A new study has found that more than half of the occurrences of Cot Death happen when the baby is sharing a bed with his or her parent

The research from Bristol and Warwick University claims the safest place for baby to sleep for the first six months is in a cot next to the parent’s bed. We completely agree with this statement and it is something we have been recommending to parents since the start of this blog over a year ago.

However, when the tabloids published this story they did not go into enough detail. On closer inspection of the study it is apparent that the extremely high correlation between cot death and co sleeping was observed in a high-risk group. This high-risk group consisted of young, socially-deprived mothers who smoked and many of whom had taken alcohol or drugs at the time of the tragic cot death. In the group studied, there were also many cases where the mother had fallen asleep on the sofa with her baby.
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The age at which babies start standing varies considerably but it is usually between 10 – 18 months.  When your baby starts standing you should lower the crib mattress.  Her head should come just above the crib rail when she’s standing. At this height she won’t be able to pull herself over the top rail which could cause injury.  Also if your crib has bumpers at this stage they should be removed as she could use them to climb up and over.

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My personal view is that for the first six months, the safest place for baby to sleep is in a cot in the parents’ room. However, the purpose of this blog is to give parents all the necessary information for both sides of the argument and allow them to make an informed decision about what’s best for their family. Therefore, I will try to objectively weigh up the advantages and disadvantages of sharing a bed with your baby.

Advantages

Not only is it far more convenient for breast-feeding mothers but research has shown that babies and mothers sleep much better when they share a bed, with solo baby sleepers being shown to spend four times longer crying each night (McKenna, J., et al 1994). It has also been shown that bed sharing babies have more stable temperatures (C. Richard et al 1996), regular heart rhythms, and fewer long pauses in breathing compared to babies who sleep alone (T. Field 1995). This means baby sleeps physiologically safer.

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There is great controversy regarding the best place for your new baby to sleep. I have examined a wealth of research and literature published on the subject and my opinion is that, in general, the safest place the baby can sleep (for the first six months) is in a cot in the parent’s room. My opinion is shared by The Foundation for the Study of Infant Deaths (FSID) who launched a nationwide campaign to try and get this message home. They have recently launched an attack on the Channel Four programme, “Bringing up the Baby” because someone on the show advised that the baby should have his own room from day one.

Research has proved that infants who sleep in their own room in the first six months are twice as likely to die from SIDS (formerly called cot death) than those who share their parents’ bedroom. (FSID’s Editorial Team, 2007). I strongly advise you therefore to have baby sleeping in your room for the first six months.

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