The subject of bed-sharing and cosleeping has been a hot topic in recent years, but Dr. Karp is very clear with his advice. "We say don't bring the baby in bed with you if you're drunk. That's been associated with cot death. When you're sleep deprived, you're the equivalent of drunk." Dr. Karp explains. "You can't be responsible for what you do in a deep sleep. What's recommended to parents is 'do not bed share if you're very tired' — who isn't very tired if you have a baby?!" This is why he designed a smart sleeper that is completely independent to the parents' own bed. The Snoo has no drop-down sides or fasteners, though you can purchase different legs to ensure it lines up easily to your bed for quick access to your baby during nighttime feeding sessions.
That said, Dr. Karp does recognise that changes in safe sleeping advice are, in part, to blame for the rise in bed-sharing. "Before the 1990s, which was when we started recommending back sleeping, almost no-one bed shared. Why? Because babies sleep better on their stomachs." He explained. "By flipping them to the back, we actually undermined their sleep . . . that's really when swaddling started back up again, and white noise, and people started, just by intention or by accident, bringing the baby in bed with them." However, though it may be more difficult to get a baby to sleep on its back, it is by far the safest way, and Dr. Karp's safe sleeping recommendations are similar to those outlined by the Lullaby Trust and the NHS in the UK, which make it clear that putting a baby to sleep on its back, in its own bed, significantly reduces the chances of SIDS.
Image Source: POPSUGAR Photography / Julia Van Arsdale