Safe Infant Sleep:
Expert Answers to Your Cosleeping Questions
is now available as an audiobook!
By James J. McKenna, Ph.D. | Forewords by William Sears, M.D. and Meredith Small, Ph.D.
Read by Stephen Bowlby
Audiobook: 6 hours and 35 minutes | $19.99
Paperback: 978-1-930775-76-3 | 288 pages | 5.5” x 8.5” | $14.95
eBook: 978-1-930775-77-0 | $13.99
Spanish: 978-1-930775-68-8 (Coming February 2022)
Why do current medical guidelines insist that cosleeping is unsafe? What is the difference between SIDS and SUID, and are they related to cosleeping? What should parents do to make a safe sleep space for their infant? If a family chooses to cosleep, how should they respond to reproach from friends, family, or medical professionals?
In Safe Infant Sleep, the world’s authority on cosleeping breaks down the complicated political and social aspects of sleep safety, exposes common misconceptions, and compares current recommendations to hard science. With the latest information on the abundant scientific benefits of cosleeping, Dr. James J. Mckenna informs readers about the dangers of following over-simplified recommendations against the age-old practice, and encourages parents to trust their knowledge and instincts about what is and is not safe for their baby.
This book offers a range of options and safety tips for your family’s ideal cosleeping arrangement. These include variations of roomsharing and bedsharing, and introduce the concept of “breastsleeping.” This term, coined by Dr. McKenna himself, is based on the inherent biological connection between breastfeeding and infant sleep, and provides readers with everything they need to know about safely sharing a bed with their baby. Complete with resource listings for both parents and professionals, this book teaches you how to confidently choose a safe sleeping arrangement as unique as your family.
About the Author
Dr. James J. McKenna directed the Mother-Baby Behavioral Sleep Laboratory at the University of Notre Dame for 22 years. He received his undergraduate degree in anthropology from the University of California, Berkeley, his Master's Degree from San Diego State University, and in 1975 earned his Ph.D. in biological anthropology from the University of Oregon, Eugene.
He pioneered the world’s first studies of the physiology and behavior of cosleeping mothers and infants, and has published over 140 scientific articles in medical and anthropological journals on the topics of cosleeping, breastfeeding, evolutionary medicine, and SIDS. He has also authored several books, including Ancestral Landscapes in Human Evolution, Evolutionary Medicine, Sleeping With Your Baby, and Researching the Sudden Infant Death Syndrome: The Role of Ideology in Biomedical Science. A leading authority on breastfeeding in relationship to SIDS and bedsharing safety, Dr. McKenna is a sought-after speaker at medical, parenting, and policy conferences around the world.
About the Illustrator
Alison Kreckmann is a graduate of University of Maryland, Baltimore County, where she received Bachelor of Art degrees in English and Graphic Design. Alison lives in Washington, D.C., where she works as an Editorial Assistant in scholarly publishing, and spends her spare time drawing.