Norine Mugisha and her husband still share a bed with their 4-year-old baby, and a few weeks ago they welcomed their second born in the family.
“When we tried to put her in a separate room, she would wake up in the middle of the night screaming,” Mugisha says.
Many a parent love sharing the bed with their little ones from day old babies to as old as 5 years.
Parenting experts say, it is natural for a mother to want to sleep with her baby for as long as possible. It is a great way to create a strong bond; however, bed-sharing with children has its challenges.
Experts argue that parents should share a bed with a child up to a certain age and also warn that sharing a bed has its risks.
Robinah Ziwa, a marriage counselor, says that sharing a bed with a child, could take a toll on the intimacy of the couple.
“Sharing a bed with your grown up kids isn’t bad at all only that you may fail to find time for yourselves as a couple yet the bedroom is always so essential when it comes to marital affairs.
“I understand women are so tolerant when it comes to their children’s needs and it’s not bad at all, in fact, it’s in their nature. However, such shouldn’t be allowed to go on for a long time, at least by the age of two a child should be able to sleep on their own,” Ziwa explains.
Dr Rachna Pande, a specialist in internal medicine at Ruhengeri Hospital, echoes a similar view but adds that it also comes with the risk of putting the child’s life in danger, which in worst case scenarios can lead to infant death syndrome.
“Sharing a bed with a new born also avails the possibility of sudden infant death syndrome which can occur if the baby is accidentally smothered by the mother’s body during sleep. To prevent this, in traditional societies, it is considered inauspicious to sleep with one’s back towards the baby,” she points out.
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