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Is Bed Sharing Dangerous to Your Baby’s Health?
Some parents not only room share, but bed share with their new baby.
This is clearly a SIDS risk if the parents are sleep deprived, cigarette
smokers, inebriated, very obese, or share the bed with other children.
The more you read books and blogs about little babies, the more you’ll
notice some conflicting opinions as to whether or not bed sharing is a
risk when these factors are not present. However, since new parents are
usually exhausted, most pediatricians feel it’s best to err on the side of
caution and recommend having babies sleep next to the bed (in a
bassinet or co-sleeper) not in it.
In 1999, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC)
warned parents about the possible dangers of bed sharing with children
less than two years old. Their conclusion was that parents should never
sleep with them in their beds.
Of course, our highest priority must be to prevent any child deaths

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from unsafe sleep practices, but banning bed sharing until after two is
unrealistic and unnecessary. For example, 80 percent of the deaths in the
CPSC study could have been avoided by filling the spaces around the bed
(to prevent head wedging) and by avoiding waterbeds.
Most doctors recommend no bed sharing until around six months. By
then, infants are usually strong enough to move their face away from
puffy pillows and comforters and the arms of exhausted or obese
parents. They are also better able to cry loudly and get their parent’s
attention.
No approach is perfect for all families, but the vast majority of infant
sleep deaths are preventable—with just a few precautions.
Ten Ways to Reduce the Risk of SIDS and Suffocation
1. Only let your baby sleep on the back.
2. Breast-feed if you can.
3. Don’t smoke, drink, or use drugs! (And don’t let others smoke in
your home.)
4. Don’t overheat (try to have the room 65–72 degrees, avoid
overdressing, and cover your baby’s head).
5. Use snug swaddles for all naps/nights to keep your baby from
accidentally rolling to the stomach or into a dangerous position.
6. Offer a pacifier at bedtime (wait until the nursing is well
established).
7. Never sleep with your baby on a couch or waterbed.
8. If you choose to bed share, always use a co-sleeper attachment to
keep your baby protected.
9. Remove pillows, toys, bumpers, and thick or loose bedding that
could cause smothering.
10. Practice tummy time to help your baby develop strong muscles to
move away from choking risks.

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The Whys About the “S’s”: Questions Parents Ask
About Sleeping