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Interaction between bed sharing and other sleep environments during the first six months of life
Pat Buckley1, Rachael S Rigda, Linda Mundy
1Department of Physiology, Adelaide University, 5005, Adelaide, SA, Australia. pat.buckley@adelaide.edu.au
Insights
Bed sharing in infants promotes close parental proximity, with bed-sharing infants spending more time in proximity-based sleep environments. Non-bed-sharing infants slept alone earlier than bed-sharing infants.
Area of Science:
- Pediatrics
- Developmental Psychology
- Sleep Medicine
Background:
- Infant sleep environment is crucial for development and safety.
- Understanding sleep location patterns is key to infant well-being.
- Bed sharing's impact on infant sleep ecology requires detailed examination.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the relationship between bed sharing and other infant sleep locations in the first six months.
- To identify changes in infant sleep place for both bed-sharing and non-bed-sharing infants.
- To determine if bed sharing correlates with increased parental proximity during sleep.
Main Methods:
- Longitudinal study tracking sleep-wake behavior and sleep location weekly.
- Participants included bed-sharing (n=25) and non-bed-sharing (n=68) infants.
- Data collected from 2 to 24 weeks postpartum.
Main Results:
- Bed-sharing infants spent more sleep time in proximity-based environments and less time sleeping alone.
- Non-bed-sharing infants transitioned to solitary sleep by 2 weeks.
- Bed-sharing infants transitioned to solitary sleep significantly later, after 16 weeks.
Conclusions:
- Bed sharing serves as a proxy for enhanced close parental proximity in the first six months.
- Findings may inform research on bed sharing and sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS).
- Infant sleep location patterns reveal distinct developmental trajectories based on sharing practices.
Abstract:
This investigation was carried out to determine the relationship between bed sharing and other places of infant sleep in the first six months of life, and to identify patterns of change in the place of infant sleep for infants who do and do not routinely bed share in the first six months of life. The sleep--wake behaviour and place of infant sleep were recorded, at weekly intervals, for bed sharing (n=25) and non-bed sharing (n=68) infants between 2 and 24 weeks after birth. Bed sharing infants spent a significantly increased proportion of their total sleep time per 24 h in other sleep environments which favoured close parental proximity and significantly less time in solitary sleep. Non-bed sharing infants spent a substantial proportion of their time sleeping alone from 2 weeks of age whereas the transition to sleeping alone occurred after 16 weeks for bed sharing infants. We have found that bed sharing acts as a proxy for increased close parental proximity during the first six months of life. This may be of significance in studies which examine the relationship between bed sharing and sudden infant death syndrome.