NCT response to BMJ cot death research

A report out today in the British Medical Journal (BMJ) regarding cot death has found that there is a possible link between cot death and socio-economic deprivation.

A team of researchers at the Bristol and Warwick universities studied all unexpected infant deaths – aged from birth to two years old. Of the 80 cot deaths analysed, more than half (54%) occurred while co-sleeping compared to one-fifth (20%) co-sleeping rate among both control groups. Much of this risk may be explained by the combination of parental alcohol or drug use prior to co-sleeping (31% compared with 3% random controls), and the high proportion of co-sleeping deaths on a sofa (17% compared with 1% random controls).

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Rose Dodds, Senior Public Policy Officer says:

“While this study reaffirms the risks of falling asleep with a baby on a sofa, or if you have been drinking or taking drugs that affect arousal. The risks for babies whose parents had not drunk alcohol, taken drugs, fallen asleep on the sofa with their baby and did not smoke but who did sleep with their baby were not different from that for babies in a separate cot.

“However, it is not appropriate to tell all parents not to sleep with their babies. It is clear from many surveys that around half of parents sleep with their babies at some point in the first six months, and around a quarter do so routinely, so we need to help them to do this in the safest way possible. If we demonise the parents’ bed we may be in danger of the sofa being chosen. A better approach may be to warn parents of the specific circumstances that put babies at risk.

“Parents need to be advised never to put themselves in a situation where they might fall asleep with a young infant on a sofa and that they should never co-sleep with an infant if they have consumed alcohol or drugs.

“Mothers who breastfeed and bed share with their baby, are more likely to continue breastfeeding and there is good evidence that breastfeeding helps to protect against cot death.”

For the NCT position statement on co-sleeping, please visit http://www.nct.org.uk/press-office/position-statements/transitionparenthood