If you have not already done so, please read Blog Posts 1 through 5 that describe how sleep is important and beneficial. I will post specific information for parents and children based on my book, “Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child.” Please do not be put off by my book’s length. This is a reference book. Read only the topic of interest to you.
Some families choose to have a family bed (co-sleeping) before there are any sleep issues with their child (proactive co-sleeping). Other families decide to co-sleep because of sleep issues in their child (reactive co-sleeping). In general, problems regarding infant sleep, mom’s well-being, and marital harmony are thought to be more likely with reactive co-sleeping.
A 2025 paper compared 84 families who did not co-sleep with 25 families who practiced pro-active co sleeping when the children were 2 years of age. For families who practiced pro-active co-sleeping:
Blog Posts 163–170, 178, and 179 discuss co-sleeping, but keep in mind that some studies on co-sleeping do not differentiate between proactive and reactive co-sleeping.
