1. The west is the only culture where we don't sleep with our children either in the same room or on the same bed. In most cultures where bed-sharing is the norm, death due to bed-sharing is virtually unheard of.

30% of families bed share all the time.
30% of families bed share some of the time.
30% of families never bed share.

When you bed share, just be sure to follow some simple rules: don't smoke, don't get into bed with a baby after having taken medication that make you drowsy, don't get into bed with a baby after drinking or taking recreational drugs, don't use heavy blankets, get rid of most of the pillows, sleep on a firm mattress with no extra padding.

Bed-sharing decreases the risk of SIDS, increases the amount of breastmilk your baby drinks and increases the amount of rest parents of infants get at night.

Posted at 12:27PM on Jul 2nd 2008 by mamaloo

2. I am due in August & I plan on splitting the difference. I have a "co-sleeper" that hooks onto the side of the bed. That way my little one is right next to me but I don't have to up the number on my Sleep Number bed (I like a soft bed.)

Posted at 2:30PM on Jul 2nd 2008 by Jennifer

3. Jennifer,

I used a co-sleeper too and I loved it!

Posted at 2:41PM on Jul 2nd 2008 by Bethany Sanders

4. Co-sleeping made my world much more relaxed, but I know that it's not for everybody. Just like with so many good things, one dumb person piling into bed with a newborn after an evening of cocktails or a whopping dose of sleep inducing meds with disastrous results is all it takes for everyone to look at co-sleeping with their baby as dangerous and something to be avoided.

Good old fashioned common sense should be exercised in every aspect of your baby's care. It's not a good idea for anybody in the above circumstance to be walking around with a child, much less sleeping with them. We found bed sharing to be a blessing and to give us peace of mind during early illnesses.

The new co-sleepers seem to give new parents the best of both worlds. They also may be better for laying the groundwork for a move into a completely independent bed later.

Jan from http://www.unique-baby-gear-ideas.com/baby-sleep.html

Posted at 2:43PM on Jul 2nd 2008 by Jan Bay

5. >>> "citing the fact that half of all infant deaths catergorized as sudden and unexpected happen when babies share a sleeping surface with adults"

Could you provide a link to the research papers for this. It's something I've not heard before; we did some co-sleeping (eg when on holiday) and also had a crib alongside, and at the level of, the bed - like a bed extension if you like.

I just find it helps to read the research to get the full facts.

Posted at 8:13PM on Jul 2nd 2008 by pbhj

6. pjhj,

If you click the link in the post, both studies (about co-sleeping AND about bassinet safety) are referenced in the original article.

Thanks for commenting!

Bethany

Posted at 8:15PM on Jul 2nd 2008 by Bethany Sanders

7. I can`t recall where I actually read the report, but I did at some point... And ended up rolling my eyes at most of it. I hunted through my links, but couldn`t find it anywhere.
If I recall correctly, it completely fails to mention or take into account whether the parents were under the influence of anything - citing all deaths as simply being due to the child being in the bed with the parent. However, a little more research outside the actual report and I couldn`t find more than 1 or 2 cases (out of a countless number) where the child had died when they hadn`t been crushed by a drunken/drugged/medical condition adult.

I would check international studies to get the real facts.

Obviously, co-sleeping isn`t for everyone... But omitting important facts in a study to make the act look dangerous is something I find rather deplorable. ANYTHING is more dangerous when you`re under the influence of something. If you`re drinking or using drugs (legal or illegal) you definitely shouldn`t be sleeping with your child. You also shouldn`t be if you have some sort of condition that prevents you from being aware of your surroundings. (As deep as people think they sleep, you KNOW if you roll over on to your baby - it`s the same as knowing where the edge of the bed is so that you don`t fall out of it every night.)
As for normal circumstances... I`ll side with Japanese studies that show co-sleeping significantly reduces the chance of SIDS, and alleviates possibly brain damaging apnea. And with our neonatal specialist who told us point blank that my son had a nearly triple chance of dying if we slept away from him.

Posted at 8:31PM on Jul 2nd 2008 by Tamyu

8. And... I can`t believe I totally missed the links in the original article. *sigh* Mornings are not my strong point!

Posted at 8:32PM on Jul 2nd 2008 by Tamyu

9. Bethany, I checked out the articles linked study "Infant sleep location ..." Fu et al. I can't afford to buy access to the full review, however either it doesn't cover what you say or the abstract/conclusion ahve been written really badly.

They asked 708 mums where their baby slept last night (same bed, same room, different room). Then they said that for that statistical analysis the factors (eg being hispanic) related to sharing a room also fit the factors associated with SIDS.

The conclusion states: Approximately one-third of mothers and infants bed-share, despite increased risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS).

There is no comment it seems about causes of SIDS, instead this is a study aimed at creating "factors" for further study. They claim an "increased risk of sudden infant death syndrome" they do not prove any relationship between SIDS and co-sleeping .. or if they do it's not in their conclusion.

Posted at 7:59AM on Jul 9th 2008 by pbhj