nfant deaths blamed on suffocation in bed have quadrupled in the
U.S. since 1984, according to a Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention report published in the journal Pediatrics. This
has reignited the debate over the rising number of parents who sleep
with their babies.
These deaths, although rare, can occur when a sleeping parent rolls
on top of a baby, a pillow falls on an infant’s face, a blanket
gets wrapped around a child’s neck or when a baby gets wedged
between a mattress and a wall.
Based on the new findings, experts are increasing their efforts
to discourage parents from sleeping in the same bed or on couches
with their babies.
“Strangulation deaths are going up and bed-sharing is going
up,” said John Kattwinkel of the University of Virginia, who
chaired an American Academy of Pediatrics panel that recommended
against bed-sharing. “It’s certainly logical to draw
a conclusion that there is a link. Parents should not bed-share
with their babies.”
Infants need a separate sleep surface with a firm mattress. They
need to be placed on their backs with no blankets, pillows, stuffed
animals or other objects that could suffocate them. 
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Report renews controversy over bed-sharing
with baby (click)
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