According To Research Babies Need To Start Sleeping Alone By This Age

Oct 31, 2018

Protecting and nurturing your baby are understandably top priorities for new parents. While your natural instincts may be essential for many aspects of infant and baby care, you may turn to the experts for advice in some areas.

One of the areas that you may be most concerned about initially involves sleeping arrangements. Specifically, you may not be certain if your baby should sleep in your room or in a separate nursery.

Unfortunately, there are conflicting recommendations regarding when infants should sleep alone in their own room. For example, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that babies sleep in their parents’ room until they are at least 6 months old and preferably until their first birthday.

However, some parents find that this does not enable them to get restful sleep, and the transition into sleeping alone can be stressful on the baby.

SIDS, or sudden infant death syndrome, is the leading cause of death in babies between the ages of one month and 12 months old.

The AAP recommendation is based in part on the belief that parents will be able to monitor their baby’s respiratory sounds more easily if the baby sleeps in the same room. However, this may contribute to the parents' fatigue unnecessarily.

A recent study that was published in the Pediatrics journal indicated that when a child starts sleeping in his or her room independently, it can impact how long they sleep on average. The study indicates that babies who sleep independently earlier may sleep longer at night throughout their first year and into their toddler years.

For parents who are concerned about SIDS, be aware that sleep location in relation to SIDS mortality rates has not been researched. Essentially, there is no proof that sharing a room with your child for the first few months or year of his or her life will reduce the risk of SIDS.

However, moving an infant that is accustomed to sleeping in the parents’ room can be disruptive and stressful to the baby.

In addition, there may be an increased likelihood of other safety hazards if the baby sleeps in the parents’ room. For example, exhausted parents may be inclined to cuddle with the baby while lying in bed, and this could have fatal consequences.

You can see that the AAP's recommendation may not necessarily keep your baby safer and may have negative effects on the parents and the baby. Despite this information, the AAP is not backing down from its recommendation. It does, however, call for more research to be completed.

With two reputable sources providing you with conflicting advice on sleeping arrangements, it is understandable why you may be confused and stressed about this aspect of parenting.

Until more studies are done and leading organizations agree on a safe, healthy sleeping arrangement, a smart idea is to consult with your baby’s pediatrician.

Your family’s pediatrician can tell you when the most ideal time for a baby to sleep independently is and how you can keep your baby safe in the recommended environment. For example, regardless of where an infant sleeps, pillows and stuffed animals should not be nearby as smothering is a concern.

How long did you let your children sleep in the same room as you? Let us know in the comments and show this article to your friends and family members with children to see what they think!

Our content is created to the best of our knowledge, yet it is of general nature and cannot in any way substitute an individual consultation by your doctor. Your health is important to us!