Why Parents Around the World Are Looking to India’s Tradition of Sleeping Beside Kids

Can you remember the first night you slept in a room of your own? Or did that moment never really come until you were much older?

For many Indians, childhood nights weren’t spent alone. They meant squeezing into the family bed, listening to bedtime stories, drifting off to the sound of a grandmother’s lullaby, or instinctively reaching for a parent’s hand in the middle of the night.

While many Western cultures have long celebrated independent sleeping as a milestone of growing up, India has quietly held on to a different philosophy — one where sleeping together is simply another way of expressing love and care. Now, interestingly, this age-old parenting practice is finding renewed global attention as researchers, anthropologists and parents revisit what co-sleeping really means.

And they’re discovering something surprising: co-sleeping isn’t unusual at all. In fact, studies suggest nearly two-thirds of the world’s population practises some form of co-sleeping, making solitary sleep a cultural norm in only certain parts of the world rather than a universal parenting practice.

More than sharing a bed

Co-sleeping broadly refers to parents and children sleeping in close proximity. It can mean bed-sharing, where a baby sleeps on the same sleep surface as the parents, or room-sharing, where the baby sleeps in a separate crib or bassinet in the parents’ room.

Across much of India, co-sleeping has never really been a parenting “trend”. It has simply been the default. From practical reasons like shared living spaces to easier nighttime breastfeeding and a culture that places immense value on family closeness, generations have grown up believing babies belong close to their caregivers — even while they sleep.

In fact, studies estimate that between 60% and 90% of families across many Asian countries, including India, Japan and China, practise co-sleeping in some form. Unlike many Western societies that encourage children to sleep independently from an early age, Indian parenting has traditionally viewed nighttime proximity as an extension of caregiving rather than a habit that needs to be broken.

The practice reflects a broader Indian philosophy of family life, where interdependence is often valued over early independence. Sleep, much like meals and festivals, becomes another experience the family shares.

Why the world is looking again

For decades, parenting advice across much of North America and Europe promoted separate nurseries and independent sleep routines. But that conversation is becoming more nuanced.

Anthropologists argue that humans have rarely slept alone throughout history. In fact, researchers suggest our species spent over 95% of its evolutionary history sleeping alongside family members or communities, where shared sleep offered warmth, protection and opportunities for caregiving. From that perspective, separate bedrooms for infants are actually a fairly recent cultural invention.

This shift in thinking is prompting researchers to examine co-sleeping beyond the lens of convenience. New conversations now explore its role in attachment, emotional security, responsive parenting and breastfeeding. Social media has also amplified discussions around attachment parenting, with parents across Europe and North America increasingly questioning whether independence must begin in infancy.

The benefits and the important caveats

Parents who practise co-sleeping often describe it as instinctive. Sleeping nearby allows caregivers to respond quickly to feeding cues, comfort a crying baby within moments and maintain close physical contact through the night.

Experts also point out that room-sharing can make breastfeeding easier. Since the World Health Organisation recommends exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months, having a baby close by often helps mothers feed more responsively without fully waking or moving between rooms.

But experts are equally clear that cultural acceptance should never overshadow safety.

Medical professionals warn that bed-sharing with newborns can increase the risk of suffocation and other sleep-related infant deaths if safe sleep practices are not followed. The risks become significantly higher if parents smoke, consume alcohol, take sedative medication, sleep on sofas or very soft mattresses, or if the baby is premature or has a low birth weight.

This is why many paediatricians recommend room-sharing without bed-sharing during a baby’s early months. In fact, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that infants sleep in the parents’ room on a separate, firm sleep surface for at least the first six months, ideally the first year, noting that room-sharing can reduce the risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) by up to 50%.

The message isn’t to reject tradition — it’s to practise it safely.

A parenting practice rooted in connection

Perhaps the growing interest in co-sleeping isn’t really about where a child sleeps. It’s about recognising that there isn’t one universal blueprint for raising children.

For Indian families, co-sleeping has long been woven into everyday life rather than consciously chosen. What once seemed like an ordinary household routine is now becoming part of a much larger global conversation about attachment, responsive caregiving and emotional wellbeing.

As parenting philosophies continue to evolve, India’s centuries-old bedtime tradition is reminding the world that closeness and independence don’t have to be opposites. Sometimes, the strongest sense of security begins with simply knowing that someone is right there beside you.

Whether families choose to co-sleep or not, one thing remains constant: children thrive when they feel safe, loved and supported. And perhaps that’s the real lesson this age-old practice has to offer.

Source: 

‘The Truth About Co-Sleeping: Prevalence, Statistics, Benefits, and Risks’ by Raskana.

‘Navigating Co-Sleeping: A Cultural Perspective for Indian Parents’ by Aruna Sunchu for The Mulberry Bush, Published on 20 February 2024.

‘Co-sleeping with babies is common in Indian homes, but is it safe?’ by Smarica Pant for India Today, Published on 20 February 2026.

‘Humans evolved to share beds – how your sleeping companions may affect you now’ bt The Conversation, Published on 29 October 2024.

Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: thebetterindia.com