your breast
Healthy baby on his back
Keep him lightly dressed
Not too soft a bed
Watch the cords and gaps
Keep the covers off his head
For your nights and naps.
Using a co-sleeping bassinet keeps baby on their own separate sleep surface, which can help.
Here’s the link to the page on the La Leche League website – http://www.llli.org/sweetsleepbook/thesafesleepseven – they have heaps of other helpful info too, and a great Sweet Sleep book for breastfeeding families.
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