 
Sharing your bed with
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The study is published in the September issue of Pediatrics electronic pages, the online peer-reviewed scientific journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics.
Researchers from the School of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine and the Offices of the Medical Examiner of the City of St. Louis and St. Louis County concluded this after reviewing death-scene information from 119 infant deaths. The deaths occurred between 1995 and 1997 in and around St. Louis.
Of the 119 deaths, the diagnosis was Sudden Infant Death Syndrome in 88, accidental suffocation in 16 and undetermined in 15.
"In other countries and cultures where sleep surfaces may be safer, bedsharing may be less dangerous to babies," said James S. Kemp, M.D., lead author of the study and associate professor pediatrics at the School of Medicine. "But in the U.S., it appears that bedsharing may lead to increased risk for death because babies get trapped in the beds or buried in the bedding."
Ten infants were entrapped by a bed or other sleep surface, causing asphyxiation. In seven additional cases, records indicate the infant died after being entrapped by the body of a bedmate.
The study's authors believe that, in reality, the incidence of entrapment by a bedmate is probably higher because bedmates may not realize they were lying on the baby or they may be reluctant to report it.
Other findings were:
In more than 60 percent of the cases, infants were found on their stomachs.
In more than 75 percent of the cases, infants were found on a sleep surface that was not designed for infants such as an adult bed, sofa or chair.
In nearly 30 percent of the cases, bedding covered the baby's head or face.
In more than half of the cases, the site of death was a shared sleep surface.
The researchers stress the need for public health campaigns warning parents and care providers about the dangers of unsafe sleep practices. They conclude that shared sleep surfaces in the United States are unsafe for infants, and cribs are the safest place for babies to sleep.
"Having the baby sleep alone on his or her back in a crib with safe bedding, eliminates hazards such as suffocation from unsafe bedding and adult overlaying," said Michael Graham, M.D., St. Louis City Medical Examiner and co-director of the division of forensic pathology.
"By implementing safe sleep practices for babies, parents can significantly reduce their baby's risk of dying," Graham said.
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