anti-cosleeping commercial

[tigerlily]

While I was watching dr. phil today a commercial came on about baby in the bed. It went something like this:

Mom propped up in bed with lots of pillows kind of on her side. Baby sleeping next to her abdomen. Mom nods off and starts to roll onto baby's face. Next scene husband comes in -- mom sleeping but has not rolled onto baby yet. Husband says: "If you're going to sleep let's move the baby to his own crib or bassinnette."
Sponsered by Oklahoma DHS.

This commercial has really upset me, ladies. I'm just beginning to feel comfortable co-sleeping with my 13 wk old dd. It's going really well for us, (I'm getting lots of sleep and she only wakes about 1or maybe 2 times a night). I feel like the commercial is right in some ways and way wrong in others. e.g. -- that woman shouldn't have had the baby next to her when she is propped up on all those pillows.

I use no pillows and only pull sheet and comfortor up to legs. But now I'm really paranoid again. Could use some :hug if anyone has some for me!

[inesperada]

:hug

[DogwoodMama]

Hmmm, that is too bad. :( But as you said, it's not the same thing in your situation! It *is* unsafe to coslepp with too many pillows, or on a soft couch, or under the influence of drugs/alcohol. You aren't doing those things, however, and are practicing safe co-sleeping, so the commerical doesn't even apply to you, if that makes sense! There are many, many mothers on this message board and others i know of who have practiced safe co-sleeping, including myself. I recognize the intent behind the commerical is well-intentioned, but unfortunately it's only presenting *one* option for "safe sleeping". :hug

[mommyTay]

:hug
I have co-slept with all my children and never had any problems.
:td to Oklahoma DHS for being so discouraging.

Not all dhs are like that. I am a foster parent, the caseworkers all know I co-sleep with my little own children. I am just not allowed to do so with my foster children.

[ArmsOfLove]

My 5 cosleeping babes and I offer you :grouphug

[godsgracegiven]

:td

[Wonder Woman]

a very big :hug from me and my 18 month old cosleeping ds!

I know not all mamas on here cosleep - because they are making a choice that's right for *their* family - but I do know my ds started out in a bassinet. I spent the first 3 weeks with him not sleeping, and when he would drift off to sleep, I would wake up in a panic afraid something had happened to him.

Once we started cosleeping, he gained weight and slept much better. It synchronized our sleep cycles, and he and I both were a lot less stressed.

Again, :hug

[MomTo7]

Oh how sad. Why would they do that!!! :( I have never seen that here and doubt I would. Seems most people around here do co-sleep for whatever reason.

Hope things stay comfortable for you and your little one. I have co-slept with 6 now and haven't smooshed one yet. :rolleyes But I am a light sleeper.

:heart :hug

[ShowersofBlessings]

I co-sleep with my 17 month old and we aren't even as "safe" as you. I do use a pillow and blankets. But the thing that helped me feel better about co-sleeping (that I wasn't going to kill my baby) was something I read somewhere. The sense that keeps you from rollling out of bed is also the same sense that will keep you from rolling over on your baby. And as they get older, they would definitely let you know if you rolled over on them...... :hug :hug

[Piper2]

I've seen an anti-cosleeping commercial on TV here. It's a "public service announcement" sort of thing that the city has made, with the mayor and several other community leaders. It gives all the "reasons" not to co-sleep -- rolling over on the baby, the baby not learning to sleep by himself...and I think (I'm not totally sure because I've only seen it once) they might even mention something about SIDS being caused by co-sleeping. :rolleyes

The same people put out a commercial about the dangers of shaking a baby. It starts out with this woman dancing in a club, shaking her rear end all over the place and the words "Good Shake". :eek Then they show her coming home, walking into her crying baby's room and telling him to be quiet and starting to shake him and the words "Bad Shake". Then they show the mayor and the other people sitting around a table going, "You mean it's not safe to shake a baby? Can it really hurt them? What kind of damage could it actually do?"

I realize they're aiming these messages at lower-income people who really might not have much parenting education (although if that's true, why have I only seen the commercials on the cable system's local weather channel? :/), but some of the mis-information really irks me -- talking about the cosleeping one. The shaking the baby one...I just can't help thinking that if the mother wasn't out shaking her booty all night (and probably at least slightly alcohol-impared by the time she got home), her baby wouldn't be screaming for her and she wouldn't be tempted to shake him in the first place. I know that probably sounds judgemental, but the ads are also clearly aimed at the African-American community, and honestly if I were part of that, I'd be offended, especially at the shaking one. :neutral

[sadie]

del

[Piper2]

Oh, the anti-cosleeping commercial just came on here. I didn't realize it was on until the "panel" came on (I'm in the office and DH has the TV on in the living room). It had the mayor, a medical examiner (talking about rolling over and breaking the baby's limbs), a couple of other people I didn't catch, and some recording artist I've never heard of saying something about, "If you sleep like I do, you could roll over and suffocate your baby and not even know it!" :rolleyes

The commercial is put out by something called "Baby-Luv" and sponsored by several other agencies, including something called the "Campaign for Healthier Babies".

