Why Kids Who Sleep With Their Parents Are Actually More Confident in the Future

Usually, many of us prefer to have our toddlers just within reach to assure their safety. And children like this experience for comfort and security. There are many cultures where it’s completely okay to co-sleep with your kids. Though it’s not the same in all Western countries. Anyway, if you need any validation, scientists have a lot of good news to share here too.

We at Bright Side have searched for some of the recent research and found out that there are plenty of benefits to letting your kids in your bed any time they ask. And here are some of them.

1. Co-sleep only with children above a year old.

First of all, let’s mention that in this article we are talking about children above a year old, not about babies. Though they also can share a bedroom with their parents. Just make sure they do not share the same sleeping surface. Since sleeping with a baby may be too risky.

In all the other cases, if you find your children creeping into your bed at night, praise yourself. All because researchers claim that kids who like co-sleeping with you from time to time are more likely to be successful later on in life and become intelligent and confident adults.

2. Co-sleeping will significantly contribute to your kids becoming more independent.

Of course, there are many parents who advocate against co-sleeping. They just think solitary sleep is correlated with independence and they want to encourage that in their children.

Though scientists encourage letting your children sleep with you at night. They say it will contribute to your kids becoming more independent and confident. While children who never slept in their parent’s beds tend to be more fearful, are likely harder to control, less happy, and more dependent on their parents.

3. It will allow children to feel more secure and connected to their parents.

Alanis Morissette said it better than anyone in her blog in 2012, saying, “I personally believe that the attachment stage, done well, can circumvent countless addictions later in life because many of these addictions are often a temporary attempt at feeling this sense of connection.”

And researchers confirm her words. A survey reveals that adult students with a history of co-sleeping with their parents had higher self-esteem than others and experienced less fear and anxiety. One respondent stated that it always gave him a feeling of security to know that if he had a bad dream, he could always crawl into bed with his mom and dad.

4. Children feel more comfortable in relationships with others in the future.

Furthermore, it also helped respondents become more comfortable in relationships with others. Especially boys. It provides skin-to-skin contact, which promotes the release of oxytocin and strengthens the bond between people. Children are especially sensitive to it. It calms and soothes them, and also regulates their temperature and heart rate.

Some families even dedicate one day of a week to a “big family sleep.” Like Angelina Jolie. She revealed that on Sundays they all get in bed and watch a movie. “It started with Mad, then Pax, and now Z is desperate to move into the bed. We’re talking about having to build a bigger bed!”

5. It’s a great way to connect with each other if you have a very strict working schedule.

In general, co-sleeping may help you stay connected as a family, especially if both parents have rough working schedules, like our beloved actors who can spend 12, and sometimes 14, hours a day on set making films.

For instance, Milla Jovovich revealed that she practiced co-sleeping with her then-7-year-old daughter which helped her little girl naturally feel very connected to them, and that in turn made her want to please them.

6. This way, children sleep and then wake up much better — wake-ups at night happen less.

It also gives them easy access to breastfeeding since their mom is always near. In general, mothers who co-sleep with their children tend to breastfeed for longer. And breastfeeding is strongly associated with a decrease in SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome) risks.

And finally, children who share the same bed with their parents tend to get more sleep. Yes, they may have some wake-ups but usually, they stay in tune with mommy and daddy and consequently wake up less at night. The awakenings in the morning also become less stressful for them.

How often do you let your children sleep with you at night? What other benefits have you noticed in your kids through the years?