Attatchment Parenting

kelandem

something im very interested in and do my best to follow.. anyone ever practice this or even hear of it? basically: breastfeeding, baby-wearing, bedsharing, feeding on demand, responding immediately to baby's cries.. that kind of thing.

opinions?

Nevyn

There was talk about this before.

And for what I can tell it is for creating a very strong bond between parents and children. In the first year of a childs life they are constantly touched and held as we do everything from them and this creates a hug bond.

Breastfeeding helps with this from a mothers points of view but there are lots of ways Daddys can bond too.

I had not read about attchement parenting nor heard about it when I had mine but it we did most of what is recamended by insticnt.

kelandem

i guess that's the whole philosophy behind it.... instinct, rather than regement. i have to say, it's working brilliantly for us. emily hardly cries, she's thriving, she's trusting, and she's learning that night-time is for sleep without us having to do anything except sleep ourselves!

Victor

There is some evidence of bed sharing being associated with SIDS (cot death).

Nevyn

cot death implies the the child was in a cot and not in the parental or family bed,

New parents will infact wriggle arround an infant or new born the bed as matter of instict. also it makes breast feeding a lot simpler

Victor

Originally posted by Thaed
cot death implies the the child was in a cot and not in the parental or family bed,

This is why it is now called Sudden Infant Death Syndrome and "cot death" is frowned upon as not all cases are in cots. There are specific patterns involved including maternal smoking, sleeping position, overheating, reusing bedding of an older baby and bed sharing. But being a syndrome, it is defined by circumstance (unexplained death during sleep of primaily under ones, mostly boys), not infection / injury / whatever.

Originally posted by Thaed
New parents will infact wriggle arround an infant or new born the bed as matter of instict. also it makes breast feeding a lot simpler

Indeed it does. However, I understand that the advice is for the child to be returned to it's cot as soon as reasonable.

ISIDA helpline 1850 391 391
http://www.iol.ie/~isidansr/

Yavvy

Ireland has a very backward and incorrect view of bed sharing.
I know because up until about 4 months ago I thought the same.
But after much research I found that bed sharing is not only completely safe it increases child’s development both mentally and emotionally.

The chances of rolling onto your child must be about 10 million to one. There is not a new parent in the world I could imagine doing that (unless drunk, and then you shouldn’t be even near the baby)

The more likely causes of SIDS are smoking, poorly ventilated room, not detecting illness in baby, baby left UNATTENDED (that doesn’t happen with bed sharing) and several others.

I have been amazed about the lack on knowledge about this issue in Irish child care professionals. And the wishy-washy stance Irish health organisations take.

My baby sleeps in out bed most of the time ...its the best thing for baby, mother and me too !

Victor, SIDS has nothing to do with bed sharing. Over heating and smoking happen without bed sharing as do baby illness, incorrect positioning, contaminates in the air and neglect. I often wonder if a baby monitor can give the cues that a baby is in slight distress the way a baby can when sleeping next to you. The answer is no. I have tried. I think it would be all to easy to ignore slight distress signals with a baby monitor. And for the first few months slight distress is critical IMO

Also If you check the WHO ( The only medical organisation I consider to be the be all and end all of advice when there is conflicts in opinions) website you will see that they do not relate SIDS to bed sharing, they focus on baby position, smoking, medicines and the environment ( dusty mattress chemicals etc etc)

Its truly annoys me that bed sharing and SIDS have been linked. They are not connected at ALL

Please look at the following sites, which confirm my points and some of yours

http://www.pnc.com.au/~cafmr/sprott/sids-gas.html
http://www.webcom.com/~bi/sids.htm
http://www.ktvu.com/health/1794033/detail.html
http://www.kidsource.com/sids/cause.1.html

kelandem

best website i know in favour of bedsharing:

http://www.askdrsears.com/html/10/t102200.asp

i cant imagine not sleeping with my baby now.. it's soooo easy to feed her and comfort her and tell when she's upset/too warm/too cold, etc. we have a crib, but i swear she's spent a total of 5 hours in it since the day we got it.

keeaumoku_tofu

My twins slept in the bed with my partner and myself for the first year and were nursed until about this time. They never fell out or were injured. Sometime after their first birthday we worked at getting them into a routine, as well as their own beds, but would not have tried earlier because little babies needs tend to change very quickly and their appetites are especially hard to predict and work around at such a young age. The public health nurse actually told me that bed-sharing only has the potential to be dangerous if the adult is drunk or high, thus making him/her a very heavy sleeper.

