Yesterday my wife sent me a link from Philadelphia (here) that suggests that co-sleeping may be a significant risk factor in the incidence of SIDS. This article suggest that 20 of 32 (62%) of SID deaths in Philadelphia can be attributed to co-sleeping and they are launching a campaign to warn low income parents about the inherent dangers of sleeping with you children.
I believe that this is categorically false statement. In the majority of the world outside of the US, Europe, and Australia children sleep with their parents especially as infants in a "family bed" and the incidence of SIDS in these countries is close to zero. There are also a number of studies that demonstrate that co-sleeping actually prevents SIDS (wikipedia has a good account of the pros and cons here and a number of excellent references). The article doesn't address a number of issues as to whether or not the parents smoked, drank alcohol, drug use, obesity, bedding, whether the infant was left alone on the bed and if they were on their stomach all considered to risk factor for SIDS. The article also demonstrates significant cultural bias and suggests that modern western beds are for the parents and that children should be kept in separate facilities. I have never quite understood why in the western world we have a tendency to warehouse our young children and elderly out of sight. The other argument is that it is hard for couples to be intimate if the child is co-sleeping. Any new parent has a hard time being intimate, children require a major time investment and a lot of energy to raise plus who says you have to have sex in the bed every time, this is like some puritan principal where all sleep in segregated facilities.
In my family, we have slept with all three of the children as it helps facilitate breathing and breastfeeding, the mother doesn't have to get up in the middle of the night to feed. My children are all happy, healthy normal kids. Sure do they need their parents from time to time, of course we all do.
I believe that this is categorically false statement. In the majority of the world outside of the US, Europe, and Australia children sleep with their parents especially as infants in a "family bed" and the incidence of SIDS in these countries is close to zero. There are also a number of studies that demonstrate that co-sleeping actually prevents SIDS (wikipedia has a good account of the pros and cons here and a number of excellent references). The article doesn't address a number of issues as to whether or not the parents smoked, drank alcohol, drug use, obesity, bedding, whether the infant was left alone on the bed and if they were on their stomach all considered to risk factor for SIDS. The article also demonstrates significant cultural bias and suggests that modern western beds are for the parents and that children should be kept in separate facilities. I have never quite understood why in the western world we have a tendency to warehouse our young children and elderly out of sight. The other argument is that it is hard for couples to be intimate if the child is co-sleeping. Any new parent has a hard time being intimate, children require a major time investment and a lot of energy to raise plus who says you have to have sex in the bed every time, this is like some puritan principal where all sleep in segregated facilities.
In my family, we have slept with all three of the children as it helps facilitate breathing and breastfeeding, the mother doesn't have to get up in the middle of the night to feed. My children are all happy, healthy normal kids. Sure do they need their parents from time to time, of course we all do.
