Expert reveals exact age children should stop sharing a bed with parents

If a child has a nightmare, it seems to be a custom around the world that they seek comfort from their parents.

And in turn, many mums and dads are happy to let their frightened youngster into their bed with them, in the hope of calming them down.

But if you're a first-time parent of a child under eight, you might be wondering when exactly you should be bidding this bedtime routine adieu.

I mean, who wants their 17-year-old climbing into bed with them when they have a bad dream?

Anyway, one parenting expert has this week addressed the long-standing debate and has finally set the record straight when it comes to the correct age to send your youngster back to their own bed.

According to Indian health guru Mickey Mehta, it's absolutely vital for children under the age of three to form a close bond with their parents, which can be achieved by sleeping in a close proximity to them.

He also went on to reveal that co-sleeping can be beneficial for both parents and youngsters as it tends to synchronise their heartbeats.

Getty/Lisa Wiltse

"[A child] gets dreams of fear, phobias because [the child's] subconscious is tender, it picks up every signal. Everything happening universally. And in the astral travel, the children cry. They s**t, they p**s," he explained in a YouTube interview with influencer Ritesh Bawri earlier this year.

"If the mother is next to the child, as the child cries, the mother soothes. Ears on the heart, and the erratic heartbeat of the child comes back to rhythm again."

Apparently, however, by the time your youngster reaches their seventh birthday, Mickey believes it it imperative to have kicked the habit of sleeping side-by-side.

"Til seven, their mirror neurons are working and they are very sensitive," he adds, explaining these are crucial when it comes to how we interact with other people.

"They will learn everything subconsciously, when the child is asleep."

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Mickey's claims have sparked a mass debate, however, after other medical professionals pointed out that though studies have proven that people who slept together had synced up heart rhythms, there's no evidence that this is necessary for childhood development.

Responding to the controversial video, paediatrician Dr. Mona Amin slammed the claims: "Wow I’ve never heard so much bs in one reel from a dude.

"He’s insinuating that children bed wet because of trauma and fear and separation which is not the case. Bed wetting is common in many children due to bladder immaturity and not anxiety."

Dr Amin went on: "And children do not need to sleep next to their mother for seven years to feel bonded.

"Independent sleep is possible and developmentally typical and can actually mean better sleep for the child AND parent."