Safe Infant Sleep ~ Dr James McKenna

Professor James J. McKenna’s Mother-Baby Behavioral Sleep Laboratory studies how sleeping environments reflect and respond to family needs—in particular how they affect mothers, breastfeeding, and infants’ physiological and psychological well-being and development.

Using traditional anthropological and medical research techniques, the laboratory cuts through myths and controversies to provide scholars, parents, and the news media with accurate scientific information on a variety of sleeping arrangements, including safe co-sleeping practices.

When psychologists study infant sleep, they do so from the perspective of behaviour. They might look at how adults can modify natural infant sleep patterns and what harm, if any, this has on infant health and development.

When anthropologists study infant sleep, they do so from the perspective of human evolution and how and where babies are supposed to sleep and what is biologically significant about this for infant health and development.

Dr James McKenna's latest book uses the science of the 21st century to support the practice of safe shared sleep with infants and young children.

Essential reading.