The Popular Trend Of Baby Bed-Sharing Linked To Rising Infant Deaths

Bed sharing between the baby and parents, better known as co-sleeping, has become a popular trend over the past number of years.

More parents are wanting to be closer to their baby during the earliest stages and according to CNN, the number of parents sleeping in the same bed with their young kids has doubled over the last 20 years.

The Center for Disease Control said there were approximately 3,700 deaths in 2015 due to sudden unexpected infant deaths, or SUID. 900 of those deaths (25 percent) are believed to be caused by accidental suffocation or strangulation in bed.

Just last Saturday, Cleveland police and EMS responded to a home for a deceased 7-week-old baby. Police believe the child’s mother fell asleep with the baby in bed and possibly rolled over onto the young baby causing suffocation.

The rate of accidental suffocation in babies been increasing in 1997. The rate continues to grow, with the highest amount of baby deaths in 2015 says the CDC.

The American Academy of Pediatrics and the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission urge against having a child under 12-months in the same bed with a parent.

They say that feeding in the parent’s bed is okay, but the baby should be brought back to their crib to avoid strangulation or suffocation.