For the first year, my wife and infant son could both be completely asleep while he was eating (I was the only person kept awake by the activity).
I hear stories from new parents about how they can’t get any sleep because their crib-bound baby keeps fussing and waking them up many times a night.... sounds like a nightmare.
I've never ever slept so still in my life. (tho, he was on his mums side.)
When we transitioned him from sleeping with Mum to his own crib, it went perfectly. We just moved him one night and that was it.
Our doctor was very supportive. Told us never to use drugs/alcohol and co-sleep. To be very careful and so on (basically echoing the article) - and it worked out for us. I guess if he was born premature or something, they'd probably say "don't do it".
Babies are all different, and coping is difficult, especially for inexperienced parent(s). A lot of these strict protocols are there because they are a “right answer” for the baby’s safety in any situation.
Our first wouldn't settle in cot on her own, to the extent that we co-slept (at least in a cot attached to our bed for ~2 years).
Our second, he wouldn't settle in a co-sleeping siutation at all, and has actually ended up being much better at sleeping in his own cot in the room with his sister.
My hunch is that its the noise, going into your own room with nobody else, complete silence. That's scary. Sharing a room with others and hearing their breathing and moving and such is calming.
I used it to put my son to sleep (with a timer to fade out the volume) with great success.
I don't know if they tried co-sleeping. They probably tried everything.
My daughter was 2 or 3. Every night, she would fetch me for bed. One night, I was busy on the computer, and refused to come. She walked away sadly. She never called me again. Forever afterward, she has been cold toward me. The relationship changed in an instant.
So I believe you that "cry it out" works, "one night and done". The result will last forever. This is the problem.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3146354/
https://www.verywellfamily.com/co-sleeping-with-a-toddler-41...
> There seem to be no negative associations between bed-sharing in toddlerhood and children's behavior and cognition at age 5 years.
And also only samples low-income families, which already show negative behavioral trends from the more difficult living.
And the second source only vaguely concludes that co-sleeping can > negatively affect a mother's mental health and cause her to get less sleep.
Finally, none of these studies focus on the long term effects, which the OP is talking about.
Talk about revenge... I had no idea that such a seemingly insignificant event could have such long-lasting and extensive harm.