Co-sleeping can be a nightmare

Few parenting topics spark as much passion and ire as co-sleeping. The term refers to the practice of babies sleeping close, within “sensory range,” of their caregivers at night. Co-sleeping can, but doesn’t necessarily, mean that babies sleep in the same bed as their parents; alternatively, babies can sleep in a separate bassinet in the same room or in one that attaches to the parents’ bed. Keeping babies in the same room during the night until they’re 1 year old is the recommendation of the American Academy of Pediatrics (although families really into co-sleeping might do it for years).

Anyone who has tried to sleep with their little one is probably familiar with many of the sleeping positions that come along with it. We picked some of the best ones from Andy Herald and Charlie Capen’s book, The Guide to Baby Sleep Positions, to demonstrate that you are not alone. Use this video to see if you can identify exactly which bedtime contortion you’ve mastered.

Parents who are very light sleepers and babies who are particularly loud sleepers (most babies are pretty noisy during the night) might find after enough nights of the Hook and Sling that co-sleeping isn’t for them. Those babies should probably be moved out of the room after a few months. If you’re literally not sleeping because your child is in the room with you, don’t kill yourself with The Face Hugger trying to make co-sleeping work. There are a lot of ways to raise healthy children while staying sane. Co-sleeping is just one of them.