Sharing bed hikes chance of cot death five-fold

A study has found breastfed babies under the age of three months who sleep in their parents’ beds face a five-fold increased risk of cot death.

Researchers estimate that 40% of cot death cases could be prevented if parents only brought children into their beds for comfort and feeding, but not sleeping.

At present, medical advice in Britain only says parents should not bed-share if they have been drinking alcohol, taking drugs, or if they smoke.

However, the authors of the latest study said that the guidance should be expanded to dissuade all bed-sharing — especially with babies under three months.

The research, led by researchers from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, examined data from five studies on cot death — also known as sudden infant death syndrome.

The authors examined the records of 1,472 cot death cases and 4,679 control cases.

They found that the risk of cot death among breastfed babies under three months increased with bed-sharing, even when the parents did not smoke and the mother had not consumed alcohol or drugs.

Babies who slept in their parents’ beds had a five-fold increase of cot death compared to children who slept in a cot in the parents’ room.

The research, published in the BMJ Open, found that 22% of the cot death cases occurred when babies were sharing a bed with their parents. The authors estimate that 88% of such cot death cases would not have happened if bed-sharing had been avoided.

The risk associated with bed-sharing decreases as babies get older but if either parent was a smoker or the mother had drunk alcohol or used illegal drugs at any time since the child was born, the risk was greatly increased.

“Currently in the UK, more than half of cot deaths occur while a baby is sleeping in the same bed as its parents,” said lead author of the study, Bob Carpenter from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.

“Although it is clear that smoking and drinking greatly increase the risk of cot death while bed-sharing, our study shows that there is in fact an increased risk for all babies under three months who bed-share, even if their parents do not smoke or drink.

“Health professionals need to make a definite stand against all bed-sharing, especially for babies under three months.”

In light of the study, officials at the Department of Health in Britain have asked the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence to “urgently” review guidance on bed-sharing.