I believe the American Pediatric Society says no with small infants because it is a risk (you might want to check the website) of rolling on the baby and killing/injuring.
If the child is a foster child it is against the rules.
I think like all things it depends on age of child, life experiences (was he/she sexually abused?)
Do they bed wet?
How/when are you going to get them into their own bed?
It all depends

I am personally against that because you need personal time when your kids go to bed and if they co-sleep they want you to go to sleep with them.

Once foster boy we had sleep on the floor by our bed and finally we had to put our foot down and he did fine sleeping in his own room and we did better having quiet time at night away from him.

FYI- foster kids can not sleep in your bed.

I am sure there are benefits to co-sleeping, but there are so many other things to try first, don’t give up your bed or you won’t sleep as well.

I co slept with my kids and think it is a useful tool especially for mothers who work.  It is a highly personal decision.  You could pick up the book THE FAMILY BED.  It is about co sleeping.  You could also seek information from La Leche League International… most of those families co sleep.

There are mothering forums where many members co sleep.  If you would like to know what they are please message me privately.

I believe that it is not a danger to children and in many cultures all family members sleep in the same bed.

I will say it is a hard habit to break… and it took my kids a long time to adjust to sleeping in their own beds but it is doable…

More parents do it then talk about it.  It is one of those parenting things you don’t really know till you are a parent.  I breastfed both of my kids and it just made more sense to keep them in bed with us.  We never planned to cosleep but then it just sort of happened and I researched it and read books.  somethings in theory before you are a parent you think you know exactly what you will and won’t do- and then in practice everything changes.  I applaud you for trying to think ahead and doing your research.

I also never had a problem sleeping with my kids in the bed until they were much older.  I enjoyed it a lot.

We cosleep on and off with our six month old. He has just recently started in his crib but if he wakes at night - we bring him into our bed. We take our cues from him but so far it’s been a great experience and he is an easy sleeper. My experience has been there are lots of strong feelings on both sides of this issue so research a lot and then do what works for you. Our hybrid approach has worked great for us. Good luck!!

I really enjoy it.  Like EST it wasn’t something I thought about beforehand.  Our social worker recommended it.  BUT we adopted from birth and didn’t have to worry about the things Regina mentioned.  It is very controversial and I took a lot of critism for my choice.  There are things you can do to make it safer for an infant or small child.  (depending on their developement)  For example, never cosleep if you are on medication, my husband and I each only used one small pillow, the baby sleeps on top of the covers, for the first 6months we used a snuggle nest(a bed that goes on top of our bed. It consists of fabric over a hard shell,hard to roll over), tuck the sheets in so that they can’t be pulled up over the babies head etc.  Being able to reach over and touch him at any time was invaluable to me.  He also cried a lot and sleeping in our bed was the best way we could get any sleep.  Now my son sleeps on my head.  He’s also very attached to my
hair and rubs it to fall asleep. (not sure if that’s good or bad).  Our pediatrition, who adopted, had her son sleep in a crib in their room for the first year.  She felt as a pediatrition she couldn’t go against the guidelines.  Then at the one year mark she moved him into their bed.  Good luck with your research.

There is middle ground here. We used an Arm’s Reach Co-Sleeper crib that attached to our bed, but our children slept in their own space and there was no risk of us rolling over onto them. Once they began to pull themselves up, we dropped the mattress down and it worked like a pack and play. Eventually when they were about 9-12 months old, we moved them into their own room. Our children are 13 months apart and we adopted at birth.

If adopting a toddler or older child, I think it would very much depend upon the child’s situation. In many countries around the world, children sleep with their parents for many years. If the child you are adopting is accustomed to that, changing it along with all the other changes might be too much. There may need to be an adjustment stage first.

As most have said, it, like many other parenting techniques, is a personal choice.  Personally, we were against it for many reasons. 

First, we have two 80lbs Labs that sleep in bed with us.  That was a major no there - BUT - even if we no longer had them, I know that we have said that we will NEVER have future dogs or kids sleep in our bed.  It’s just disruptive for everyone.  While I’m sure the bonding may help (personally, I don’t see how my son is any less attached at the hip to me than friends I have who did cosleep), we had our son in his bassinet in our room for the first few weeks (we adopted at birth) and he slept horrible.  When we moved him into his crib he began sleeping much better, as did we. 

