In the West, sharing your bed with your child is generally not acknowledged. It can be perceived as shameful and often isn't approved of.
Yet a study by the Universities of Bristol and Durham found that 46% of parents bedshared during their baby's first month, and 21% slept together with their baby from the age of 3 to 12 months.
These may be the published statistics but the real figures are likely to be much higher, because bed-sharing is not readily accepted and people don't admit to it. Parents will make references to the baby's bedroom, even if it's not slept in, to maintain that the child sleeps on his own when actually they share.
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