Co-Sleeping
Co sleeping, or the practice of parents sharing a bed with infants or young children, is an extremely controversial issue in the United States. Co sleeping supporters believe that sharing a family bed has many benefits including better sleep for parent and child, better bonding, and more successful breast feeding. Although co sleeping is common in most parts of the world, the question is how safe is it really? Both the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission and The American Academy of Pediatrics believe co sleeping does put babies at risk for suffocation and strangulation.

The CPSC described 515 deaths over a seven-year period where children under the age of two years were known to be in an adult bed. 121 of these deaths were simply caused by another bed member rolling over the child. Most of these victims were infants. Co sleeping is particularly dangerous if the parent or caretaker is obese, smokes, or uses drugs and alcohol. Soft mattresses, improperly placed mattresses, heavy bedding, and pillows may also endanger a child in a shared bed. Lastly, other children in the bed may be a danger, as they may not be aware of the younger child beside them.

It is not our position to say co sleeping is wrong but we do know co sleeping and adult beds can be made to be safer.