The Idea Of Infant Co-Sleeping In The Japanese Culture

1) Infants sleeping alone:

Individuals who are against the idea of infants sleeping alone believe that parents who put their infants to sleep alone put their babies in danger. It is believed that infants who sleep alone protest against the idea of being alone in the dark and do not receive comfort and attention from parents. Secondly, another argument against infants sleeping alone is that at such young age children do not fully understand object permanence. Children who do not feel the comfort and physical touch from their parents can’t fully identify that the comfort and physical touch continues to exist even when it cannot be seen.

2) Japanese Parents:

The approach of infant sleep in the Japanese culture differs from the beliefs of the

Newborns need care, comfort and physical touch from their parents and co-sleeping can help so children begin to feel secure and comfortable in the environment. As the child turns one year old and is adapted to the environment and recognizes his/her parents the child can then transition to sleeping in their own room. This will allow the child to feel secure and independent.

If American parents who are expecting their first child asked me about infant co-sleeping I would suggest them to apply infant co-sleeping during the first months of the infant’s life. The reason for this response is because during the first months newborn infants need special care and comfort from the mother. As the infant continues to grow I would then suggest parent’s to create a separate room for their child to sleep alone and learn to adapt to a new environment that does not include the parents comfort and physical touch. This will allow the child to become independent and secure. I would also tell parents that allowing children to co-sleep does not allow the mother and father to have time alone together which can lead to creating a distant separation between