1. 4 updates

'Cot death risk' from bed-sharing

Around 120 baby deaths could be prevented in the UK every year if parents stopped sharing beds with their children, according to research by the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine.

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Nice: 'Safest place for a baby to sleep is in a cot'

A Nice spokesman said guidance on the care of women and babies after birth is currently being reviewed.

Any death of a child is a tragedy and one that any parent and health professional would want to prevent. Sleeping alongside a baby increases the risks to the child - including death.

We currently recommend that doctors, midwives and nurses should warn parents of the risks of sleeping alongside a baby in a bed.

The safest place for a baby to sleep is in a cot in their parents' room for the first six months.

– Nice spokesman

Professor: Increased risk 'for all babies who bed share'

Research from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine has found that the number of cot deaths in the UK could be reduced if parents did not share beds with their children.

Authors examined data from five studies on cot death, including the records of 1,472 cot death cases and 4,679 control cases.

Research showed that babies who slept in their parents' beds had a five-fold increase of cot death compared to children who slept in a cot in the parents' room.

Although it is clear that smoking and drinking greatly increase the risk of cot death while bed sharing, our study shows that there is in fact an increased risk for all babies under three months who bed share, even if their parents do not smoke or drink.

If parents were made aware of the risks of sleeping with their baby, and room sharing was instead promoted in the same way that the 'Back to Sleep' campaign was promoted 20 years ago to advise parents to place their newborn infants to sleep on their backs, we could achieve a substantial reduction in cot death rates in the UK.

– Professor Bob Carpenter, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine

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What causes sudden infant death syndrome?

Sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), known as cot death, is the sudden, unexpected and unexplained death of an apparently well baby, the NHS said.

At least 300 babies die from cot death every year, although the overall risk of an infant dying in such was is low.

  • Most deaths happen during the first three months of a baby's life, with premature or low weight babies at greater risk
  • More common in baby boys, experts believe SIDS occurs at a particular stage in a baby’s development, affecting those who are ulnerable to certain environmental stresses, such as getting tangled in bedding or minor illness
  • Babies who die of SIDS are thought to have problems in the way they respond to stresses and how they regulate their heart rate, breathing and temperature

NHS advice states mothers can reduce the risk of SIDS by not smoking while pregnant or after the baby is born, and always placing the baby on their back when they sleep.

Read: Medical groups welcome new anti-smoking campaign

Study: 120 cot deaths a year could be prevented

Around 120 cot deaths could be avoided if parents stopped sharing beds with their children, research has found.

Currently, NHS officials advise that parents should not bed share if they have been drinking alcohol, taking drugs or if they smoke.

120 cot deaths a year could be prevented, research has shown Credit: Katie Collins/PA Wire

But a new study has found that the guidance should be expanded to dissuade all bed sharing, especially with babies under three months.

The study suggested that 120 deaths a year could be prevented, a reduction of 40%, if parents only brought children into their beds for comfort and feeding, but not sleeping.

Watch: Smoking causes 40 cot deaths a year

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