This recent article about a "co-sleeping" infant death in Milwaukee got me really riled up.
Unsafe sleep practice suspected in baby death
I put co-sleeping in quotation marks because co-sleeping was not the cause of the death. An unsafe environment and a drunk parent caused the death. From the article:
"Prescott told police she had gone to a party and gotten drunk Saturday night. She did not remember when she picked up the children or even coming home. She told police it was possible she slept on the couch with the two children."
That's not co-sleeping. That's negligence.
Co-sleeping is defined as infant and guardian sleeping in the same room and I think most proponents these days would not recommend sharing a bed. I was raised in a co-sleeping household. While I certainly understand that it's not for everyone, it definitely has some benefits. I don't get why people put such and emphasis on putting their baby in a separate room. What's the point? I learned to sleep through my father's robust snoring, and that ability has served me well in my adulthood.
I don't want to do everything like my parents did (thanks for the non-weening that turned into an oral fixation, Mom). But they did a rocking job raising two happy, healthy daughters, and I know that of the many things I do want to replicate as a future parent, one of them is co-sleeping. There's definitely a stigma attached to it, and I'm pissed that I've been made to feel ashamed of my upbringing and my intended parenting style.
So, Journal Sentinel, thanks for perpetrating the stereotype that co-sleeping is unsafe, you've managed to vilify something completely natural and benign. Great work.
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3 comments:
I'm so frustrated with this type of reporting and the way it leads to how the general public views things. Grrr.
Unfortunately there will always be someone to criticize some part of the way you choose to parent. In fact on some issues, some will praise you and others criticize you for the very same damn thing. It's hard to remain confident somedays. You have to be as educated on the issues as possible and make the decision that makes the most sense to you and your partner. Even then, I still question myself. Ugh!
Anyway, you and Jim will be awesome parents...even if the poor child grows up without frequent contact with me. I'm ready for my Milwaukee "neice or nephew" whenever you guys are!
We co-sleep with Alton -- in the same bed. I haven't squished him yet. I read something about co-sleeping deaths that said there has never been a death that did not involve intoxication or gross obesity. The truth is average adults don't fall out of bed, they don't roll over on bed partners, and they don't smother babies in their sleep.
I know a girl who answers the constant question, "Aren't you afraid you're going to roll over on your baby?" with, "Aren't you afraid your baby is going to die of SIDS alone in the dark?" She's funny and a little sick of being judged.
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