Whether or not to sleep with your baby is a decision that
parents and medical professionals have long debated. For many
years, pediatricians adamantly discouraged co-sleeping, and the
U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission supports that position,
warning that co-sleeping can be hazardous to an infant. But
parents all over the world have been co-sleeping for thousands
of years, and many families in the United States are choosing to
return to this traditional "family bed" as a way to nurture
their babies and themselves, encourage breastfeeding, and
strengthen emotional bonds. As a parent, you need to evaluate
the information, weigh the benefits against the risks,
understand your options, and ultimately make your own decision
about whether co-sleeping is right for you. Co-sleeping is a
part of attachment parenting, a relatively new movement led by
pediatrician and author Dr. William Sears. Dr. Sears encourages
co-sleeping because of its benefits: it is good for keeping
babies happy and secure; good for breastfe