We did put the children in the creche part-time to give me a break as well as allowing the children an opportunity to socialize with other caregivers and children. This has been very beneficial for all of us and I highly recommend part-time care for stay-at-home parents.

Basically, I think we as parents have much better instincts than we give ourselves credit for and should learn to relax and enjoy this time because it is over really fast. Not having a hard and set in stone routine at such a tender age is not going to mark the beginning of a terrible and undisciplined child.

Yavvy

well said keeaumoku_tofu, I onlt have th one baby in our bed I commend you.

Vic i have had a good read of that website you posted and the internet, I cant find any evidence of bed sharing assoiciated to SIDS.

We did put the children in the creche part-time to give me a break as well as allowing the children an opportunity to socialize with other caregivers and children

how did the kids take to this. was it difficult to seperate them from you ?

Victor

Originally posted by Alany
Vic i have had a good read of that website you posted and the internet, I cant find any evidence of bed sharing assoiciated to SIDS.

http://home.eircom.net/content/irelandcom/topstories/2093982?view=Eircomnet

Sleeping with parents major factor in sudden infant death
From:ireland.com
Friday, 5th December, 2003

Infants who sleep with their parents are seven times more likely to die of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome than children who sleep on their own, according to a new study. Dick Ahlstrom, Science Editor, reports.

Co-sleeping with mothers who smoked during pregnancy is also a significant risk factor for infants under 20 weeks, the five-year study of more than 800 Irish babies concludes.

The study, led by Dr Cliona McGarvey of the National Sudden Infant Death Register and published today in the British Medical Association's journal, Archives of Disease in Childhood, highlights a range of factors that together increase the risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) 16-fold.

The absence of routine soother use prior to the infant's death was also a significant risk factor, according to the study, which found that more SIDS cases than controls habitually used soothers in this study.

"However, 47 per cent of these babies did not have their soother on the night they died." They were six times more at risk of SIDS without their soother than regular users who did have it.

The study found that particular dangers included co-sleeping with parents, maternal smoking and infants sleeping in the prone (lying face down) position.

SIDS remains the leading cause of infant death in developed countries and accounts for four of every 10 infant deaths here, according to the authors. They note that the SIDS rate had dropped steeply here after information campaigns warning parents to avoid placing children to sleep in the prone position, from two per 1,000 live births to 0.8 per 1,000 live births.

The study included 203 SIDS cases and 622 control infants born between 1994-98.

It found that "co-sleeping increases the SIDS risk by a factor of seven. This figure was increased to 16.47 when adjusted" for other factors, the authors report.

Age was a key consideration, with the risk associated with bed sharing not significant for infants older than 20 weeks.

The study found that 39 per cent of SIDS cases were co-sleeping and had mothers who smoked during pregnancy, compared with only one per cent of controls. Some countries, including Norway, recommended co-sleeping as a way to increase breast feeding, "which in itself has been said to reduce the SIDS risk," the authors note.

"Our data show that bed-sharing does not pose a risk if the infant is placed back in their own cot to sleep, as only infants who were bed-sharing for the entire sleep period were at increased risk of SIDS."

Yavvy

did that report distinguish between bed sharing mothers that somke and those that dont ? No it didnt

The body releases carbon minoxide up to 2 hours after a smoke.. so ofcouse there are related deaths.
Its nothing to do with co sleeping..

I put no stock in this report what so ever....It was not conducted correctly and didnt take enough factors into account

Alan

Sleipnir

I certainly don't think it's a good idea to completely dismiss a report just because the article written by Eircom.net doesn't differentiate between those that smoke and those that don't.

