Helen Flanagan has opened up about her decision to allow her two-year-old daughter to sleep in her bed at night.
The 26-year-old actress, who previously spoke about co-sleeping with her daughter Matilda when she was one years old, said she thinks it’s a “special” time.
“They’re not young forever and it’s quite special having them there,” Flanagan told The Sun.
The mum-of-one said she will carry on co-sleeping until her daughter “gets bigger and is kicking in the night”.
But if she hasn’t seen her partner - professional footballer Scott Sinclair - for a while, Flanagan said they will go to bed together and put Matilda in her cot.
Flanagan opened up about co-sleeping in July 2016. She told the ‘Loose Women’ presenters at the time: “It wasn’t something that we planned to do.
“But when she was four or five months old, I was breastfeeding her and she ended up in bed with us.”
NICE (National Institute for Health and Care Excellence) guidelines state: “Co‑sleeping can be intentional or a necessity, but all women, their partners or main carers of babies should be given information in a format they can understand, irrespective of their culture.
“There is some evidence that where co‑sleeping occurs there may be an increase in the number of cases of SIDS. Giving information to women, their partner or the main carer about this association will support them to establish safer infant sleeping habits, and may reduce the likelihood of SIDS.”
If you are co-sleeping with your baby, the National Childbirth Trust (NCT) has some guidance about how to sleep safely:
Make sure your baby can’t fall out of the bed or become trapped between the mattress and the wall.
Keep your baby cool by using sheets and blankets rather than a duvet.
Ensure bedding does not cover your baby’s face or head.
Always put your baby to sleep on their back rather than their front or side.
Babies don’t need a pillow until they are at least a year old. They should also be kept away from parents’ pillows.
Never risk falling asleep with your baby on a sofa or armchair.