Goodnight moon, hello Mom and Dad
By Bruce Bower
Some researchers decry the practice of permitting babies and young children to sleep in the same bed as their parents do, warning of its potential to smother youngsters, both physically and emotionally. Others regard this arrangement, known as co-sleeping, as a way to build strong families and emotionally secure children.
New data suggest that this debate is too simplistic. Two contrasting types of co-sleeping exist in the United States, say Meret A. Keller and Wendy A. Goldberg, both of the University of California, Irvine.