Cosleeping is a bit of a catchall term that can refer to both room sharing and bed sharing. Room sharing means your baby is sleeping in the same room as you, but they are on their own sleep surface like a bassinet. Bedsharing means that you are sleeping with your baby on a shared sleep surface, such as a family bed.

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends room sharing with your baby. Still, they do not recommend bedsharing due to the risk of unsafe sleep practices with suffocation hazards near the baby. Some sleep educators offer safe cosleeping guidelines that address both room and bedsharing.

Here’s a free guide on safer bedsharing practices from Tiffany Belanger, sleep educator.

Here are the safe sleep guidelines from the AAP, updated in 2022.