Parents allow children to share their bed past the age of seven years

It’s a poke in the eye for Gina Ford and her rigid Contented Baby Book regulations, as a study of UK parents finds 87 per cent allow their child to occasionally share their bed past their seventh birthday.

The findings by Ergoflex UK, come from questioning 2,760 parents with children aged ten years of age and older about their sleeping habits.

Despite allowing their children to share their bed until around the age of seven years and four months, it does cost mum or dad to lose around three hours sleep each time.

But even though so many of us allow it to happen, 34 per cent wouldn’t tell their friends in case they negatively judged.

The reasons given for sharing a bed were give as:

Too tired to deal with a child that was fighting sleep – 24 per cent

The child was distressed (poorly or had a bad dream) and wanted comfort – 22 per cent

Fell asleep whilst cuddled in bed – 16 per cent

Partner wasn’t home and felt lonely – 15 per cent

Woke up to find them in the bed – 14 per cent