NearlyhalfofmothersparticipatingintheWomen,InfantsandChildren（WIC）programarefollowingrecommendationsonsleepingarrangementsfortheirbabies.However,almostonethirdreportsharingabedwiththeirinfant,aknownriskfactorforsuddeninfantdeathsyndrome（SIDS）,newresearchpublishedintheJournalofPediatricsshows.
NotingthattheAmericanAcademyofPediatricsrecommendshavingbabiessleepintheirowncribintheparents'room,Dr.LindaY.Fusaid,"Wewouldhighlyrecommendthatparentsfollowtherecommendationsandroomsharewithoutbedsharing."Dr.Fu,attheChildren'sNationalMedicalCenterinWashington,DC,isoneoftheresearchersonthestudy.
Since1992,whentheAAPfirststatedthatinfantsshouldbeplacedontheirbackstosleep,theoccurrenceofSIDShasfallenbyhalf,Fuandhercolleaguesnoteintheirreport.However,rateshaveplateauedoverthepastfiveyears,raisingconcernsaboutotherSIDSriskfactors,includingbed-sharing,theresearchersadd.
TheAAPrecommendedin2005thatbabiesfrombirthtoageonesleepinthesameroomastheirparents,tomakeiteasierformothersandfatherstomonitorthechild,butshouldnotshareabed.
Toinvestigatefactorsinvolvedinhowparentschooseasleepingplacefortheirinfants,theresearcherslookedat708mothersofbabiesuptoeightmonthsoldwhoweregettingnutritionalassistancefromWIC,afederalprogramtohelplow-incomefamilies.
Theresearchersfoundthat48.6percentofmothersreportedsharingaroom,butnotabed,withtheirinfants;32.5percentsharedabedwiththeirchild;and18.9percenthadthebabysleepinhisorherownroom.
Teenagemothersweremorelikelytobed-share,aswerelesseducatedmothers.African-Americanmothersalsobed-sharedmorefrequentlythanwomenfromotherethnicities.BothAfrican-AmericanethnicityandteenmotherhoodareinthemselvesSIDSriskfactors,theauthorsnote,"likelyrenderinginfantswiththesecharacteristicsathighriskforSIDS."
Thereasonwhybed-sharingisrelatedtoSIDSisn'tyetclear,Funoted."Itmaynotbebedsharingitselfbutsomeoftheaccompanyingfactorswhenpeoplebed-share,"shetoldReutersHealth,forexamplesleepingonsoftsurfacesorusingmultipleblankets.
Somefamiliesmaynothavetheresourcestobuyacriborbassinetfortheirbabies,Fuandherteamnoted,andseveralcities,includingWashington,DC,nowrunfreecribdistributionprogramstohelpthesefamilies.
SOURCE:JournalofPediatrics,October2008.
