After finding out how frequently parents share a bed with their infants, experts are urging for a step-up in safety recommendations.
Nine out of ten parents surveyed reported co-sleeping with their infants, but only four in ten claimed they had received advice from a medical practitioner on how to lower the risk of sudden infant death syndrome, also known as cot death (Sids).
According to the survey, more than 40% of parents acknowledged that they had slept off while holding their infant in a potentially hazardous position, as on a sofa or in an armchair, which can increase the risk of SIDS by up to 50 times.
Academics stated that more needs to be done to disseminate knowledge of safe sleeping practices when they released the poll’s results from 3,402 new parents for the charity Lullaby Trust, which raises awareness of Sids.
In a report, experts, including professors from the University of Oxford, urged parents and professionals to have open discussions. The report focused in particular on how to give advice to underprivileged areas where the rate of Sids deaths is higher.
According to The Lullaby Trust, if parents co-sleep, they should keep cushions, adult bedding, and anything else that could hide the baby’s head or make them overheat away from the child.
Other kids or dogs shouldn’t be brought into the bed with babies, who should always sleep on their backs.
Each year, 200 newborns die suddenly and unexpectedly, according to the NHS. Most infants who pass away from SIDS are co-sleeping at the time of death—about 50% of them.
