CDC: Sleeping with Parents Raises Risk of Infant Death
The February issue of the journal, ‘Pediatrics,’ carries a report from US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) warning parents against sleeping with their babies. The warning is based on a nationwide study of infant death certificates which identified a quadrupled rise in the number of infants dying from unintentional strangulation or suffocation between 1984 and 2004. The number of parents sleeping with their babies is also on the rise.
Parents may bring babies to bed with them to make breast feeding more convenient or to increase the parent-child bond. Other parents sleep with their babies for economic reasons that include no money to buy cribs or bassinets and no other bed or room available. Whatever the reason, the link between the two has rekindled an old debate.
The dangers of an infant sleeping with an adult, be it in the bed, on the couch, or wherever, arise when a sleeping parent rolls over on top of a baby or when a pillow covers the baby’s face. In other cases, a baby may become wedged between mattress and wall or bed frame but, in other cases, a blanket gets wrapped during sleep around the infant’s neck.
Experts agree that keeping the baby close does increase the bond between parent and child and does make breast-feeding during the night more convenient. Instead of putting babies in bed with adults, though, a safer alternative may be to keep the baby in the same room but in its own crib or bed. Some non-profit organizations offer free cribs to families that cannot afford to buy them.
Although the number of infants strangling or suffocating unintentionally has risen in recent years, along with an increase in the number of parents who sleep with their infants, the CDC does not know exactly why so many babies are dying this way, according to Carrie K. Shapiro-Mendoza, who led the CDC study. Such deaths were once attributed to SIDS, or sudden infant death syndrome, but the number of SIDS deaths has declined since the early 1990s, when a nationwide campaign was launched that advocated placing babies on their backs to sleep in environments clear of excessive pillows, blankets, and soft toys. Investigators also study SIDS cases more thoroughly than ever before, a situation thought to attribute to the decline in SIDS cases.
will be better, if we as parents sleep without infant. we have to give other bed or room for our infant.
I just came from a memorial/funeral where a three week onld baby girl was wedged unsafely by her 350 to 380 pound mother. Of course the new mom was exhausted, only to wake up with her baby suffocated. What chance does an 8 pounder have with these odds. Shouldn’t mothers take responsibility for the dangers especially with that much adult body mass?
The inlaw family, who I have been friends with for years, are devastated. The police did a full investigation along with a coroners atopsy and found the cause to be “roll over” death. The situation is compounded by the overall judgement of the neglectfull mother. The father is a prisoner/drug addict. I feel so dreadfully sad for that sweet little life that was “snuffed” out prematurely.
I woke last night wondering were my two week old son was. I checked the basinet and the babys room, i started to panik. I HAVE NOTICED MOM had been taking the baby to bed as the baby will tend to sleep longer that and crashing on the couch with the baby on her chest. So i pulled the covers down to find my son covered by the thick blanket right up against moms side. i dont want to wake up to find my son not breathing i don’t know if i could take it. What should i do?
Ryan,
Maybe you should be the person that tends to the baby at night rather then her since she neglects the child’s safety. Obviously the mother has no concern for her child’s safety. You could try calling child services to see what protection they can offer the child so that her poor judgement cannot endager the child anymore. But that will have until you get back from deer camp smoking weed with your buddies.