James J. McKenna - Sleeping with Your Baby: A Parents Guide to Cosleeping

P rofessor James J. McKenna, Ph.D., is the Rev. Edmund P. Joyce C.S.C. Chair in Anthropology at the University of Notre Dame. He also directs the Mother-Baby Behavioral Sleep Laboratory at the University. He has published extensively on infant sleep, breastfeeding, Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS), and the evolution of human behavior, with special emphasis on the differences between the behavior and physiology of solitary, cosleeping and breastfeeding mother-baby pairs. His interests include how cultural factors influence infant and childcare practices, which, in turn, affect maternal-infant health and well-being. The National Institutes of Child Health and Human Development fund his research. Currently, he is involved in a multi-site U.S.A. national prospective project examining first-time teen moms throughout their pregnancies and throughout the first three years of their infants lives. His articles have appeared in periodicals and academic journals around the world, and he is considered one of the leading authorities on scientific studies of infant-parent cosleeping and breastfeeding, especially bedsharing, having been the first to study the practice. He is a sought-after speaker for pediatric conferences and health, professional, parenting, and policy conferences around the globe. Visit his homepage at http://www.nd.edu/~jmckenn1/lab.

Fleiss, Paul M. Sweet Dreams: A Pediatricians Secrets for your Childs Good Nights Sleep. December, 2000. ISBN: 737304944

Most new parents quickly and sadly discover the difficulty of getting a child first to go to sleep, and then to sleep throughout the night. Dr. Fleiss, a noted family pediatrician for more than 30 years, shares his secrets for discovering a childs natural sleep patterns, developing positive bedtime rituals, nutritional and lifestyle aids to sleep, and how cosleeping affects normal growth and development.

Goodavage, Maria and Jay Gordon, M.D. Good Nights: The Happy Parents Guide to the Family Bed. June, 2002. ISBN: 312275188

Good Nights puts your concerns about the family bed to rest, with fun and easy-to-use guidance on safety, coping with criticism, and even keeping the spark in your marriage (albeit outside the bedroom). With warmth and humor, Dr. Jay Gordon, a nationally-recognized pediatrician who has endorsed the family bed for decades, and Maria Goodavage, a former USA Today staff writer with training in sleep research, give you everything youll need in order to thriveand at times, simply survivewith the family bed.

Jackson, Deborah. Three in a Bed: The Benefits of Sharing Your Bed with Your Baby. August, 1999. ISBN: 158234051

This classic book details the invaluable benefits for breastfeeding mothers, reviews the history of babies in the bed and, through interviews with parents, explores current attitudes to the idea. It also contains a new perspective on the tragedy of cot death, as well as practical advice on how to sustain your sex life, hints on safety in the bed and answers to common objections.

Mothering Magazine Special Edition, No. 114. September/October 2002.

An entire issue of the magazine for natural parenting devoted to the issue of cosleeping. Go to http://www.mothering.com/ to order back copies of the 40-page issue for $8.

Sears, Martha & William Sears. How to Get Your Baby to Sleep. July, 2002. ISBN: 316776203

Dr. Bill and Martha Sears share their expertise on developing a nighttime routine, creating a safe sleep environment for your child, how to dress your baby for sleep, how to avoid SIDS, helping your child unwind at bedtime, the benefits of sleep-sharing, determining how much sleep your child needs, coping with a light sleeper or an early riser, and tips for getting your toddler to stay in bed.

Sears, William. Nighttime Parenting: How to Get your Baby and Child to Sleep. November, 1999. ISBN: 452281482

Written to make that job easier and to help the whole familymother, father, babysleep better, this book helps parents understand why babies sleep differently than adults, offers solutions to nighttime problems, and even describes how certain styles of nighttime parenting can aid in child spacing and lower the risks of SIDS.

Sunderland, Margot. Science of Parenting: Practical Guidance on Sleep, Crying, Play and Building Emotional Wellbeing for Life. May, 2006. ISBN: 0756618800

Based on over 700 scientific studies into childrens development, child psychotherapist Dr. Margot Sunderland explains a hands-on parenting approach that helps children to realize their full potential.

Thevenin, Tine. Family Bed. February, 2002. ISBN: 039952729X

An excellent (Jane Goodall, Ph.D.) guide to the pros and cons of having children sleep in their parents beds.

Ball, Dr. Helen, Sally Inch and Marion Copeland. The Benefits of Bedsharing. 2005. Available from Platypus Media.

www.PlatypusMedia.com

This warm and instructional video/DVD, based on research at the Mother-Baby Sleep Lab at the University of Durham (UK) as well as sleep research from around the world, is an accurate and sensible guide to the benefits and safety issues of bedsharing

UNICEF UK Baby Friendly Initiative leaflet on bedsharing

http://www.babyfriendly.org.uk/parents/sharingbed.asp

A leaflet with information on the benefits and risks of bedsharing, designed to help parents make informed decisions about safely sharing a bed with their babies. Downloads available in English, French, Spanish and Portuguese.

James J. McKenna and the University of Notre Dames Mother-Baby Behavioral Sleep Laboratory

http://www.nd.edu/~jmckenn1/lab/

Author James J. McKennas official website, full of further information on cosleeping and bedsharing.

Dr. Helen Ball and the Durham University Parent-Infant Sleep Laboratory

http://www.dur.ac.uk/sleep.lab/

A United Kingdom-based parent-child sleep study center, with lots of information.

Dr. William Sears

http://www.askdrsears.com

The official website of the grandfather of the attachment parenting movement, Dr. William Sears, his wife and registered nurse Martha, and two of their sons, both pediatricians.

Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine is a worldwide organization of physicians dedicated to the promotion, protection and support of breastfeeding and human lactation. By uniting members of various medical specialties with this common goal, ABM is developing clinical protocols for managing common medical problems that may impact breastfeeding success.

140 Huguenot Street, 3rd floor

New Rochelle, NY 10801

800-990-4226

ABM@bfmed.org

http://www.bfmed.org/

American SIDS Institute is a national nonprofit health care organization dedicated to the prevention of sudden infant death and the promotion of infant health through aggressive, comprehensive nationwide programs.

509 Augusta Drive

Marietta, GA 30067

770-426-8746

prevent@sids.org

http://www.sids.org/

Attachment Parenting International networks with parents, professionals and like-minded organizations around the world. In addition to providing assistance in forming Attachment Parenting support groups, API functions as a clearinghouse providing educational materials, research information, consultative, referral and speaker services to promote Attachment Parenting concepts.