Why room sharing might not be the answer

Presented by Owlet

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Evidence for room sharing is really weak

Room Sharing: When to move your baby to their own room and can you avoid sleep regression

Like most parents, we heavily relied on recommendations from credible sources like the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). The AAP will tell you that it is best for baby to co-room with parents until at least 6 months, preferably 12 months. We felt 4 weeks was right for us, and we'll explain why.

Our burning questions were, how did the AAP settle on the 6-12 month timeframe and why is co-rooming considered superior to having the baby sleep in their own room. The answer we found might surprise you. Spoiler alert: There’s no perfect time to end room sharing. Every baby is different anyway, duhh.

Nobody really knowns why co-rooming reduces the risk of SIDS but our takeaway was, babies sleep lighter and wake often due to noises in their environment, this may reduce the risk of SIDS. Nighttime breastfeeding, which often comes with co-rooming, also contributes to lowering risk because breastmilk is digested faster resulting in more feedings through the night. Now, let's dive into these "case-control" studies performed in Europe. The issue here is that while these studies match children with SIDS to similar counterparts in age and gender, they can only establish a relationship, not causation. Plus, these studies were conducted back in the 1990s. Since then, there's been a significant decline in global SIDS rates due to education about safe sleep practices.

In 2022, the AAP arbitrarily reduced the recommendation from 12 months to 6 months, and the evidence is really weak. Since the risk of SIDS is much lower now, it is unclear if room sharing is still protective. Moreover, we now have hospital-grade consumer technology capable of live blood oxygen tracking and breaths per second monitoring with audible alerts if vitals are irregular. Studies show even incorporating a fan, be it a nursery ceiling fan or a portable one, can play a crucial role in minimizing the risk SIDS. Air ciruclation assists in regulating a comfortable room temperature, and reduces the buildup of carbon dioxide around the infant's airway. Toss in a good noise machine, and you’ve more or less recreated the same bedroom environment. These were ultimately the reasons we felt comfortable moving our baby so quickly and we haven’t looked back.

Oddly overlooked is the expectation that sleep-deprived parents will be able to effectively respond if their baby faces SIDS during nighttime sleep. Babies produce various sounds, occasional cries, and as parents soon realize, it's not always feasible to continually check on the baby. The highest risk for SIDS occurs between 1-4 months, and we feel any concerned parent should invest in wearable technology like Nanit or Owlet baby monitors. This technology can provide alerts if the baby's breathing falls below a safe level, offering an added layer of assurance.

There is also plenty of evidence suggesting that room sharing actually comes with added risks. Sleep-deprived parents are more likely to engage in unsafe sleep practices. Research points out that babies who share a room are four times more likely to end up in their parents' bed at night, and twice as likely to have pillows, blankets, and other unsafe sleeping materials nearby. Pulling a baby into bed and sleeping with loose bedding is known to increase the risk of SIDS. So, keeping a baby in the same room might actually increase behaviors that can cause SIDS.

A study published in the June 2017 Pediatrics journal raises another concern – babies and parents don't sleep as well. Beyond sleep, this choice can impact bonding, marital dynamics, and mental health, contributing to postpartum depression, anxiety, and even the risk of accidents like Shaken Baby Syndrome. Sometimes, we overlook how perilous sleep deprivation can be. Research shows that it affects us both cognitively and physically – our brains actually act drunk when we are sleep deprived.

And we haven't even touched on all the benefits yet. Beyond weighing the risks and determining what's right for your family, there are plenty of perks. Sleep training becomes a breeze, babies sleep longer, and there's no awkward transition from a bassinet to a crib, keeping everyone a bit more sane. In every situation, it’s about weighing risks and benefits.

This is not medical advice, use safe sleeping practices. Please consult your pediatrician about how to keep your infant safe while sleeping.

You Need The Owlet Sock

We use the Owlet Smart Sock, and it completely transformed our baby's sleep routine. This device monitors heart rate and oxygen levels, sending audible alerts that will wake you if baby goes outside the safe ranges. It also provides insights into sleep patterns and overall well-being.

The real game-changer? We could confidently move our baby to her own room after just 4 weeks. The relief was immense – no more constantly checking for breathing or squinting at the baby monitor. With the Smart Sock, I could be in another room, knowing my baby was okay.

While not flawless, there are some quirks to getting the sock fit right and prevent a reading error which plays a jingle that haunted our dreams after a few nights. We also found that most wearables are not able to accurately determine baby sleep cycles. Some babies move a lot, others make loud noises and this can cause Owlet’s data to be wildly inaccurate. Regardless, the most important reason for using the sock is to prevent SIDS.

Pro tip: The FDA-cleared Dream Sock and BabySat are literally identical. The only difference is the BabySat requires a prescription and enables a doctor to predetermine the tolerances for blood oxygen.

Monitor what matters most