Don’t Sleep next to your Baby

Sleeping next to your baby puts them at a dangerously high risk for Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, according to a new study.

In findings published on Monday, researchers discovered that among the 8,207 sleep-related infant deaths in the past eight years in the U.S., 70per cent occurred in babies who were sharing a bed at the time, either with a parent or an object like a blanket or pillow.

'Bed-sharing for 0 to four-month-old babies is extremely risky,' pediatrician Rachel Moon, an author of the study, told the Huffington Post. 'In this study, this sleep situation presented the most important risk for infants in this age group.'

Know the risks: A new study has found that among the 8,207 sleep-related infant deaths in the past eight years, 70per cent occurred in babies who were sharing a bed at the time, either with a parent or an object

The study, which involved data from 24 states over the period from 2004 to 2012, was published in this month's Pediatrics journal.

It notes that bed-sharing - a popular trend these days, especially among parents who advocate 'attachment parenting' - carries a host of risks.

For infants under four months, the most common cause of sleep-related death was found to be sleeping next to an adult. 

 The cause of death of infants between the ages of four months and a year was more likely to be related to blankets or stuffed animals.

While the possible dangers of bed-sharing have been documented before, this was the first study to determine just how vulnerable younger infants are when sleeping with their parents.

“Infants at this age do not yet have the motor ability or strength to move their head or reposition their body when in an asphyxiating environment, such as when another person rolls over or moves,” reads the paper.

Some parents tout the benefits of bed-sharing, including psychologist Penelope Leach and celebrity mothers from Angelina Jolie to Heidi Klum, who claim it strengthens the bond between you and your child.

In fact, the number of parents who share a bed with their infant has doubled over the past 20 years, according to a 2013 poll in the journal JAMA Pediatrics.

But Dr Moon says the dangers far outweigh the advantages. “The risk of infant death if you fall asleep with your baby is high, particularly in the first few months of life,” she said. “It is not a risk that I would want to take with my child.”

She added that since it would be 'unethical' and impossible to carry out randomised, controlled research on the subject, parents should err on the side of caution. 

“We recommend that nothing be in the crib except for the baby,” she said.

How infants are at a dangerously high risk Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SID)

What is SIDS?
Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, or SIDS, is the leading cause of death in babies between one and 12 months of age, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics.

Most deaths happen within six months of the baby’s birth, usually when the baby is asleep at night.

The exact cause is unknown, but it is thought some babies develop a problem in the way they deal with certain stresses, which affects how they regulate their heart rate, breathing and temperature.

Co-sleeping with parents also presents more opportunities for babies to have their breathing impaired.

The AAP tells parents they can cut the risk of SIDS by placing a baby on their back to sleep, without any other objects in the crib.