Why does co sleeping cause sids

An adult bed has many safety risks for a baby, including: suffocation from a soft mattress, memory foam, waterbed, or loose or soft bedding such as pillows, blankets, or quilts entrapment and suffocation when an infant gets trapped or wedged between a mattress and headboard, wall, or other object strangulation in a bed frame that allows part of an infant's body to pass through an area while trapping the baby's head, or from dangling cords Babies should always be placed to sleep on their backs on a firm mattress without any pillows, blankets, toys, stuffed animals, or other items.

Other things that increase this risk of death while bed-sharing include:: a baby sleeping on a couch alone or with a parent a baby sleeping between two parents a mother who smokes parents who are very tired a parent who has recently used alcohol or drugs bed-sharing with pillows or bedcovers bed-sharing with other children How Can We Room-Share Safely?

To keep your little one close, but not in your bed: Put a bassinet, play yard, or crib next to your bed. This lets you keep that desired closeness, which can be especially important if you're breastfeeding. Having an infant sleep in a separate space in the same room as the mother reduces the risk of SIDS. Consider using a bedside sleeper, which attaches to your bed, letting you and your baby be next to each other but on separate surfaces.

The CPSC has recommended safety standards for bedside sleepers, but no studies have looked at whether these devices prevent SIDS and other sleep-related deaths or injuries.

How to Bed-Share as Safely as Possible Some parents decide bed-sharing is best for their family despite the risks. If you choose to have your baby in bed with you, follow these precautions: Always place babies on their back to sleep to reduce the risk of SIDS. Dress your baby in minimal clothing to avoid overheating. Don't place a baby to sleep alone in an adult bed. Don't place a baby on a soft surface to sleep, such as a soft mattress, sofa, or waterbed. Our co-sleeping advice Babies should be slept in a clear sleep space, which is easy to create in a cot or Moses basket.

A high proportion of infants who die as a result of SIDS are found with their head covered by loose bedding.

For more info on co-sleeping and safer sleep read our guide for parents Co-sleeping with your baby: FAQs I am worried I might fall asleep while I breastfeed my baby at night, is this ok?

Should I co-sleep with my baby? Is it safer to co-sleep using a nest or pod than with a baby just lying on the adult bed? What bedding should I use for my baby when we co-sleep? I need information Safer sleep advice Professionals section Publications.

I need support Bereavement support Support services Helpline. He has devoted his career to understanding what happens to babies and their caregivers when they sleep together versus apart. But all of them slept within sensory range of their babies. About years ago, Western societies diverged from the rest of the world regarding family sleep, McKenna explains. So the church ordered that babies should sleep in a separate cradle until the age of three. Over time, other Western trends converged with that decree: Rising affluence and the value on independence and individualism made separate bedrooms fashionable.

As recently as the s, the kindly Dr. Meanwhile, anthropologists observed that all mammals and primates, as well as the majority of non-Western societies around the world, coslept.

Therefore, it was likely that the practice had some biological advantage. In , sudden infant death syndrome SIDS became a medical concern, and the death rate was two to three babies per 1, live births in most Western nations. The American Academy of Pediatrics took their cue, and all pediatricians recommended that babies be put to sleep on their backs, separately from adults. The SIDS rates began to decline. At the same time, researchers observed that SIDS is lowest in cultures where cosleeping is most common.

Keep pillows and adult bedding like sheets and blankets away from your baby. Use lightweight blankets, not heavy quilts or doonas. Tie up long hair and remove anything else that could be a strangling risk, including all jewellery and teething necklaces.

The safest spot is on the side of a big bed, away from the edge. Place your baby to the side of one parent, never in the middle of two adults or next to other children or pets. Your baby might get rolled on or overheat. Settling and other problems associated with co-sleeping Parents sometimes bring a baby into bed because the baby is waking or unsettled at night.