More than half of cot deaths occur when babies sleep with parent

MORE than half of cot deaths take place when a baby is sleeping with a parent – and many of these parents are smokers or had been drinking or taking drugs, a study reveals.

Cot deaths in this country have fallen to 0.4 per 1,000 compared to an average of 30 per year in the 1980s, according to the National Sudden Infant Death Register.

However, experts are now advising parents to avoid sleeping with their baby if they have taken drugs, drank or are a smoker, so these deaths can be reduced even further.