Anna Good
Actress Alicia Silverstone recently made an appearance on The Ellen Fisher Podcast where she revealed that she continues to co-sleep with her 11-year-old son, Bear.
The actress received some rather nasty and harsh responses to the news, with people claiming that she was taking co-sleeping “too far” and that Bear would never “learn to be independent.” There were also many who chimed in to say they saw the unconventional sleeping arrangement as good parenting.
Pediatricians and child psychologists weighed in on the issue.
“I have always told parents that sharing a bed with your child is a personal decision, not a medical decision,” said Dr. Rebecca Fisk, a pediatrician at Lenox Hill Hospital at Northwell Health in New York.
The doctor added that parents should wait until their children are at least a year old before co-sleeping with them, as there is an increased risk of suffocation and SIDS, according to Insider.
Meanwhile, Elizabeth Matheis, a licensed clinical psychologist at Psychological and Educational Consulting, LLC, in Livingston, New Jersey, said, “We all come from different backgrounds and the rules, or parenting guidelines, vary greatly — it’s what works for you and your family.”
Dr. Fisk added that co-sleeping can also be disruptive depending on each individual person’s sleeping habits and needs, and that parents should insure that their children are getting the rest they need to function during the day.
If co-sleeping doesn’t work for the parent(s) or child, another option would be to have a floor mattress for the child to sleep on until they’re tired and to walk them back to their bedroom, or to hang out with them in their room until they fall asleep.
“You can have a cohesive relationship with your child but have boundaries,” Fisk said. She added that once your child hit puberty, it’s time to stop co-sleeping.
“I wouldn’t want a 14-year-old child sleeping in the bed with his or her mother or father. If you asked me to draw a line, I think it’s at the prepubertal time,” Fisk concluded.
Matheis was of the same mind, saying, “Adolescence, or the onset of puberty, may be a good time to transition to different beds.”