Yes, we co-sleep

We part-time co-sleep in our house.  Henry sometimes sleeps in his own room, sometimes sleeps in our bed.  We co-sleep simply for the ease of night-time parenting.  Here are some great articles about the benefits of co-sleeping:
The Benefits of Co-Sleeping (International Chiropractic Pediatric Association Newsletter) *Link updated
What are the advantages of having our baby sleep with us? (by Dr. James J. McKenna)
What are the long term effects on my baby of sharing a bed? (by Dr. James J. McKenna)

Too many people either believe that co-sleeping is unsafe and therefore avoid it at all costs or they don’t think twice about safety and can end up putting their baby’s life at risk. Co-sleeping can be safe, but it can also be very unsafe.  Co-sleeping is not inherently more dangerous than crib sleeping, in fact it can actually be safer.

Does SIDS happen in a parents bed? Several studies by McKenna and others in the 1990s showed that co-sleeping actually helps prevent SIDS.  Societies where mother-infant co-sleeping is the norm have a low incidence of SIDS in comparison with countries that practice solitary infant sleep. In fact, SIDS used to be called “crib death” (until the crib industry complained) because the place that SIDS deaths happened was in cribs and it was virtually unheard of in societies that do not use cribs.

What about suffocation or overlaying? Research shows that it is not co-sleeping itself, but rather other factors present in the co-sleeping environment that create this danger (from page 125 of Natural Parenting – Back to Basics in Infant Care):

While infant suffocation as a result of overlying by the parent in a bed sharing environment is not unheard of, unsafe conditions such as parental intoxication with drugs or alcohol, parental disease, extreme parental fatigue, or marked parental obesity have been found to be present in many of these cases (Bass, Kravath, and Glass, 1986; Gilbert-Barness et al., 1991; see also Carpenter et al., 2004; Gessner, Ives, and Perham-Hester, 2001).

 Co-Sleeping Safety Guidelines:

* DO NOT drink alcohol, do drugs or take medication
* DO NOT smoke
* DO NOT let a baby sleep next to an older child, pet, or adult that is not likely to sense the baby’s presence
* DO NOT use heavy adult bedding
* DO NOT let baby sleep on surfaces such as soft mattresses and waterbeds
* DO NOT let baby sleep anywhere that has crevices or spaces where the baby can get stuck
* DO NOT co-sleep on surfaces other than beds/mattresses: This means no co-sleeping on the couch! 
* DO NOT leave your baby alone on an adult bed unless the bed and room are completely safe
* BE CAUTIOUS about your impact on your baby: People who are extremely overweight should ensure that they do not create a dip in the mattress that could create an unsafe crevice that the baby could roll into. Excessively long-hair should be tied back to prevent entanglement around the baby’s neck. Parents should ensure that they do not wear clothing or jewellery that could cause the baby to suffocate or get entangled. Parents should not wear perfumes or other scented products to bed, as this can impact baby’s ability to breathe clearly.