[tigerlily]

Well, It's good to know that it's not just Okla. that has dumb commercials like this.

I can't remember for sure, but I think the commercial did mention something about sids. :rolleyes

Thanks for the :hug. I needed that :)

[ChibiBug]

go figure it came on during a DrPhil show...bet he set that one uphttp://img.photobucket.com/albums/v640/trueconservatism/n-/no5.gif

I am on co-sleeper number two. My first son was of average size...my second was a very small little bitty thing. It was much easier with my first than with this one because of his size. I was leery at first so I made sure that I held him in my arms the entire night. I am just now getting ok with him sleeping next to me since he is bigger. Now we have a family bed of 4...our 4yo still sleeps with us...there are even safe ways to co-sleep with a toddler believe it or not!

[MagnoliaMommy]

:td
How discouraging. :(
Yes, there is a safe way and an unsafe way to cosleep. Not surprising that they only showed the unsafe way.:(
I remember reading in a Dr. Sears book that mothers and babies breathing is in sync when cosleeping face to face. The same instinct that keeps you from falling off the bed also keeps you from rolling over onto your baby.
We are huge supporters of cosleeping and it is the first thing I mention to sleep deprived new moms when they ask how we manage to get sleep. ;)

[Iansmama]

:hug

Another hug from a co-sleeping mama and boy here!

[chelsea]

Completely ridiculous! It reminds me of when our local newspaper ran an article on the front page around a year ago about a mother who suffocated her baby while "cosleeping". Here is what actually happened: the mother was totally drugged from a heavily-medicated birth and fell asleep while holding her baby in a hospital bed and the baby was smothered in her chest. Now this mother is on a huge anti-cosleeping campaign when in reality her situation actually had NOTHING to do with the typical co-sleeping situation. It makes me sad that this kind of propoganda is being spread everywhere! :bheart

[malakoa]

When my baby was really tiny, we'd sleep belly to belly. Now she's 20+ lbs and i couldn't roll over her anymore than I would roll over a dog. Silly question.

:hug for you and sleep well! :hearts

[Teribear]

Yep. I've seen the one Lisa's refering to and it infuriates me. But I also realize that Memphis has a higher infant mortality rate than most third world countries (sad but true) so I guess the mayor and company have latched on to what they perceive as a "risk" and are going after it. The true risks...particularly in the zip code area with the HIGHEST infant mortality rates...is likely the presence of all the drugs in the community AND the fact the Velsacol chemical is smack in the middle of the zip code belting out God only knows what kind of toxic garbage. But hey, its easier to bash co-sleeping than deal with the job losses that would result in cleaing up Velsacol.

[Stonebeck Farm]

How about some hugs and some encouraging reading. :grouphug

A few weeks ago I was privileged to hear Dr. McKenna speak about co-sleeping. He is the Director, Mother-Baby Behavioral Sleep Lab at Notre Dame University. Read here: http://www.nd.edu/~jmckenn1/lab/


One of the points of his lecture is that most babies who die of SIDS do so ALONE! (referred to a British study where all cases reviewed were in situations where baby was ALONE and an US study that showed 92% of the babies died alone. In the 8% that died "in cs-sleeping" situations, they were unsafe conditions; not true co-sleeping! )

He spoke about these ads- in multiple states including my own (but ours are in NYC, so we way up in the back of beyond have not seen them). He came to "educate" the local coroner, health department, and medical community. After the presentations, the cornoner said he will drop his anti-cosleeping crusade. :mrgreen Instead his new push is getting the health department to get the word out on how to safe co-sleep. :tu :highfive The Department of health is planning a two sided glossy that says if your baby sleeps in a crib on one side and "if your baby sleeps in your bed" on the other side. Each side would give safety guidelines.

Our local newspaper ran a supportive article that I got quoted in (because my two children have co-slept and it worked well for our family) as well as an other co-sleeping mom with kids the same age as mine. :mrgreen The best part of the seminar was that I got 3 inches of journal articles he wrote that support the practice of co-sleeping. :tu :tu

[chelsea]

That's AWESOME Melissa!!! :tu :rockon

[Gentle Journey]

I seen an anti-co sleeping add in a parenting magazine claiming an incresed risk of SIDS. You never see a formula company advertising that not breastfeeding increases the risk of SIDS. I think instead of the teeny tiny 'breast milk is breast, ask your Dr" on the bottom is should say "breastfeeding reduces the risk of SIDS, increases your child's IQ, increases your child's immune system, foster's a deeper bond between mother and child as well as having several health benefits for both mother and baby. Ask your Dr." Sorry, that was a little spin off. I'm just sick of commercials putting down things that are nurturing and building up things that are not.

[GodisGood]

Oh :sick2! Such drivel :rolleyes

:grouphug from NurtureMama's co-sleeping family.