Recently, Dr. Lisa Masterson appeared on CNN International to address a recent study regarding SIDS and infants and parents sharing a room for the first 6 months.
There are an estimated 3,500 deaths from SIDS and other sleep-related deaths in the United States each year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Forty-four percent of these are caused by sudden infant death, with 25% accidental strangulation or suffocation and the rest unknown.
SIDS is defined as deaths that occur during a baby’s first year of life, but they most commonly occur between the age of one month to four months, and 90% of SIDS cases happen before a baby is 6 months old — hence the timings for the ruling.
Sudden infant death syndrome is a parents worst fear, Says Dr. Lisa Masterson. The bedding a baby uses will be different than the bedding used by adults so a separate bed is key. It is also important to keep the baby on their back at a slight incline.
For at least the first six months of their lives, infants should be sleeping in the same room as their parents, but not the same bed, according to a new report from the American Academy of Pediatrics.
Dr. Lisa also added, ” There is no exact ideology as to why this happens but keeping the baby in the same room, in a separate bed and on their back at a slight angle free from pillows, soft blankets and stuffed animals will greatly decrease the risk of SIDS.”
The academy recommends children sleep on separate surfaces within the same room, such as a crib, but never on a soft surface, armchair or couch. Optimally, infants should sleep in the same room as parents up to age 1, the organization said. The aim is to reduce the risk of sudden infant death syndrome, known as SIDS, and other forms of infant death that can occur when a baby is sleeping, such as suffocation. These types of death among infants are collectively known as sleep-related infant deaths, or sudden unexpected infant deaths.
