Introduction
This critical thinking paper covers an interview with Ms. Agnes to explore infant care practices and the role of personal and cultural values in shaping infant sleeping arrangements. The topics discussed originated from the influence of Ms. Agnes’ culture and independent perspective of childcare practices. She has two sons, aged four and seven. Ms. Agnes is thirty-seven years old and was raised in Austin, Texas. She was nurtured to have a night routine before her children sleep. She was to bathe them and take care of their skin by applying lotion. During the first year, Ms. Agnes slept in the same bed with her son. She also feeds and nurses her son on a demand basis, which she says reduces the chances of her son waking at night for feeding.
Mayan vs. U.S. Mother
Ms. Agnes has taken on a bedtime system similar to her mother’s. This system is similar to that of Mayan mothers, where the bed is shared with infants in their first three years. Mayan mothers share the bed with infants as an approach to instill closeness values. Ms. Agnes feeding and nurturing habits are similar to those of Mayan mothers, where they happen on a demand basis. Ms. Agnes son’s sleeping routine is similar to that of United States mothers, who apply a bedtime routine that leads to sleep. Bed time routines are uncommon to Mayan mothers who prefer the children falling off to sleep at their own time. United States mothers prefer bedtime routines and the use of transitional objects because they contribute to children having a regular sleeping time and pattern.
Routines/Developmental Goals
Ms. Agnes shared that the foundation of her son’s sleeping care practices, routine, and ideas contribute to achieving his developmental goals. She explained that she allowed her son to sleep with her because she wanted to instill closeness with him. Ms. Agnes wants to build a bond that will later on enable her son to know that she has a family to be close with and trust (Morelli et al., 1992). She reported that feeding and nurturing her son on a demand basis ensures that she does not have to actively worry or think of feeding her son late in the night. Ms. Agnes utilizes bedtime routines that lead her son to sleep and ensures she has regular sleep patterns and quality sleep.
Personal Perspective on Developmental and Cultural Significance of Bedtime Routines and Transitional Objects
Bedtime routines are essential for the positive development of a child. They contribute to better quality and quantity of sleep, help regulate children’s emotional wellness, and contribute to a positive mood. The bedtime routines help children easily fall asleep and reduce the time they wake up at night (Zastrow et al., 2019). Transitional objects, coupled with bedtime routines, contribute to healthy sleep patterns. As infants grow older, they tend to experience separation anxiety through the realization of their physical separation from their parents or primary caregivers. The use of transitional objects helps parents deal with transitioning from sleeping with their children to children sleeping on their own. The United States cultural practices use bedtime routines and transitional objects to ensure regular sleeping patterns for infants and promote easy transition when they start sleeping on their own.
Personal Perspective on Age where Co-sleeping is Unacceptable
Co-sleeping should stop at about the age of one and a half years. During the first year, co-sleeping makes it easier for breastfeeding and nurtures closeness between the child and parent. Even though co-sleeping is not common in the United States, it is common in other countries. I also think that co-sleeping helps in reducing parental fear and risks of sudden infant death syndrome. However, co-sleeping should happen until one and a half years, and the child transitions to sleep independently. This transition will enable the children to start forging their independence and enable the parents to increase their alone time. Stopping co-sleeping at one and a half years ensures earlier weaning of children from the sleeping arrangement into their independent sleeping. It also contributes to early nurturing of a child’s independence.
Response on Infants Sleeping on their Own as Tantamount to Child Neglect
Guatemalan mothers believe that an infant sleeping on their own is tantamount to child neglect. In the United States, parents have been advised to sleep with their infants in the same room but not the same bed for about one year. Infants sleeping on their own is tantamount to child neglect because it makes it challenging to monitor an infant and notice changes in breathing patterns and contributes to difficulty in feeding and nursing them, especially during the first few months (Zastrow et al., 2019). It also denies the child the opportunity to experience closeness with the parents especially during the first year. It is essential for an infant to bond with their parents during their initial development years because it instills a deep sense of trust and closeness. Denying an infant the necessary attention and monitoring abilities by letting them sleep on their own is tantamount to child neglect because it denies them the numerous benefits associated with co-sleeping especially during the first one and a half years.
Ms. Agnes’ Opinion on Dynamics of Autonomy and Separation for Boys
Ms. Agnes agrees that the dynamics that emphasize autonomy and separation for boys render men emotionally stunted, where they find it challenging to connect with their emotions. She stated that the dynamics contribute to bringing up boys who do not embrace vulnerability and open up about their feelings. They become men who cannot effectively express their emotions and instead suppress them. The emotional suppression is unhealthy to them and leads to the emotional stagnation and difficulty in relating with others (Zastrow et al., 2019). Ms. Agnes further agrees that these dynamics make men less capable of intimate personal relationships where they suppress emotions instead of amicably dealing with their feelings, especially the negative ones. Ms. Agnes disagrees that these dynamics that emphasize autonomy and separation for boys make them better prepared for public life and the world of work. She states that their emotional unwellness and the incapability to nurture personal relationships make it challenging for them to adapt to the current public and business world, which requires high levels of emotional wellness, adaptability to change, and healthy online relations.
Personal Perspective on Dynamics of Autonomy and Separation for Boys
The dynamics that emphasize autonomy and separation for boys render men emotionally stagnant and make them less capable of creating and nurturing personal relationships. The suppression of emotions contributes to challenges in maintaining personal and work relations and connections. This emphasis makes it challenging for men to build on their emotional wellness, becoming a barrier to creating intimate personal relationships and empathizing with people and their situations. I also disagree that the dynamics make men better prepared for public life and business because they tend to rank lower in emotional wellness, a vital element in modern public life and business.
Arabic and Japanese Cultures and Their Sleeping Arrangements with Children
The Arabic culture has a, “high probability of room sharing and high maternal attention during bedtime. Sleep onset plays a crucial role in predicting the sleeping time for Arab infants. Arab culture has children experiencing short night sleeping periods and going to bed late (Zreik et al., 2020).” In Japanese culture, “there is wide use of mother-child co-sleeping patterns. Notably, most infants were in the same room but not in bed (Shimizu et al., 2014).” The Arabic and Japanese infant sleeping cultures align more with the United States culture than Mayan.
Conclusion
I align most with the United States culture because it offers a great approach to the early nurturing of infant development and growth. The United States culture allows children and parents to achieve independence and still experience healthy early child development. Bedtime routines and transition objects contribute to better quality and quantity of sleep for infants and regulate their mood. A bedtime routine is healthy for parents who experience the benefits of regular sleeping time and infant durations. I would be open to integrating the use of sleep onset to predict the sleeping time for infants. This practice will allow children to rely on their energy levels to decide on sleeping times, especially during holidays when bedtime routines inconvenience them.
References
Morelli, G. A., Rogoff, B., Oppenheim, D., & Goldsmith, D. (1992). Cultural variation in infants’ sleeping arrangements: Questions of independence. Developmental Psychology, 28(4), 604–613. https://doi.org/10.1037/0012-1649.28.4.604
Shimizu, M., Park, H., & Greenfield, P. M. (2014). Infant sleeping arrangements and cultural values among contemporary Japanese mothers. Frontiers in Psychology, 5. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2014.00718
Zastrow, C., Kirst-Ashman, K. K., & Hessenauer, S. L. (2019). Understanding Human Behavior and the Social Environment (11th ed.). Cengage Learning.
Zreik, G., Asraf, K., Tikotzky, L., & Haimov, I. (2020). Sleep ecology and sleep patterns among infants and toddlers: a cross-cultural comparison between the Arab and Jewish societies in Israel. Sleep Medicine, 75, 117–127. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sleep.2020.07.017
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