A recent study reported that the incidence of the death of infants who sleep in their parents bed has risen sharply in the last decade. Many parents cannot resist the urge to bond with their baby while sleeping, or find it easier to attend to an infants needs if they are nearby. This carries certain risks however.
- Babies can become smothered by wayward blankets or pillows
- Babies can be injured or trapped under a parent who has inadvertently rolled on top of them
- Babies can roll off large beds if they are not properly barricaded
There are safer alternatives that can keep you close to your baby while alleviating the risks of sleeping in the same bed with your baby.
There are Bedside Cribs or Bassinets available that you can place right next to your bed. They have 3 sides with a railing but the fourth side is placed adjacent to the parents mattress/bed. This allows bonding with easy access without the other dangers. There is another product called the Snuggle Nest which is a small infant bed with a upper railing and a sleep positioner that keeps kids on their backs. It is for use in a parents bed. It can keep kids from rolling, and will help prevent parent rollovers. Blankets and pillows could still be a risk though.
Mar 04, 2009 @ 15:35:15
Actually, sleeping WITHOUT your child in your bed can be more dangerous.
I am a physician (MD) and the number of child deaths from adult overlay in the parent bed (average 65 per year) are far fewer than the number of SIDS deaths (2500-4250 per year).
The problem with the infant brainstem is that it, like the rest of their CNS, is underdeveloped. The child is at risk of falling too far asleep, whereby the medulla actually “forgets” to breathe. Having the child with the adult typically prevents this from happening, as the child will default “pacemake” off the adult respiratory cycle.
SIDS in the setting of cosleeping is EXTREMELY rare. In China, where 88% of couples cosleep, the SIDS (or other infant death) rate is the lowest in the world.
The problems with cosleeping occur if, 1) you smoke; or 2) you drink, or 3) you use drugs; or 4) you use a bed that can result in infant entrapment. Barring these conditions, cosleeping will not result in child suffocation. The numbers don’t lie… the proof is in the stats!
May 02, 2009 @ 05:09:48
I wish parents would get this instruction when they go home from the hospital