Because that is how my parents did it from Planck's Constant

If you ever want to give a stupid reason for doing something, say "Because that is how my parents did it."

I bring this up because I was recently asked by a young woman for advice on buying a crib for a baby she and her husband are expecting. Well, I thought that was a barbaric practice and so I asked her why she didn't want the baby in bed with her, the natural way, as most of the world does it.

She gave me the stupid reason: that's how her parents did it.

I told her that her parents were idiots, nothing personal, but the safest way for a baby to sleep is in bed with her mother and father. A child is 50 to 60 times more likely to die in a crib than in a bed with its parents:

AskDrSears,
SLEEPING SAFELY WITH YOUR BABY
... in most countries around the world sleeping with your baby is the norm, not the exception. And what is the incidence of SIDS in these countries? During the 1990s, in Japan the rate was only one tenth of the U.S. rate, and in Hong Kong, it was only 3% of the U.S. rate. ... If the incidence of SIDS is dramatically higher in crib versus a parent's bed, and because the cases of accidental smothering and entrapment are only 1.5% of the total SIDS cases, then sleeping with a baby in your bed would be far safer than putting baby in a crib.

But, she protests, "I read that it is dangerous for a baby to sleep in bed with its parents.."

Yes, that smear campaign is co-sponsored by the Juvenile Products Manufacturers Association. And who are they? Crib manufacturers.

compleatmother.com,
Family Bed Under Attack
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) and the Juvenile Products Manufacturers Association (JPMA) is launching a mass-media national campaign aimed at "reducing deaths associated with placing babies in adult beds." The campaign will include a video news release that will be fed to stations nationwide along with pamphlets and posters distributed through retailers, hospitals, health departments and various grass roots organizations.

Numerous studies and research have proven the family bed to be a safe and beneficial sleeping arrangement. Don't let these organizations frighten other parents with misleading data.

By the way, if you want your baby to suffocate, buy a crib like the one shown above.

Putting aside for a moment the safety issues, what is most important is the contact between mother and child.
Here is a short list from compleatmother.com:

Babies sleep better because they feel safe and secure next to their mother, because they are more relaxed, and because their needs are met more quickly

Mothers sleep better because the baby cries less, nursing is easier, and the baby goes to sleep faster and easier (allowing mother to get more sleep)

Bonding between parents and child improves significantly (especially important for parents who work and do not get to spend much time with their baby during the day)

Children who share sleep with their parents generally have a healthier attitude towards sleep and may experience fewer sleep disorders in the future

Sharing sleep with your baby may also help your him/her become more self-confident and independent (contrary to what many people think).

small bebe, big world
Photo: Sara Heinrichs (awfulsara)

It's been estimated that about 50% or more of parents in America sleep with their children and yet only about 50 children die in that situation. Interestingly, The crib manufacturers do admit that almost as many babies suffocate or strangle when they become trapped between broken crib parts, source JPMA. But this number of deaths has nothing to do with the thousands of cases SIDS deaths that occur in cribs.

So if you want your child to sleep in a crib or in another room, don't give me some stupid reason, tell me the truth, you are a heartless, uncaring bitch who doesn't want to be bothered by crying babies and shouldn't be having children anyway.

Disclaimer: My two sons slept in our bed until they were ten years old.