In western societies, children are often encouraged to sleep separately, with their own rooms’ right from the time they are newborn infants. This is done to encourage these children to develop a strong level of independence and to help foster and grow their personality. According to several studies including anthropological ones, it has been found that most children in Asia tend to sleep with their parents and the same sleeping arrangements are followed in Africa but in the US, as of last year, nearly 22% of parents reported sleeping with their older children. While sleeping together does provide the children with a sense of protection and helps to foster and reinforce the bond between them and their parents, it can also lead to unexpected side effects. This is why it is important you read more on the negative aspects of sleeping with your children before you make the decision to sleep with them.
Space: With both parents sleeping in the same bed with their kid restricts their “alone time” to the bare minimum. Most couples thrash out several issues, communicate with each other and even reinforce their bonds by making love. All of these would be impossible to do with your child in the room. As a result, your relationship will suffer and you will soon develop distance which may even lead to the couple splitting up. This is why it is always emphasized by most relationship counselors for couples to have some “space” so that they can communicate better with each other.
The long haul: Most kids have their own personality and continuing to sleep with your kid till he is well into his teens is a recipe for disaster. For one, you are not allowing him to express himself naturally which he may not be able to since you are in the same room and on the same bed. Moreover, you would be stifling him which will impede his personality development. This is why it is essential that you move your kid into his own room before he reaches 5 years of age. At the start, he may experience some anxiety over being moved to a new room – but this is natural and nothing for you to be worried about. However, the longer you take to move him into his own rooms may cause him to experience anxiety disorder, frustration and anger.
Training: The longer you take to give your kid his own bedroom, he may develop an extremely strong bond and will not be able to relax nor sleep comfortably, unless you are close by. This can be downright embarrassing when your kid gets invited over to a sleepover and needs you to go with him just so that he can sleep. As a result of this unnatural bond, your child may lack the requisite confidence to interact with others normally and may even develop into a loner.
These are some of the negative side effects of sleeping with your own kids.