The fact is the SIDS is on the increase, as is co-sleeping. Smoking is (in general throughout the western world) on the decrease.
Attributing SIDS only to those people who smoke AND co-sleep is a little shortsighted IMO.

to ignore the possible risk puts babies at risk, even if were eventually to b discounted.




"Marion County Coroner John McGoff, M.D., says infant deaths related to unsafe sleeping practices have reached "epidemic" proportions in the Indianapolis area.

" We've already had five preventable infant deaths in the first three weeks of this year due to co-sleeping or unsafe sleeping arrangements with family members," said Dr. McGoff. "At this rate, we'll have 83 infant deaths before the end of the year. This is simply intolerable." "

"We're seeing a consistent and large number of infant deaths related to unsafe sleeping and bed-sharing practices," said Roberta Hibbard, M.D., medical director of the Marion County Fatality Review Team. Dr. Hibbard also serves as director of Child Protection Programs at Riley Hospital for Children and is a professor of pediatrics at the Indiana University School of Medicine."

"In Marion County in 2001, there were 15 infant deaths due to suffocation while sleeping. Of those, 13 deaths were associated with unsafe sleeping conditions.
Two of the 13 babies were suffocated when someone sleeping with them rolled on top of the infant." (nothing to do with smoking is it? - Kananga)

"From 1995 to 2000, 69 infants died in unsafe sleeping circumstances in Marion County. These circumstances include an infant who suffocated when his head became wedged between cushions of a couch; an infant that died when a 3-year-old sibling rolled on top of him in an adult bed; an infant who suffocated when his twin rolled on top of him; an infant who died sleeping on a pillow in his parent's bed; and a child who suffocated with his face in his crib pillow."

"She also cautions that SIDS and sleeping disorders in infants and children can be exacerbated by tobacco smoke."
(Note- exacerbated by tobacco smoking. As in there is a risk already, but smoking increases that risk)

Link here

Yavvy

I certainly don't think it's a good idea to completely dismiss a report just because the article written by Eircom.net doesn't differentiate between those that smoke and those that don't.

I dont, But I have problems with it.

The fact is the SIDS is on the increase, as is co-sleeping. Smoking is (in general throughout the western world) on the decrease.Attributing SIDS only to those people who smoke AND co-sleep is a little shortsighted IMO.to ignore the possible risk puts babies at risk, even if were eventually to b discounted.

But you know what is on the increase ? Bottlefeeding, Drinking, Air pollution, Asthma and other Resptory defects .
Not for one second Have we ( my wife and I) ignored the possibility that co sleeping was a risk. But after Much research and testing we have found Co Sleeping not only to be safe (safer perhaps than a cot) but so much better for mother and Baby.


These quotes you have provided me with a very disturbing, but I dont put too much weight in them ..

You see I think there are a range of factors STILL not been taken into account. Including

Birth Weight and Gestational Age
link
SCHAD Deficiency link
Breastfeeding or bottlefeeding ( links abounding for this)


Look I could go on and on But basically co sleeping is not a cause of SIDS- No one knows what the cause is
and there are such a range of varting factors no one has been able to find out. That includs the Workd health organisation. Some Medical school in Indiannia could find proof that anything was the cause of sids"

the American SIDS Institute
"there are several underlying causes for sudden (and currently unexplained) infant deaths. However, we now know that most (60% - 70%) of the deaths are related to a subtle chronic abnormality, which occurs before birth. At this time we do not know the specific pattern or nature of this chronic abnormality. Therefore, our clinical efforts have been aimed at identifying high-risk infants, and seeking to reduce the death of the infants, through the use of home monitors and parent education. "

I cant say what the cause is but I can say what the best protection is " Educate your self, do whats right for your baby, trust your instincts ( or in my case.. trust your wife) and Breast feed.

Sleipnir

Look, we had our son 'co-sleeping' for a while, not too long and not too often for the very simple reason that we were worried about rolling over on him or him falling out.
It was fine in the end, we all got more sleep!

