All about cosleeping! With a poignant testimony from Noemy

Cododo, or co-sleeping, is still a controversial subject between those who are totally for it and those who are totally against it.

On our side, we are rather for it, as long as it is practiced correctly!

One thing is sure, sleep is precious!

So we will see what cododo is, what are the rules for practicing it, what are the advantages and disadvantages. Noemy, from le.souriredenoemy, also gives you his moving testimony related to his experience. 

The cododo, what is it ?

Co means "with". 

Dodo comes from the French translation of "sleeping" which means to sleep.

Understand sleeping with your baby.

But be careful, cododo does not necessarily mean sleeping in the same bed. 

The aim of this practice is to be close to your baby so that you can keep an eye on him, listen to him breathe, feel him... and be reassured.

How to practice it

The WHO (World Health Organization) recommends the practice of cododo for the baby's first 6 months to facilitate breastfeeding.

With a cododo bed :

co-sleeping bed, Leander 

Cododo beds are the safest for this practice. It is forbidden to put bumper pads, stuffed animals or any other fabric that could hide the baby's face. Try to keep the temperature in the room between 18 and 20°C and wrap your baby in a swaddling cloth or a sleeping bag to prevent him from getting cold. Cotton muslin sleeping bags are ideal for keeping baby warm, yet lightweight and breathable. Choose your sleeping bag according to the season. In winter, a slightly more fleecey sleeping bag is preferable to keep warm. In the summer, we prefer a soft and light cotton gauze sleeping bag. Sleeping bags allow baby to be comfortable and warm without covering his face.

Co-sleeping bed, Geuther

If you don't want to invest in a special cododo bed, you can definitely buy a convertible bed with a barrier. This will allow you to glue it to your bed and lower the barrier on the side of your bed. However, it is essential that you have a safety device to attach the cot to the parent's bed to prevent a hole from forming between the two mattresses.

Convertible bed with barrier, Bopita

In the parental bed:

This is not the technique we recommend, as there are many risks for your baby. But if for one reason or another, you must take your baby in your bed, you must respect these instructions: 

- All duvets, pillows and eiderdowns are removed so as not to disturb baby's breathing.

- Don't put your baby in the middle of the bed between the two parents. Although mommy has a maternal instinct, daddy doesn't. There's little chance that you're crushing your baby with your hormones. These will stop you. But it's different for Daddy... and it can be very dangerous for Baby. 

- We also avoid putting baby up against a wall so he doesn't fall between the mattress and the wall. If you really want protection, choose a ventilated child barrier.

- Place your baby on his back, between you and the edge of the bed, leaving a space between the edge and the baby. It is advisable to put a mattress on the floor or a few cushions if your baby falls out, but this is unlikely to happen if your baby is well wrapped in his sleeping bag. 

You can also wedge your baby in the bed with your pregnancy carrier.

Contraindications:

Accidents happen quickly. Never perform cododo in your parental bed if :

- You take sleeping pills

- One of the parents took any drugs or alcohol.

- At least one parent is obese (an aggravating factor in infant mortality in the event of a crash)

- You're extremely tired

This last point may seem trivial to you, but Noemy almost paid the price a while ago.

Noemy, mother of 4 pretty little girls, has been practicing cododo since her first delivery, almost 8 years ago. 

While she was sleeping with her little Amber under her arm, during her sleep, her arm slackened and landed on her 2-month-old daughter's face. It was what you might call her subconscious mind that alerted her. When she woke up, she saw her daughter under her arm, looking for her breath, her face red. Luckily, she quickly started smiling at her mother again, as if to say "everything's fine, Mom".

She explains that this incident happened at a time when she was very tired, and this is probably what would have caused the scare, despite the fact that she is experienced and alert.

Ambre had her cododo bed nearby, but like most parents, we can't resist taking our baby with us in bed . 

"I've gotten a good slap in the face... since what happened, Amber's been sleeping in her bed"

Her message: "Be careful. When you sleep with your child, if you can, put him or her in the crib. Even if it's hard, even if you like to smell them, cuddle them... think about safety. Anything can happen, and it doesn't just happen to other people".

Find his moving testimony in IGTV on his page Instagram le.souriredenoemy

The advantages:

Cododo, when practiced properly, has many advantages for both parents and baby. In particular, it would reduce the risk of cot death. Your baby also feels reassured. After all, he has just spent 9 months in his mother's womb, so it's not so easy to be alone overnight!

Cododo makes breastfeeding much easier and improves sleep.  You may be wondering how these two practices can be combined?

Every 3 hours, your baby will ask for his meal. This is how he is regulated during his first months. He will not necessarily wake up completely. He'll just look for the breast, and hopefully go back to sleep quickly. It's also an advantage for Mum: she won't need to get up, staying in bed won't completely break her sleep pattern.

Of course, it's a cut-off sleep, but it's a quality sleep that's due to the hormones secreted during the feed and which helps mom fall asleep. 

This is surely why we often hear that mothers who practise cododo are less tired than mothers who do not practise it.

Finally, we would like to remind you that every baby is different, with different needs. What your friend does with her baby may not work with your baby. What you practiced with your first child may not work with your newest child.

Listen to yourself, respect the rules of the co-sleeping and... Have a beautiful and sweet night!