Bringing new life into the world is one of the most exciting things many parents will ever do. It comes with immense joy and the opportunity to see the world through a fresh set of curious eyes, but it’s not all sunshine and rainbows. It’s also sleepless nights full of seemingly endless screaming and countless unpleasant diaper changes. So when one teen was expected to sleep in the same room as his infant brother, he decided to ensure that he could actually get some rest. Below, you’ll find the full story that he shared on the “Am I the [Jerk]?” subreddit, as well as some of the replies invested readers left him.
As wonderful as babies are, we all know they’re not a walk in the park
Image credits: relucal (not the actual photo)
So after this teen had to sleep in the same room as his newborn brother, he decided to make sure his parents’ sleep was disrupted instead
Image credits: LightFieldStudios (not the actual photo)
Image credits: ThrowRAred_unsurrre
Later, the teen provided additional info and explained why he couldn’t sleep anywhere else
Experts recommend that babies sleep in the same room as their parents until they’re at least six months old
As with many things when it comes to parenting, plenty of moms and dads have differing opinions on whether or not their infant should be sleeping in the same room as them. Some have a nursery set up before even coming home from the hospital, so that at least one of them can get some sleep while the other goes to check on a crying baby in the middle of the night. However, other parents believe that it can help create a stronger bond if they keep their newborn in their own bedroom for at least the first few months. It can even be important for the baby’s safety. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, it is recommended to keep your little one in the same room as you for their first year of life, to minimize the risk of sudden infant death syndrome, or SIDS.
On the other hand, 90% of SIDS cases happen within a baby’s first six months of life, so Dr. Ian Paul, a professor of pediatrics, doesn’t see the necessity of keeping your baby in your bedroom past six months of age. In fact, being in the same room longer than necessary might even have a negative impact on the quality of a child’s sleep, causing even worse issues in the future. “Inadequate infant sleep can lead to obesity, poor sleep later in life and can negatively affect parents,” Dr. Paul told PennState News.
After half a year, it’s wise to give infants their own nurseries to improve everyone in the family’s quality of sleep
Image credits: Karolina Grabowska (not the actual photo)
“Many pediatricians and sleep experts question the room-sharing recommendation until one year because infants begin to experience separation anxiety in the second half of the first year, making it problematic to change sleep locations at that stage,” he went on to explain. “Waiting too long can have negative effects on sleep quality for both parents and infants in both the short and long term.” It has also been found that four-month-old babies who sleep in their own nurseries tend to get an average of 45 more minutes per stretch of sleep than those who share a room with their parents. The total amount of minutes they sleep throughout the entire night tends to be more as well.
As frustrating as it can be for new parents, it’s extremely hard to get infants to sleep through the night. Especially when they’re between the ages of 1-3 months, it’s expected for babies to cry out in their sleep and wake up feeling hungry. In fact, their sleep sessions can typically last no longer than 3.5 hours. So the baby in this particular story is behaving just as babies do! But that doesn’t necessarily mean that his older brother should have to sacrifice his own sleep for his sake. Having a new sibling can be challenging enough for a teen to adjust to, especially when they’re used to being the only child, so it’s best when parents do everything they can to ensure their teen’s life isn’t disrupted too much.
While older siblings can be expected to help out, it’s important that parents don’t burden them with too much responsibility
Image credits: RODNAE Productions (not the actual photo)
Helping out with cleaning, playing with the baby or watching them while parents are napping, and changing the occasional diaper are nice ways that older siblings can contribute, but surrendering their own bedroom to become a makeshift nursery might be going a little too far. “Parents and teenagers can talk about what their family situation calls for and how they can all support one another,” Anthony G. James Jr., editor in chief of Marriage and Family Review, told The Washington Post. He also warns that parents should be careful not demand excessive babysitting from their kids, if they have other options available. “When you require teenagers to step into an almost parental role, they lose the opportunity to build a sibling bond with the baby and can end up feeling resentful of the situation.”
This teen made it clear that he loves his sibling, but he did not sign up to be a parent, and he requires a good night’s sleep just as much as anyone else. We would love to hear your thoughts on this situation in the comments below, pandas. Do you think this teen was justified in placing his sibling’s bed in their parents’ room? Feel free to share what you would have done in this situation, and then if you’re interested in reading another Bored Panda article discussing how babies can disrupt our sleep schedules, look no further than right here!
Many readers assured the teen he had done nothing wrong, noting that the newborn is his parents’ responsibility
The post "He Cries Nonstop Every Night": Teen Moves His Baby Brother's Crib To His Parents' Room So He Can Finally Get Some Rest first appeared on Bored Panda.
from Bored Panda https://ift.tt/6EgJtc0
