Age is the biggest topic when people search for co-sleeping
As you start typing into Google, it suggests searches based on what many other people have searched for. We collected 4,111 of these co-sleeping suggestions across 12 languages and grouped them by topic. In all 12 languages, a child's age is the biggest topic, including how long parents and children can co-sleep and when to stop.
What this means
- Across all 12 languages, parents ask about age more often than whether co-sleeping is healthy or harmful.
- Co-sleeping is not just about babies: almost everywhere, people ask about children aged 10 or over.
- The suggestions show what people type into Google, but not how many people make those searches.
When people search for co-sleeping in english, 20% of Google's suggestions relate to the child's age, such as how long you can co-sleep. In United Kingdom, Google suggests questions about children as old as 10.
What parents type into Google
Genuine Google suggestions in 12 languages. The Danish translation appears below the search box.
The search is in Danish
How much of it is about age?
The proportion of Google's suggestions in each language that relate to the child's age. Suggestions about specific beds and other products were excluded beforehand.
Source: Google's suggestions: 3,709 searches we carried out on Google returned 4,111 unique suggestions across 12 languages in 18 countries and language regions (Oct. 2026); analysis: FamBed.
How old are the children who sleep in their parents' bed?
Each row represents a study from one location. The bars show the proportion of children who slept in their parents' bed at a particular age, shown on the axis below. Each study used a different method, so the figures cannot be compared directly.
Source: Jenni et al. 2005, 493 children followed from 1974 to 2001; Marakovitz et al. 2023, 917 preschool children; Liu et al. 2003, 517 schoolchildren.
You may use the graphic under these terms. The studies the figures are based on belong to the researchers.
When is a child too old for their parents' bed?
1,000 Americans were asked up to what age they thought it was acceptable for a child to sleep in their parents' bed (November 2024). Only a few said it was acceptable after age 5.
Source: Talker Research for Newsweek, 1,000 Americans, 2-6 November 2024.
You may use the graphic under these terms. The measurements the figures are based on belong to those who produced them.
How we calculated it
Google suggestions: We carried out 3,709 Google searches and saved the suggestions Google returned across 12 languages in 18 countries and language regions. This gave us 4,111 unique suggestions about co-sleeping. Searches for specific products, such as a particular bed, were removed before the percentages were calculated. The suggestions show what people type, not how many people search for it. It is the language that counts, not the country: German covers Germany, Austria and Switzerland.
Age: This topic also includes babies’ ages in months and questions about when co-sleeping can begin. When we say "children up to 10 years old", this is the oldest age mentioned in a suggestion for that country. It shows that someone searches for that age, not how many people do.
The studies: Zurich: 493 children followed from 1974 to 2001; counted as co-sleeping when the child slept in their parents’ bed at least once a week. USA: 917 preschool children, with an average age of 3.8, from paediatric clinics in one city; counted as co-sleeping when the child joined their parents during the night. China: 517 schoolchildren in the city of Jinan in 2001; counted as co-sleeping when the child regularly slept in their parents’ bed.