Sleep Parenting Across Cultures

Last week a Salon article addressed the controversial topic of sleep parenting. Ada Calhoun shared how she and her husband grappled with conflicting advice about what was best for their newborn.

“Cry it out” sleep training. Attachment parenting. Baby management. New parents can become overwhelmed by all of the advice offered by parenting books.

Now Calhoun is joining the debate with her own book. Instinctive Parenting advises parents to “find what works for you and your family and ditch the anxiety and judgment.”



But sleep parenting can vary widely across cultures. A recent study compared countries that are mostly Caucasian with those that are primarily Asian.

The study involved parents of 29,287 infants and toddlers. Seventeen countries were represented. Parents completed a questionnaire on the Internet.

Results published in March show that young children in Asian countries went to bed later and slept less. Bed sharing and room sharing also were more common in their homes.

Bedtimes ranged from 7:27 p.m. in New Zealand to 10:17 p.m. in Hong Kong. Total sleep time ranged from 11.6 hours in Japan to 13.3 hours in New Zealand.

In New Zealand only 5.8 percent of parents reported sharing a bed with their infant or toddler. In contrast bed sharing was reported by 83.2 percent of parents in Vietnam.

The initial results of the study were presented at SLEEP 2008. Another report based on the research will be published in April.

It shows that 57 percent of parents in Caucasian countries reported that their child falls asleep independently in his or her own crib or bed. This was reported by just four percent of parents in primarily Asian regions.

In 2006 the AASM published practice parameters for bedtime problems and night wakings in young children and infants. A task force of experts reviewed all of the current research on this topic.

The report recommends sleep training to help infants and toddlers learn to fall asleep on their own. You can read a summary of the report on SleepEducation.com.

Discuss any ongoing sleep problems with your child’s doctor. He or she may refer you to an AASM-accredited sleep center for help.

Read more about sleep and children.

Getting Your Child to Sleep…Alone

Earlier this week on ABC, “Good Morning America” offered advice for parents whose children don’t like to sleep alone.

GMA correspondent Cameron Mathison went on a special assignment to tackle the issue. The location? His own house.


He and his wife Vanessa had been struggling to keep their two kids from sleeping in Mom and Dad’s bed. These co-sleeping parents would prefer to be sleeping solo. So family sleep therapist Jennifer Waldburger from Sleepy Planet came to the rescue.

She said that the whole family benefits when children learn to sleep well. Children who get enough sleep are smarter and happier, and they behave better.

“The benefits are huge,” Waldburger said. “As much as you love your kids now, you’re gonna’ love them even more when they are sleeping.”

She offered a variety of strategies to help parents who have this common problem. These included using morning rewards and having a “sleep party” in the children’s rooms.

After giving it a try, Cameron reports that they have had success for five days in a row.

“It worked!” he told GMA host George Stephanopoulos. “The point is they’re getting the sleep that they needed.”

Hundreds of viewers wrote the show with their own questions. Parenting expert Elizabeth Pantley answered some of these questions online.

Last month the Sleep Education Blog reported that “Living Well with Leisa” host Leisa Naples found a creative way to get her girls to wind down at night. She calls it “Family Spa Night.”

What about you? How have you taught your children to sleep in their own beds?

Couples & Sleep: Together or Apart?

Many couples may enjoy cuddling before falling asleep; but researcher Dr. Neil Stanley suggests that sharing a bed can lead to poor sleep and hurt your relationship.

Stanley told attendees of the British Science Festival that couples should consider sleeping apart, reports the Press Association. He said there is a 50-percent chance that your bed partner’s movements will disturb your sleep.

BBC News reports that Stanley follows his own advice: He and his wife sleep in separate rooms.

“Don’t be afraid to do something different,” Stanley said.

Stanley added that a couple’s sleep arrangement should be based on what makes them comfortable. If a couple sleeps well together, then there is no need to trade in a queen-sized bed for twin beds. But you may find that you are happier and healthier sleeping alone.

There is some support for this idea. A 2004 study in the journal Sleep involved 405 married couples; it found that an individual’s sleep problems can have a negative impact on his or her spouse’s health and well being.

But are separate bedrooms the solution? Maybe not; it may avoid the problem instead of solving it.

Last month the Sleep Education Blog reported that people who have a sleep disorder may be unaware of the problem. But the symptoms may be obvious to their bed partner.

People with a sleep disorder may wake their partner at night by snoring or making choking and snorting sounds; they also may grind their teeth, thrash their legs or punch and kick during sleep.

There are effective treatments for these sleep disorders; treatment can help both you and your bed partner sleep better. Get help for your partner’s sleep problem at an AASM-accredited sleep center near you.

These sleep tips for couples also may help you and your bed partner sleep better together.

Co-sleeping, Bed Sharing & Infant Deaths

A new study reports that infant mortality rates attributable to accidental suffocation and strangulation in bed have quadrupled since 1984. The rates of these deaths increased from 2.8 to 12.5 deaths per 100,000 live births from 1984 to 2004.

Why the dramatic increase? The Washington Post reports that it could be an issue of data shifting.

There are stricter guidelines for sudden, unexpected infant deaths. As a result these deaths are being classified more carefully. Some deaths once classified as SIDS may now be classified as suffocation.

There also may be a link to a recent rise in co-sleeping and bed sharing. Another article in the Washington Post reports that bed sharing in the U.S. doubled from 1993 to 2000.

In one Georgia county three infants recently suffocated in bed. In each case reports indicate that a parent rolled onto the child while sleeping.

A recent study found a bed-sharing rate in the U.S. of 42 percent when infants are 2 weeks old. The rate was 34 percent at 3 months of age and 27 percent at 12 months.

Bed-sharing rates are much higher in some other cultures. In one study about 61 percent of Thai infants shared the bed with their parents.

A common reason for bed sharing is to make it easier to breastfeed. A study found that bed-sharing infants breastfeed longer and more often.

But research also has linked co-sleeping to an increased risk of infant death. One study found that the risk is highest with couch sharing. It also found a higher risk of death for bed-sharing infants who are less than 11 weeks old.

A study in the journal Sleep analyzed the advice provided in 39 parenting books. Forty percent opposed co-sleeping; 28 percent endorsed it; 32 percent took no position.

Different patterns of co-sleeping were recommended in the books. Some promote co-sleeping only during the first weeks or months after birth; others recommend long-term co-sleeping in a “family bed.”

An American Academy of Pediatrics policy statement recommends infant room sharing. It advises parents that infants should sleep in the parents’ bedroom and close to their bed. The baby can be brought into the bed for feeding or comforting.

But an infant should be placed on a separate sleep surface when the parent is ready to return to sleep. The sleep surface should be firm. Soft objects and loose bedding should be kept out of the crib, cradle or bassinette.

Infants always should be placed to sleep on their back.