My best friend’s daughter routinely climbs into their bed in the middle of the night and is disruptive to their sleep. I will say that occasionally if our son wakes up early, he will come in and climb into our bed.  (we now only have one dog and she is often on the floor now) In just the hour or so that he’s there you’d think there was a kangaroo in between us).

Additionally, I’d be petrified that one of us could roll over on him. Just a few months before we adopted, there was a story in the news of a mother who napped with her child and she rolled in towards the mom and her face we between the mother and furniture and she suffocated.  That was enough for me.

Also, it’s one of those things that as many have said, is a very hard thing to break. So, if you do it, you may be doing it well longer than you anticipate. I have a friend who anticipated a year or two. Her son is 6.  He still cosleeps because he now can not sleep alone. 

If you’re planning on having multiple children, think about that you may possibly have multiple children in your bed.

But those are my opinions and points on it.  Take everyone’s info, think it through and decide what works for your family!

I have over my life at times slept with my dogs…some were a bit disruptive till they learned where I wanted them, others were so calming I’d fall asleep as soon as they were snuggled at my side even if I’d been having trouble sleeping before they came.  One dog when new slept on my chest with her arms around me -  to her it was security. Another’s idea of security was to put his nose in my armpit!  Talk about feeling loved for who you are!! No problems ever with breathing though usually sleep under the covers.  My bedding does tend to be breathable.  Found to my surprise I have always been quite aware of where they are.  To the recommendations of g99fier15 (and her lovely story of sleeping with her son) I’d add not to cosleep if you use drugs or alcohol of any kind. Also with newborn babies they can’t turn or move on their own.  So don’t know other than what’s said above about that.  To my surprise, both my social worker and some of the required adoption trainings told me to expect to sleep in the same bed with the children I adopt for at least 6 months. Think it must be a big help with lessening the feelings of fear, isolation and for bonding. I would also take my cues from the child.

I think I’ll probably compromise and have them NEAR me in a bassinet right next to my bed when they’re newborns, and will transition them to their own bed as they get older. I had planned to cosleep until I realized how much my husband and I move around at night…in order for me to sleep well, I usually have to be sprawled out, and I switch sides a lot, too. I don’t want to worry about rolling over on the baby, or even if that wasn’t a problem, I think my own sleep quality is important, too. It’ll be hard enough to sleep as it is! Yet I want them close enough to check on constantly and pick up easily, rather than having to walk into another room, at least til they’re older.

Also, my sister in law has coslept with her 6 month old from the beginning, and now it’s become an unbreakable habit…the baby can’t nap unless mommy’s there in the bed too. It made sense at first; it was easier to breastfeed as needed with the baby right there. But now I think it’s not a good idea…even at family events, she has to disappear and go take a nap too when the baby wants to, even if she doesn’t feel like it. But by giving in and doing it every time, it reinforces it. I don’t want to be tied down like that! The more she does it, the harder it’s going to be to change things later. I think it’s important that they learn to soothe themselves and fall asleep on their own, but know that mommy’s nearby if needed.

It really comes down to personal choices, though. Even my pediatrician said that technically she has to say “it’s not recommended,” but she did it with her child. I think it just depends on what you’re comfortable with.

I thought I wouldnt co sleep with our newborn daughter because of what was recommended and everything. But then you bring your new little one home and you change yor mind about many things. I now love that our daughter co sleeps with us. Its great for bonding and I love seeing her face light up in the morning when she see us.

Co-sleeping started when my daughter was 9 months old and continues now at 3 1/2 yrs. old.  Naturally our daughter is adopted and drugs were an issue when she was born so hence…..co-sleeping is what works for us.  I beleive she suffered severe seperation anxiety and I was not about to leave my baby to cry it away alone in her room.  She also suffers with night terrors on a regular basis so to have her near me/us knowing she is able to get better sleep means co-sleeping canbe a great choice.  People tell me all the time how bad it is or I cant beleive you do that.  I tell peole you do what you feel is right!!!!

Just saw an amusing article in the Huffington Post on co-sleeping.The link is huffingtonpost.com/trevor-macdonald/co-sleeping_b_1528281.html

Dear Happy Camper,
    I just read the article on the link that you left about co-sleeping.  THANK YOU!!!