Family bed love - follow your heart!

Waking up with your loved ones, each in their own bed, but still sleeping comfortably and restfully, cuddling with the children in the big family bed, romping around, telling stories, planning the day together is just a dream for some parents. The sleeping situation in which many parents find themselves is as individual as families and their way of life can be. Small children in particular find it difficult to fall asleep or sleep through the night without their parents, seek closeness to them at night and climb into the double bed, parents sleep on the floor next to the cots or get up countless times during the night. Sleep situations that interrupt the nights and can be energy draining, especially for the adults.

In recent years, more and more families are considering sleeping together or have already deliberately introduced it. A trend is developing towards more originality, the positive effects of which have already been confirmed in scientific studies and which is not new. Because up until the beginning of the 20th century, families in Germany slept in one bed.

Sleep as nature intended.

The WHO has been encouraging co-sleeping since 2008 because, according to studies, sleeping in the family bed prevents the infant from overheating and respiratory arrest. The noises made when the parents take a breath encourage the infant to breathe, and the baby falls into fewer deep sleep phases, which can be dangerous for Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS). Thus, sleeping the family in one bed reduces the risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome.

The baby sleeps best in the family bed in the sleeping bag next to the mother or in the extra bed that is connected to the family bed. As a breastfeeding mother, you will be thrilled to sleep together. If you get hungry, you feed your baby stress-free directly in bed and after a short time mother and child can go back to sleep. A study by the British Durham University confirmed the positive effects of sleeping together on the breastfeeding mother and her child. The breastfeeding mother automatically turns to the infant during co-sleeping. It forms a maternal protective chamber that conveys security to the infant. In this sleeping position, she also perceives the temperature and breathing noises and can react immediately if there are any deviations. For the baby and also for small children, the parents\' natural flow of breath conveys security.

Babies and toddlers have no sense of space when they sleep, which is why, for evolutionary reasons, they seek the closeness of their parents, especially at night. This strong need of the little ones for protection and security is satisfied in the family bed. The natural body contact not only strengthens the parent-child relationship, it is also valuable for the sibling relationship. Family bed children are given security through a lot of closeness, basic trust is strengthened and they tend to grow up to be strong and independent individuals.

Sheltered children, well-rested parents, relaxation for the whole family

But not only the children benefit from the family bed, because the nightly interruptions are reduced by co-sleeping and become significantly shorter. Breastfeeding, preparing bottles, handing the cup of water or the pacifier are possible while half asleep without waking the rest of the family up by leaving the room. With the family bed, the sleeping rhythms of parents and children are balanced. There are fewer disturbances of the peace, which is why father and mother can also enjoy a restful sleep. If the children are separated from their parents during the day, the focus is even more on family time together with co-sleeping.

"Children should get two things from their parents: roots and wings."

For us, this quote from JW von Goethe symbolically reflects the advantages of sleeping together in the family bed. Give roots so wings can grow. Our children should be allowed to develop freely, play, be creative, romp around, laugh, be happy, sleep soundly - be children. Isn\'t that what we wish for these little people who are so in need of protection? We want to pave the way for them with a happy childhood in their luggage, so that they can develop, stand up for themselves and others with confidence, spread their wings, but never forget their roots.

#TeamLiebe

Your lawn team

Sources and further texts:

Sueddeutsche.de - lawn humor:

https://nl-link.sueddeutsche.de/archive.php?p=783191557_147985

Midwife blog – helpful words from an expert:

https://www.hebammenblog.de/familienbett

Focus – About advantages (judgments) of co-sleeping:

https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.focus.de/familie/eltern/familie-heute/schlafen-im-elternbett-was-mit-kindern-passiert-die-nicht-alleine-schlafen-lernen_id_10927000.html