Snuggling with your infant is one of the greatest joys of parenthood. It can also be a life saver for a fussy, irritable baby who doesn't want to sleep. But co-sleeping is not always considered safe. Here is what you need to know about the dangers of sleeping with your infant before you bring him into your bed.
Risk of Suffocation
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission has been warning parents of the dangers of co-sleeping since 1999. A report issued that year outlined the specific dangers of death by suffocation, as learned from a study involving 515 baby deaths. Infants were found to have suffocated while becoming entrapped or wedged between mattresses, bed coverings or other objects, or to have had their airway obstructed by lying face down in a water bed. Babies were also found to have become trapped in openings or rails that would allow for the baby's body to slip through but not leaving enough room for her head. There have also been reports of babies being suffocated after a sibling, parent or caregiver unintentionally rolled over onto them. These reports are grim and horrifying, and they outline a very real danger associated with co-sleeping with your infant.
Co-Sleeping While Medicated
While there are in fact many proponents of co-sleeping, none condone sleeping with your infant while you are under the influence of drugs--prescription or otherwise--or alcohol. Sleeping with your infant in an altered state will increase his risk of suffocation. Co-sleeping with your baby while you are extremely fatigued carries the same risk.
Couch Sleeping
Co-sleeping on a couch with an infant is also considered a dangerous sleeping environment. Babies can easily roll unintentionally off the couch--even when they are not yet able to roll over on their own-- and be injured from the fall, or slip between the couch cushions and the adult's body, causing them to suffocate.
Dangers in Adult Bedding
Never place babies to sleep on an adult bed alone--they may wriggle, roll or move right off of the bed, causing them to fall or to become entrapped in adult bedding. You should also never place pillows, quilts, or other soft, plush bedding on top of, around or underneath your baby. It may feel as though you are not being nurturing and comforting; but putting baby to bed on a harder surface with tight fighting sheets will decrease the dangers associated with unsafe sleeping environments.
