Parent–child co-sleeping in children with co-morbid conditions and sleep-disordered breathing

The parents of 166 children (80 boys, median age 5.7 years (0.5–21) participated in this study. The most common co-morbid conditions of the children were Down syndrome (17%), achondroplasia (11%), and Chiari malformation (8%). The prevalence of parent–child co-sleeping was 46%. Reasons for co-sleeping were mainly reactive and included child’s demand (39%), crying (19%), nightmares (13%), medical reason (34%), parental reassuring or comforting (27%), and/or over-crowding (21%). Sixty-eight percent of parents reported that co-sleeping improved their sleep quality because of reassurance/comforting (67%), reduced nocturnal awakening (23%), and child supervision (44%). Forty percent of parents reported that co-sleeping decreased their sleep quality because of nocturnal awakenings or early wake up, or difficulties initiating sleep (by 77% and 52% of parents, respectively), whereas both positive and negative associations were reported by 29% of the parents. Co-sleeping was more common with children < 2 years of age as compared to older children (p < 0.001).