CHILDHOOD & PARENTING
Baby Sleep Averages Or The Medical View Of Infant Sleep
What Studies Actually Say About How Babies Should Sleep | Part II
A few days ago, we took a look at the traditional view of baby sleep and how adults’ understanding of infant needs, bedtime, and what was best for baby sleep changed from the turn of the 20th century until now. To recap: we made a whole bunch of assumptions based on not nearly enough science, and even the studies conducted in good faith ended up being less than trustworthy given that they primarily focused on formula-fed babies who slept in a room separated from their primary caregiver.
Today, we’re going to look at the current predominant lens for viewing infant sleeping needs and ideals: the medical view. This is likely the perspective you’re most familiar with and is the most able to provide hard and fast data on infant sleep. As you’ll see, however, even the medical view needs a few adjustments if it wants to capture information about the current “normal” infant accurately.
What Is The Medical View?
The medical view doesn’t only apply to how, when, and where babies should sleep; it applies to most things in the world today. This perspective is firmly rooted in anatomy and physiology…
