Newborn sleep is one of the biggest stressors for new parents. Long nights and frequent feedings can make even careful adults doze off in unsafe places like a couch or in the same bed as the baby. Understanding the difference between room-sharing and bed-sharing, choosing the right product, and following age-appropriate transitions can protect your baby while also making nights calmer for everyone.
Room-sharing, not bed-sharing
The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that babies sleep in their parents’ bedroom for at least the first six months and ideally up to a year. Room-sharing means your baby sleeps on a separate, firm, flat surface, such as a crib or bassinet, positioned next to your bed. Keeping your baby within sight and hearing distance allows you to respond quickly to hunger cues and fussing while maintaining a safer environment than sharing an adult sleep surface. This arrangement also reinforces healthy habits like placing the baby on their back for every sleep and keeping the sleep space clear.
Why bed-sharing is dangerous
Adult beds, sofas, recliners, and waterbeds are not designed for infant safety. Bed-sharing increases the risks of suffocation, asphyxia, entrapment, falls, and strangulation. According to the CDC, in 2019 twenty-eight percent of sudden unexpected infant deaths were caused by accidental strangulation and suffocation in bed. Thick pillows and duvets can obstruct an infant’s airway; gaps near headboards and mattresses can trap a tiny body; and a sleeping adult can unknowingly roll onto the infant. Sofas and recliners are particularly hazardous because babies can become wedged in the cushions or against a parent.
How a bedside bassinet helps
A thoughtfully designed bedside bassinet offers proximity while preserving the dedicated, uncluttered sleep space newborns need. The Arm’s Reach® Co-Sleeper® Bassinet created by new parents as a product that “provided parents with an entirely new way to sleep near baby,” supporting bonding, facilitating feeding, and allowing a soothing touch without leaving bed. Positioning a bassinet next to the caregiver’s side of the bed simplifies overnight checks and aids post-partum recovery because you can reach your baby without getting up and walking to another room.
Room-sharing and SIDS risk
While back-sleeping is essential, location matters too. Studies show that keeping a baby in the parents’ room for at least six months is associated with about a fifty percent reduction in the incidence of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS). Proximity makes it easier to notice changes in breathing or behavior, to maintain consistent “back-to-sleep” positioning, and to keep the surface firm and clear. The American Academy of Pediatrics supports room-sharing without bed-sharing as a practical way to reduce risk, and many families find that this routine naturally encourages other safety practices like avoiding overheating and keeping cords and loose items away from the sleep area.
Feeding, bonding, and your own sleep
Having your baby within arm’s reach makes night feedings more efficient and often calmer, especially for breastfeeding parents. There is no need for long trips to another room, so you can respond to early hunger cues quickly and settle back to sleep sooner. Many parents report feeling more connected and less anxious when their baby is close yet on a separate surface, and that sense of calm can translate into more total rest across the night for everyone.
Using a bassinet safely
Choosing and using a bassinet correctly is as important as choosing to use one at all. Always follow the manufacturer’s instructions, including weight and height limits, and make sure the mattress is firm and flat with a tight-fitting sheet. Keep the sleep surface bare, no pillows, blankets, bumpers, stuffed toys, or positioners, and place your baby on their back for every sleep. Ensure the bassinet is stable and that there are no gaps between the adult bed and the bassinet’s edge. If your bassinet attaches to the bed, confirm that it is secured exactly as directed so a gap cannot form. Keep cords, blinds, and curtains well out of reach, and dress your baby in a wearable sleep garment rather than using loose blankets.
When to transition to a crib
Bassinets are designed for the newborn period and are temporary by nature. Move your baby to a full-size crib as soon as your baby reaches the product’s weight limit or shows signs of rolling, pushing up, or sitting—whichever occurs first. A crib should offer the same safe-sleep principles: a firm, flat mattress; a tight sheet; and nothing else in the sleep space. Continuing to follow back-sleeping, appropriate clothing layers, and a smoke-free home will keep building on the foundation you established during the bassinet months.
Clarifying the terms
Language can be confusing because some people use “co-sleeping” to mean room-sharing while others use it to mean bed-sharing. To keep the focus on safety, think in terms of room-sharing, which is recommended, and bed-sharing—which is not. Room-sharing keeps your baby close and comforted; bed-sharing puts them on an adult surface with hazards they cannot avoid.
The bottom line
Exhaustion is real, and the urge to collapse wherever you are with your baby is understandable, but the safest and most sustainable plan is to keep your baby close on their own surface. Room-sharing with a proper bassinet or crib protects against serious hazards, lowers SIDS risk, supports breastfeeding, and helps parents rest more and worry less. With a little planning and a product designed for infant safety, you can turn long nights into safer, calmer ones keeping your baby within reach while giving them the dedicated sleep space they need.
