Should infants and adults sleep in the same bed together?

Byard, Roger W

doi:10.5694/mja11.11358

Topics

Health professionals should educate families about risk factors for accidental asphyxiation in shared-sleeping arrangements

Over the past two decades, great advances have been made in identification of hazardous sleeping environments for infants and young children, with significant reductions in numbers of deaths.1 However, one issue that continues to incite heated debate is whether adult caregivers should sleep on the same surface as infants,2 referred to as “shared sleeping”.

University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA.

Correspondence: roger.byard@sa.gov.au

Competing interests:

No relevant disclosures.

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11. Combrinck M, Byard RW. Infant asphyxia, soft mattresses and the “trough” effect. Am J Forensic Med Pathol 2011; Aug 3 [Epub ahead of print].

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