Experts say parents who co-sleep with babies need to be told about cot death

Parents should be given safety tips about co-sleeping with their babies to raise awareness of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), experts warn.

It comes after research by the Lullaby Trust charity found that most parents at some point co-sleep with their infants, meaning they share a bed or other surface to sleep with the baby.

A survey of 3,402 new parents found that nine out of 10 parents have slept next to their baby, but only four out of 10 have received advice from a health professional on how to reduce the risk of cot death.

The Lullaby Trust also found that more than 40 percent of parents admit to falling asleep with their baby in potentially dangerous ways, such as on a sofa or in an armchair, which can increase the risk of SIDS by up to 50 times .

Additionally, a new report by scientists including from the University of Oxford found that more needs to be done to raise awareness about safe sleeping practices.

The report called for open discussions between parents and professionals, and specifically examined how these messages can be conveyed to disadvantaged communities.

Data suggests that 42 percent of cot deaths occur in deprived neighborhoods, compared to 8 percent in the least deprived neighborhoods.

The Lullaby Trust said much more information needed to be provided for parents as it stressed the need to sleep together as safely as possible.

When parents sleep together, the charity says they should keep adult pillows and bedding away from the baby, as well as any other items that could cover their head or cause them to overheat.

Babies should sleep on their backs, other children or pets should not be put to bed, and parents should ensure that babies cannot be trapped, trapped or fall out of bed.

Babies should also not fall asleep with a parent on the sofa or in armchairs.

Additional dangers exist when parents drink alcohol, smoke, or give birth to a premature or low-birth-weight baby.

The Lullaby Trust survey found that less than one in ten (nine percent) parents currently sleeping with their baby made the decision to do so before their baby was born.

More than half had accidentally fallen asleep in bed with their baby, 40 percent more than once.

Jenny Ward, chief executive of the Lullaby Trust, said: “Co-sleeping needs to be discussed with all families.

“It’s really important that parents feel able to have open conversations about co-sleeping with health professionals so they can get the right advice.

“Most parents sleep together at some point, whether planned or not.

“Simply telling parents not to sleep together, or not discussing sleeping together at all, means many families could be missing out on important advice on safer sleep that would help reduce their baby’s risk of SIDS.” .”

Data from the National Child Mortality Database shows that of all 6,503 infant and child deaths that occurred in England between April 2019 and March 2021, 30 per cent were sudden and unexpected, of which 64 per cent had no immediately identifiable cause. A total of 126 babies were certified as SIDS deaths.

About half of babies who die from SIDS are co-sleeping with an adult or older sibling at the time of death, 60 percent of deaths occur when the co-sharing was unplanned, and at least 92 percent are in dangerous circumstances, such as being sick . B. when sleeping on the sofa or with a premature baby.

Additional reporting by PA