‘Someone’s been sleeping in my bed!’ Parental satisfaction associated with solitary and parent–child co‐sleeping in Israeli families with young children

Abstract

The study examined differences in parental satisfaction associated with solitary and parent–child co‐sleeping in a sample (N = 61) of Israeli families with children ranging in age from 12 to 48 months (M = 28.04, SD = 10.71). Questionnaire data regarding the family sleeping arrangement, parental satisfaction with the sleeping arrangement, child temperament (Infant Characteristics Questionnaire (ICQ)), breastfeeding history and parental sleep control attitudes were collected. Differences in reported satisfaction between solitary and co‐sleeping parents, as well as between mothers and fathers were examined. Results showed that 50 (82%) of the mothers and 41 (73.2%) of the fathers were satisfied with their sleeping arrangement. However, solitary sleeping was associated with significantly higher parental satisfaction compared to co‐sleeping. Mothers and fathers were equally satisfied with their family sleeping arrangement. History of extended breastfeeding and frequent co‐sleeping were associated with parental dissatisfaction, for mothers and fathers alike. The implications of these findings for child rearing practices are discussed.

Keywords:

• co‐sleeping
• sleeping arrangement
• difficult temperament
• breastfeeding
• parental satisfaction

Acknowledgements

We thank Maya Maimon for her help in data collection.