The American Academy of Pediatrics is advising that mothers who are nursing their babies should keep the babies next to the bed so that they can recognize early signs of hunger. Further, the academy is recommending that mothers should try to nurse their babies until they are at least one year old.

This policy is being received with some criticism, although most experts do not dispute the fact that breast-feeding is certainly better for an infant than the alternatives.

In its latest policy release, the academy points out that by having the baby sleeping nearby, the mother can hear them when they begin to stir and smack their lips, prior to crying out for a feeding. Dr. Lawrence Gartner, who help write the policy says, 'If the crib is in another room or even across the room, she might not hear the movement.'

Although breast-feeding rates have increased over the past twelve years, only about one-third of mothers are still nursing their babies at six months and less than one in five continue until the child reaches his or her first birthday. Breast-feeding helps reduce infant mortality and protects against a number of infections and stomach and bowel irritation.

Critics of this policy point out that women are stressed out enough trying to work and raise their families without having the additional stress of having the baby sleeping next to them.

Family historian Stephanie Coontz says, 'These experts are piling higher and higher expectations on mothers,' Coontz says. 'Half of American women go back to work before their babies are a year old. A woman might need a good night's sleep or to bond with her husband, and that's good for the baby. We have whole generations of well-adjusted, healthy people who didn't sleep near their parents as babies.' Coontz has written Marriage, A History, which will be published in May.