Safe sleep advice
Creating a “safe sleep” environment, as recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics:
• Adults or other children should not share a bed with an infant while sleeping.
• Room-sharing with parents is recommended but not bed-sharing. Infants should be placed in a safety-approved crib, bassinet or play crib for sleeping.
• Devices such as wedges or bumpers promoted to make bed-sharing “safe” are not recommended.
• Parents and caregivers should avoid placing an infant on excessively soft surfaces such as waterbeds, sofas and arm chairs.
• Newborns and infants should be placed on their backs for sleeping.
• The AAP discourages putting pillows, quilts, comforters and other soft items under an infant or in a crib because these items may cause suffocation.
• To prevent Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, the AAP also recommends breastfeeding and protecting infants from exposure to tobacco smoke and parental drug and alcohol use.
A sudden rise in the number of infants accidentally suffocated to death in bed is alarming public health officials in Northern Colorado.
Four infants suffocated in Weld County in 2012, and three suffocated in Larimer County. Health officials say at least six of those deaths were caused in part by a parent or other adult sleeping in bed with the infant, which health officials consider entirely preventable deaths.
The deaths come after three years without a single infant suffocation in Larimer County.
“Just don’t sleep with the infant in your bed,” said Eric Aakko, a spokesman for Weld County Department of Public Health. “You forget that it’s dangerous. You might think it’s the safest place, right next to an adult.”
Public health officials regularly and routinely warn parents against sharing a bed with their infant, noting that suffocation is the leading cause of death of infants aged 1 month to 1 year old. They say avoiding sharing a bed helps reduce the risk of accidental suffocation.
But those recommendations from most medical and government experts stand in stark contrast to the advice some Fort Collins-area moms give. They say the practice of “co-sleeping” helps strengthen parental bonds, leads to more emotionally and physically healthy children, and is perfectly safe, based on their experience and that of millions of moms around the world.
Fort Collins mom Sarah Neubert is one of those moms. She said she extensively researched co-sleeping and concluded it was right for her family. She said a good dose of common sense, including not co-sleeping while under the influence of drugs, alcohol or sedatives, makes it right for her.
“It’s a natural practice that’s been around since the dawn of time,” she said. “We are loving parents who have educated ourselves on what is best for our families.”
Weld County health officials say the four infant deaths within their county last year were directly attributable to “unsafe sleeping conditions when a parent or adult shared a bed with the infant. Soft bedding, blankets or an adult accidentally rolling on top of the infant were causes of the four deaths.”
In Larimer County, the coroner’s office said three infants suffocated last year. In one case, the baby was not co-sleeping, but instead faced a “hostile sleep environment” by being placed face-down on a couch amidst loose bedding and large pillows. In the second case, the coroner’s office said a 15-day-old baby was co-sleeping with her mother when she died of “asphyxia due to overlay.” And the third baby’s death was attributed to “unsafe sleeping environment, co-sleeping, overlying,” the coroner’s office said.
Those three suffocation deaths in Larimer County in 2012 were the first in the county since 2008. In Weld County, one baby suffocated in each 2011 and 2010, with no suffocation deaths in 2009.
Fort Collins parenting blogger Christi Seidman co-slept with her oldest daughter 12 years ago, and said she appreciated the cuddling, physical closeness and ease of breastfeeding. But after more research — her husband is a pediatrician — she decided to avoid co-sleeping with her second daughter until the girl turned 1, which is what the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends.
“Yes, there are steps you can take to minimize the risks of co-sleeping. However, the majority of research strongly supports the conclusion that there are risks involved and the majority of pediatricians advise against the practice,” Seidman said.
“People may cite research studies that support the idea of safe co-sleeping, and they may argue that there are medical professionals who support, or even encourage, co-sleeping. However, those studies and individuals are largely outnumbered, and to pretend that the risks don’t exist is irresponsible.”
“Many places give that message. My staff certainly gives that message to folks they’re home visiting with,” said Avie Strand, the community health services director at the Larimer County Department of Health and Environment. “That message is out there, but does everybody get it? Obviously not.”