James McKenna
Rev. Edmund P. Joyce, C.S.C., Professor of Anthropology
Office: 624 Flanner
Phone: 574-631-3816
Email: McKenna.25@nd.edu
Areas of Expertise
Infant co-sleeping, breast-feeding, sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), evolution of human behavior, evolutionary medicine, human parenting and infancy
A world-renowned expert on infant sleep – in particular the practice of bed sharing or “co-sleeping,” especially in relation to breastfeeding, McKenna is a widely quoted authority on this frequently debated parenting issue. As director of Notre Dame’s Mother-Baby Behavioral Sleep Laboratory, he is known for conducting the first ever physiological and behavioral studies of the differences between solitary and co-sleeping mother-infant pairs. McKenna is a strong proponent of co-sleeping and focuses his research specifically on the relationship between sleeping arrangements, feeding method and risk factors for Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS). The author of “Sleeping With Baby: A Parent’s Guide to Co-sleeping," McKenna also has published more than 130 refereed articles in medical, anthropology and psychology journals and completed two monographs on SIDS and infant sleep.
ND EXPERTS
Babies can sleep safely next to mothers
ND NEWSWIRE ARTICLES
McKenna, Aprahamian named AAAS fellows
Anthropologist recognized by national association
Infant co-sleeping expert James McKenna authors new book
Infant co-sleeping expert sheds light on controversial practice
IN THE NEWS
Fit Pregnancy—Sleep With Your Baby
Huffington Post—Co-Sleeping Research Looks At Breathing Risks For Baby
NPR—Does Milwaukee’s Campaign Against Sleeping With Babies Go Too Far?
NBC Today Show—Can co-sleeping be safe? Dr. Sears explains
Time Magazine—Go Ahead, Let Your Kids Climb into Bed With Mom and Dad
Sun-sentinel.com—Babies sleep best when they are not alone
Rise in Infant Suffocations Renews Debate On Bed-Sharing (Washington Post, 1/26/09)
News Categories
Featured Expert
Jimmy Gurulé
International criminal law, complex criminal litigation, terrorism, terrorist financing, anti-money laundering, organized crime
Cathleen Kaveny
Law, morality, and religion, religious freedom, medical ethics, complicity with wrongdoing, Catholic moral theology
Carolyn Nordstrom
Warfare, anthropology of war and peace, epicenters of conflict and peacebuilding, transnational crime, globalization, gender, culture theory
Mary Ellen O'Connell
International law, international legal regulation of the use of force, conflict and dispute resolution