But, to say

These quotes you have provided me with a very disturbing, but I dont put too much weight in them ..

I mean, the guy who I quoted is a County Coroner not an every day GP.
You HAVE to place a lot of faith in a man who has seen many SIDS-related deaths and also says that the increase is epidemic


You're absolutely right, co-sleeping is not the cause of SIDS but co-sleeping does increase the risk of a baby dying of SIDS.

Co-sleeping (why do I keep typing 'co-habiting'!!) can prove to be harmful or fatal as can be seen in the cases I already quoted.
You mentioned that other factors have not been taken into account and that's right.
But the fact remains that
1.) Babies die of SIDS in their own cots.
2.) That risk is increased in the case of co-sleeping.
3.) That risk may be further increased by such factors as smoking, gestational period etc etc.

The original study probably did not take into account all those other factors (and there are many, many different ones) simply because you can't take to many factors into account in ONE study.
Otherwise you will have so many different variables in the study that making any distinct conclusions would be very difficult.

Other studies will have to take place in order to come to conclusions about each factor.

But the fact remains that co-sleeping increases the risk of SIDS, it is not the absolute cause but the study reveals that this factor alone increases the already existant risk.
Other studies may show that other factors also increase the risk such as smoking, abnormality, low birth-weight.
Add all those risks together and you greatly increase the risk of your baby dying of SIDS.

Blue Rose

Originally posted by Kananga
I
The fact is the SIDS is on the increase, as is co-sleeping. Smoking is (in general throughout the western world) on the decrease.
Attributing SIDS only to those people who smoke AND co-sleep is a little shortsighted IMO.

I admit, I live in the US, so I don't know about if SIDS is on the rise in Ireland, but here it's on the decline:



A Message from the Chairman
Marc Peterzell
This year, 2003, the American SIDS Institute celebrates its 20th anniversary. We have much to celebrate. Because of efforts by the Institute and other organizations, the sudden infant death rate is at an all time low. Since 1983, the rate of SIDS has fallen by over 50 percent. Sadly, there are still about 2,500 deaths per year in the United States, and thousands more throughout the world

Here's the link:
http://www.sids.org/

There has been a HUGE campaign to educate the public about laying their babies on their backs, and this has been a major factor in the decrease.
I am a fan in bedsharing as well. BTW.

Yavvy

yeah that was another point I wanted to raise

SIDS is on the decrease ( In Ireland too) ... has been for some time now.

Im afraid there might be something amiss in Indianapolis, county Marion . I wonder if they have started checking other factors.

I really dont see how co sleeping increases the risk of sids if you are doing the right things. I can understand how it can be a major factor if you dont take the proper precautions...

cars are not the causes of motor accidents, alslong as you take the proper precautions. Same thing with co sleeping me thinks.

Look, we had our son 'co-sleeping' for a while, not too long and not too often for the very simple reason that we were worried about rolling over on him or him falling out.

first of all, you did what you feel was best..and Ill bet it was wat was best for your family. But there is no way we could roll on to our baby. the past 5 months have tought us that for sure ( my wife is so intune with my baby's needs it could never happen. When my baby is old enough to roll we will have a full lenght bed guard to prevent that, right now we have a converted crip next to the bed, so that can never happen.

I mean, the guy who I quoted is a County Coroner not an every day GP.

yeah but I get my information forom sicentists and organisations dedicated to infant care, This guy may not be as qualified to make such statments as my sources ( the WHO, american SIDS inst, Dr William Sears etc)

But the fact remains that co-sleeping increases the risk of SIDS, it is not the absolute cause but the study reveals that this factor alone increases the already existant risk.

thats not a fact that a related statistic, and there is a differance. co Sleeping is safewhen practiced correctly. The statistic doesnt account for that...it cant..

DeaKat

I breastfed my daughter until she was two and a half.. i stopped sharing a bed with her around the same age and i still immediately respond to her cries.

January

Ancient thread is ancient... closed.