The Effects of Children Sleeping With Parents

Behavioral Insomnia in Children

• When a child gets into the habit of co-sleeping with parents, he may develop behavioral insomnia, according to a March 2011 report on the U.S. National Library of Medicine website. A kid with this condition may have difficulty falling or staying asleep and, in response, retreat to his parents̵7; bed. While co-sleeping can help a child feel more secure at night and less fearful about falling asleep, it should only be a short-term solution so it doesn̵7;t become a habit. If an older child is accustomed to co-sleeping with his parents, he may find it more difficult to sleep at slumber parties, overnight trips with his classmates, camp or at a relative̵7;s home.

Adult Sleep Deprivation

• Doctors debate the benefits and drawbacks of co-sleeping. While there isn̵7;t any evidence that proves the practice causes children to be more dependent or spoiled, bed-sharing can have negative implications on parents, according to the Children̵7;s Health Network. Kids are naturally fitful sleepers who toss, turn and kick while asleep. While a child may have a restful night of sleep in her parents̵7; bed, the sleep interruptions caused by her movements can make a parent feel stressed and exhausted during the day, according to the Quirky Kid Psychology Clinic.

SIDS Risks in Infants

• One of the risks associated with co-sleeping is sudden infant death syndrome, or SIDS, during the first year of a child̵7;s life. The Canadian Pediatric Society advises that it is beneficial for a baby to sleep in the same room as his parents during the first six months of his life, but he should sleep in a crib. Items commonly found on a bed -- such as pillows, comforters, padding and blankets -- can increase the risk of SIDS. Sleeping masks, belts on robes and similar items increase the risk of strangulation in babies and children. A parent who is heavy sleeper, impaired by a substance or exhausted may pose a crushing hazard to a baby or child when sharing a bed.

Parental Intimacy Issues

• Habitual bed sharing with a child may strain the parents̵7; relationship with one another, according to the Quirky Kid Psychology Clinic. The practice may compromise the couple̵7;s privacy, communication, intimacy and physical closeness. On the Associated Counselors & Therapists website, social worker Janice G. Tracht states that regular co-sleeping can also become problematic if her parents are divorced or she lives with a single parent, particularly if the parent uses the child to fulfill her emotional needs. In addition, when a single parent dates, shares her bed with a new partner and doesn̵7;t allow her child to co-sleep, the kid may feel jealous, displaced or unwanted.