Cosleeping in a Community Sample of 2- and 3-year-old Children

A randomly selected community sample of 303 parents of 2- and 3-year-olds were interviewed about child sleep behaviors and completed the Child Behavior Checklist for Ages 2-3, a standardized rating scale for child problem behaviors. Most parents (55%) reported that the child slept in their bed at least occasionally and for at least part of the night, particularly during periods of minor stress or disruption of the family routine. The prevalence of cosleeping did not vary by the child's age or sex, but frequent cosleeping (more than once per week) was more common among nonwhite families and single-mother households. Cosleeping was not significantly related to child behavior problems, but frequent cosleepers were more likely to report sleep problems, including difficulty getting to sleep and night waking. Children who were still cosleeping frequently 1 year after the initial assessment maintained high levels of sleep problems, compared with those who stopped cosleeping and non-cosleepers. Cosleeping is common at this age and is not related to general maladjustment. However, frequent cosleeping is closely intertwined with child sleep problems.