Infants should not sleep with parents
If Mom and Dad are tired, it's tempting just to take a fussy baby to bed.
Family beds are common in other parts of the world, and with more and more families where both parents work, sleep is at a premium.
The baby certainly won't object, and although a couple's personal life may suffer, there are other times and places to meet those needs.
So, why not let everyone spend time together?
Because it endanger's the baby's life, according to Nebraska's Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Joannn Schaefer.
"Bed-sharing increases the risk of suffocation and SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome)," Dr. Schaefer said. "Sleeping with an infant can be comforting to both the baby and the parents, but it can be deadly."
Officials have noticed with alarm that there have been six deaths in the past six weeks of Nebraska babies that appear to have involved co-sleeping with parents.
Between one-third and one-half of Nebraska infant deaths attributed to SIDS each year are associated with co-sleeping, according to the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services. In 2006, of 20 sleep-associated or SIDS deaths, eight of the infants were known to be bed-sharing. Provisional data from 2007 show that of 13 sleep-associated or SIDS deaths, at least five involved bed-sharing.
In 2006, the Legislature passed a bill requiring hospitals, birthing centers and other medical facilities to show each mother and father a video and provide written information approved by DHHS on the dangers of SIDS, including having infants sleep in the same bed with adults or other children. It also includes information on the dangers of shaking children and measures to prevent SIDS. You can obtain the videos and brochures at http://www.dhhs.ne.gov/sids/.
Meanwhile, Schaefer advises parents of infants to:
* Have nothing but the baby in the crib when he or she is sleeping-no bumper pads, blankets, toys or articles of clothing.
* Put a baby to sleep on a firm surface, not an adult bed or on a couch or futon.
* Always place a baby on his or her back to sleep.
* Provide a smoke-free environment. Exposure to secondhand smoke doubles a baby's risk of SIDS.
So, no matter how tempting it is to take junior to bed with you, resist. Place that tiny girl or boy in his or her own bed for a safe night's sleep.