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Kim Johnson reporting Is it ever safe for a child to sleep in an adult bed? We found parents, and even pediatricians, don't agree.
Late last year, big guns like the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission and The American Academy of Pediatrics strongly warned against co-sleeping
The Utah SIDS alliance agrees.
Lisa Hughes, Utah SIDS Alliance "They would rather have you have your baby in a crib, bassinet, or cradle next to your bed in the same room, but co-sleeping is discouraged."
Even though the large majority of SIDS deaths occur in cribs, a study published in the journal pediatrics found that babies who sleep in an adult bed face a risk of suffocation as much as 40 times greater than babies who sleep in cribs.
Still, experts estimate that 83 percent of parents, at some point, take their baby to sleep with them in an adult bed.
Proponents of co-sleeping, like Nicole Bernshaw, say nature intended for mothers and infants to sleep together.
Nicole Bernshaw, Author/Lactation Consultant "For the survival of the species you cannot have a biological practice, which is to have the mother and baby sleep together, be dangerous to the child. Otherwise the species would die."
Janie Smith, has always slept with her sixth month old baby.
Janie Smith: "This is normally how we go to sleep. So this would be my pillow. Her arm would be under here and I would nurse her like this and this is how we sleep. I don't know that I could roll over on her."
Smith says co-sleeping has increased the bond with her baby, and allowed them both to sleep better.
Sleeping Safely with Baby
- place baby on back
- head uncovered
- no openings in headboard or footboard
- don't place baby on adult bed
- don't use soft, plush items on bed
- don't use substances that can impede waking up
If you choose to sleep with your baby, experts have this advice: Put baby to sleep on her back. Make sure her head is uncovered. Make sure the bed's headboard and footboard don't have openings or cutouts that could trap your baby's head. Never let a baby sleep in an adult bed alone. Don't use pillows, quilts or other soft plush items on the bed. Don't smoke, drink or use any substance that might impede your ability to wake up.
