Safely co-sleeping with your bottle fed baby

Learn the best methods to safely co-sleep with your baby when bottle feeding with advice from James McKenna, PhD co-sleeping expert and author
How to Co-Sleep Safely with a Bottle Fed Baby
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Safely co-sleeping with your bottle fed baby

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All infants benefit from engagement and physical proximity with the parent. Obviously, proximity permits, not matter if you are breastfeeding or not, the parent to detect changes in the babies physiology that might require some intervention. My answer is a little bit qualified, insofar as the process is delivery of milk and breast milk. Studies have shown that when infants breastfeed, they remain more sensitive to what the mother is doing and arouse in relationship to mother's arousal. Similarly, the mother arouses in relationship to the baby. There is a real interesting synchronicity that occurs. I believe that provides a safety net of sorts. My only thing with the bottle is that you don't get that degree of sensitivity. That said, it also depends on the motivation of the mother. You can't account for that protective mother.

Learn the best methods to safely co-sleep with your baby when bottle feeding with advice from James McKenna, PhD co-sleeping expert and author

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James McKenna, PhD

Anthropologist & Author

Professor James J. McKenna is recognized as the world’s leading authority on mother-infant co-sleeping, in relationship to breastfeeding and SIDS. In recognition of his work in 2009 he was admitted as a Fellow into the select body of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the world's most prestigious scientific society. That same year and in recognition of his extensive work with television, radio, and print media he received from the American Anthropological Association the “2008 Anthropology In The Media Award” one of the top three awards presented to anthropologists by the association in recognition of his distinguished work in educating the public to the importance of anthropological concepts. He received his undergraduate degree in anthropology from the University of California, Berkeley in 1970, his Master's Degree from San Diego State University in 1972, and his PhD in biological anthropology from the University of Oregon, Eugene, in 1975. Professor McKenna has published over 139 refereed scientific articles in diverse medical and anthropological journals on co-sleeping, breastfeeding, evolutionary medicine and SIDS, and both here and abroad he gives over 20 lectures especially to pediatric groups and parents. Here in the United States he remains one of the primary spokesperson to the media on issues pertaining to sleeping arrangements, nighttime breast-feeding and SIDS prevention. He has also published two monographs on SIDS and infant sleep, and co-edited two books:  Evolutionary Medicine and Evolutionary Medicine And Health: New Perspectives. His first trade book for parents was published in 2008 entitled: Sleeping With Your Baby: A Parents Guide To Co-Sleeping, and was recently translated and available in Spanish and Dutch.

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