How will co-sleeping influence my baby's ability to sleep through the night?

More difficult: Co-sleeping babies do tend to wake more, perhaps because mom and baby are quicker to hear and react to each other, but also because it's quick and easy for mom to nurse. If independent sleep is a top priority for you, co-sleeping may not be the way to go.

More difficult: I agree with the physician above. Co-sleeping tends to delay a child's ability to self soothe and put themselves to sleep, which i view as an important achievement for a child. In sleep clinic i frequently see families with sleep difficulties who have a history of "reactive" co-sleeping (in response to difficulties with sleep onset and maintenance, as opposed to cosleeping as a conscious choice).

Dangerous!!: Before you worry about the ability to sleep thru the night, remeber that cosleeping increases the risk of sudden infant death syndrome (sids). No cosleeping--much safer!

Caution: We all love to cuddle our babies - but there are risks with co sleeping. An infant is learning to adapt to all sorts of new stimulation - remember they came out of you and are used to your heartbeat and warmth. But they will learn to sleep on their own with patience. The risk of accidental suffocation is the biggest concern in newborns. http://kidshealth.org/parent/general/sleep/cosleeping.html