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Is a Family Bed Safe?
Infant health and safety issues go in and out of fashion. For example, in the early 1970s, everyone thought formula was better than breast milk; now that opinion has been reversed. At one time, babies wore high, rigid shoes that were supposed to help them walk; now doctors say kids learn to walk best when barefoot. The latest round of confusing advice: The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) and the Juvenile Product Manufacturers Association (JPMA) are launching a campaign urging parents to put babies to sleep only in their cribs, even as some popular experts are encouraging parents to co-sleep with their babies in their own adult bed.
The CPSC recently announced that each year, more than 60 American babies younger than age 2 die from suffocation or strangulation in adult beds. (In comparison, just over 30 babies die from those causes in cribs.) The problem is, the CPSC doesn't have firm information on how, exactly, all of these deaths in adult beds occur. Researchers gather data from hospitals and coroners' records, and those papers rarely specify the exact conditions at death, explains Jacqueline Elder, CPSC's acting director of the office of hazard identification and reduction. For instance, we don't know how many babies who died in adult beds were sleeping alone.
Some documents list "entrapment," which usually means the baby was stuck between the mattress and a wall, headboard, or footboard; others note falls; still others blame suffocation in soft bedding. But in those cases, it's impossible to know if the baby was left alone on the bed (which is always dangerous) or somehow rolled away from a parent.
In 58 out of 180 cases in a three-year period, infants died in adult beds due to "overlying," which means someone rolled onto them and caused accidental suffocation. Elder says the CPSC has no idea if parents only were involved in these cases or if siblings could have caused the overlying; it's also not clear if any parents were using drugs or alcohol at the time, which could have impaired their ability to wake up and move off the baby.
All of these details are important because they cloud the issue of whether sleeping with a baby in your bed is unsafe or if parental negligence is the real problem. James McKenna, PhD, director of the Mother-Baby Behavioral Sleep Lab at the University of Notre Dame, and a vocal co-sleeping advocate, argues that bed sharing is natural and -- assuming that the parents are sober -- safe. By pushing for cribs, the CPSC is ignoring a parent's instinct to be near his or her baby, he says.
In fact, studies from England and New Zealand show a decreased risk of SIDS in babies who co-sleep. (There aren't any U.S. studies that replicate this data.) McKenna has attached EEG electrodes to the scalps of sleeping moms and babies nestled next to each other and found that their patterns of arousal were in sync. According to McKenna, babies who sleep next to parents gain the skill of rousing themselves quickly, which is the best defense against long sleep apneas, or pauses in breathing. He's also found that mothers who co-sleep are more attuned to their baby's subtle breathing shifts and often wake if something is wrong.
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i always insisted that my baby would sleep on his back in his own bed but that didnt happen. my son had difficulties during and after his birth and we spent his 1st wk in hospital with heart and respiration monitors. at home i slept on his bedroom floor for 3 nights checking his breathing every 20mins or so.he also developed reflux and couldnt stay on his back.i spent the next month with him in my arms 23hrs/day and i slept sitting up. co+tummy sleeping soon followed. i dont use pillows/blankets
6/28/2010 04:18:26 PM Report AbuseI'm confused about how a Co-Sleeper works. I've seen the pictures of the co-sleeper that is like a bassinet that attaches to the parents' bed. When the parents pull their sheets and blankets up over the parents body, how to you prevent the sheets and blankets from draping into the co-sleeper and causing a potential suffocation hazard?
4/23/2010 10:06:07 PM Report AbuseI recommend the "snuggle nest" for anyone co-sleeping with their infant! It is meant for cosleeping as it has walls to prevent you from rolling over onto the baby. It also has a sleep positioner and wedge for baby's safty and comfort. I like what JAMcMeyer wrote about the co-sleeper bassinet, I think I will get that for my next baby to move into after he/she moves out of the snuggle nest. My son (5 months old) still sleeps in my bed with out the nest after my husband goes to work at 6 am :)
4/16/2010 03:25:29 PM Report AbuseI have been having the hardest time personally when he is in the crib I am getting up several times throughout the night checking on him (as my friend most recently had a son who died of SIDS). When he would wake up at night I would bring him in bed with me to nurse and he would stay. I still feel guilt about having him sleep with me I do attempt the crib in the beginning of the night but our patterns have become the above. And the vicious circle continues!
12/12/2009 08:39:10 PM Report AbuseEveryone's experience is different and so is everyone's baby.I read numerous articles on SIDS and insisted from day one that my son would sleep on his back and in his crib. Yet from the time he could roll out of his sleep positioner he would shift to his tummy and wake up at least 5 times at night seemingly looking for company. Naturally by the third night he was in my bed, on my tummy!.Its about trusting your instinct and taking the necessary precautions.
10/21/2009 11:23:45 AM Report AbuseAs a NICU nurse of 15 years I coslept with my son (now 8) who slept prone. My daughter (almost 1) has slept on her back in a bassinet or crib, but we cosleep for naps. SIDS babies have been found on their backs in their cribs. It is not recommended to cosleep when using alcohol or drugs(even OTC ones that cause drowsiness) or being too tired. I, like many others, do believe that there are many positive effects of cosleeping when precautions are taken to ensure the safety of the baby.
10/19/2009 09:47:01 PM Report AbuseI'm very disappointed that this article completely ignored Co-Sleepers, a type of crib that attaches to the adult bed but allows the baby have it's own separate sleeping space. I can't roll over onto my children because the co-sleeper is smaller than the bed, but I can reach over and touch them to help them go back to sleep sooner. It was definitely the best of both worlds for our family!
10/19/2009 02:21:19 PM Report AbuseMy and husband and I co-sleep with our baby after her 4 a.m. morning feeding. She is in between me and my husband in a king size bed and has plenty of room if she decides to move around. There are no pillows or blankets around her. I believe that if you are safe, there is nothing wrong with it. Both my husband and I feel every move she makes and will wake up immediately if something is wrong.
10/19/2009 01:53:28 PM Report AbuseI co-sleep with my infant off and on since he was born. I found it difficult to get any sleep worrying about his breathing, or if he was too cold or hot or if he had positioned himself dangerously in the crib. I got up often to check on him. Together, I felt his every move; I heard his breathing and made sure nothing covered his face. My son and I got more rest together than we ever did apart in a much less disruptive manor.
10/19/2009 01:00:06 PM Report AbuseSleep apnea is not SIDS. A SIDS baby will not "startle" back to life. On-going studies in the US cover almost 20 years of data, and these are their recommendations, according to the SIDS network: Put the crib next to the bed, and put baby to sleep ALWAYS face up. Turn on a little fan to blow old air away from baby, put no fancy bumpers, blankets, toys or cushy mattress covers in the crib. No matter what family culture or tradition exists, co-sleeping is a risk no parent should take.
10/19/2009 12:52:26 PM Report AbuseAs a nurse,I have seen the dangers of co-sleeping.Not only have parents rolled onto their child,but an older baby can pull a blanket or pillow over their head or around their neck,cutting off air supply.Trust me, there is nothing worse in the world than the look on a mothers face when she sees her lifeless child.I realize this may be a bit harsh,but if something did happen to your child,wouldn't you want to know that you did everything possible to keep him safe?
10/19/2009 12:01:54 PM Report Abuse