Babies may sleep longer in their own rooms, study says..

Are you and your baby getting the sleep that you need?
Unsure when to move your little one into their own room?
Here are some things to consider....

Michael Nedelman, CNN reports that "research has shown that babies who sleep poorly can have a big impact on parents' stress and mental health. Poor infant sleep has also been linked to problems down the line, such as behavioural issues and childhood obesity.​ 

The sooner babies get their own rooms, the longer they'll sleep on average, according to a new study that breaks with the recommendations of the American Academy of Pediatrics. 
​
Some experts also believe that "moving an infant out of the parents' bedroom sooner could help babies sleep better before they develop separation anxiety, said Paul, chief of academic general pediatrics at Penn State College of Medicine." Check out the full story here.

The INSIGHT Study by Ian M. Paul, Emily E. Hohman, Eric Loken, Jennifer S. Savage, Stephanie Anzman-Frasca, Patricia Carper, Michele E. Marini, Leann L. Birch; on Mother-Infant Room-Sharing and Sleep Outcomes assessed the association between room-sharing
and sleep outcomes. 

  Even though the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends infant-parent room-sharing until age 1. They found that "room-sharing at ages 4 and 9 months is associated with less nighttime sleep in both the short and long-term, reduced sleep consolidation, and unsafe sleep practices previously associated with sleep-related death."  

"The importance of getting an adequate night’s sleep has been increasingly recognized by professional societies including the American Academy of Pediatrics (1) (AAP) and the American Academy of Sleep Medicine. (2) 

Inadequate sleep has been associated with poorer cognitive, psychomotor, physical, and socioemotional development, which includes emotion regulation, mood, and behaviour in infancy and childhood.(3–6)
 
Insufficient sleep is generally accepted as an important risk factor for obesity,(7,8) with links between sleep and weight beginning in infancy. (9–14)
 
Short sleep duration during infancy is also associated with inadequate sleep later in childhood,(15) emphasizing the importance of developing healthy sleep-related behaviours during the first months after birth.

Also, infant sleep has a bidirectional relationship with parent outcomes as demonstrated by associations between infant sleep and parental sleep,
maternal sensitivity, relationship quality, parental emotional health, and parenting practices.16–18" (Study Authors). See the full study here.

Sleep is finally being recognized as a vital part to a healthy lifestyle and we need to pay attention!! Sleep is not a luxury it is a necessity for all of us, big or small. I cannot even count the number of times that I have had parents tell me how much better they feel, how much their relationships have improved, that they are a better parent. Plus, how much happier and content their little one is.

​The reason for all of this? Because they decided to value sleep for their baby and themselves. We (baby, toddler, preschooler, kindy kid, elementary, Jr. High, High School, mom or dad) cannot thrive in our environment to our full potential when we carry a sleep dept! 

Let's get your family sleeping better!
​Book your Free Sleep Evaluation NOW!

Erin Neri