Parenting issues: Making the right choices for your children (The Argus Leader)

Posted: 28 Mar 2010 12:09 AM PDT

(5 of 5)

At issue: Co-sleeping

Benefits: Mothers can immediately respond to a babies need. It's also easier to nurse a baby at night.

Drawbacks: Co-sleeping is risky. A parent could roll over and smother a baby, says Dr. Jennifer Jenson, a pediatrician with Sanford Children's Clinic. SIDS groups also discourage co-sleeping.

For information: http://kidshealth.org/parent/general/sleep/cosleeping.html

Also: http://www.firstcandle.org/

Brooke Ust understands why sleeping with their babies is appealing to some mothers.

"When my son was really little, during naptime, I'd sleep with him just for the cuddles," the 26-year-old Sioux Falls mom says.

But at night, her son slept in his crib. A family bed was not in the cards for the Usts for their first child or their second child, nor will it be for their third child due in October.

"My bed is just for me and my husband," she says. "That time in bed is for cuddling with my husband having quiet time with him or having my own silent time for me to wind down."

It's also important, Ust says, for children to be independent - and that might not happen if a child sleeps in a family bed.

At issue: Vaccinations

Benefits: Protection from life-threatening diseases such as Polio, measles and smallpox. Once your body is trained to resist a disease, you are said to be immune to it, says Dr. Jennifer Jenson, a pediatrician with Sanford Children's Clinic.

Drawbacks: Some parents may hesitate to have their kids vaccinated because they're worried that the children will have serious reactions or may get the illness the vaccine is supposed to prevent, Jenson says. Some vaccines may cause mild reactions, such as soreness where the shot was given or fever, but serious reactions are rare.

For information: http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/

Monica Sandgren had nothing against the traditional immunization schedule until her daughter Dani, now 18 months old, was born. In fact, she followed the recommended schedule for six months, joining the majority of children in South Dakota who are vaccinated, according to the state Department of Health.

But after each shot, Dani always seemed to be feverish and lethargic, which shallower breathing while she slept. "It concerned me enough to think twice," Sandgren recalls.

So until she can find a doctor who is willing to adjust Dani's vaccination schedule, she won't be vaccinated.

"People blame children who are not vaccinated on illnesses. They think we're going to infect their vaccinated children with diseases," Sandgren says. "But I actually think Dani is healthier because we haven't exposed her body to the chemicals in vaccinations."

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Homeschooling

Sunday, March 28, 2010