Bed-sharing and SIDS: an evidence-based approach

We read with interest the viewpoint article ‘Bed-sharing is a risk for sudden unexpected death in infancy’ written by David Tappin and his colleagues1 and feel the issues raised and some of the claims made need contextualising. Essentially this is a public health debate about which approach to use when the evidence gets more nuanced. Initial observations of an increased risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) associated with bed-sharing have come under scrutiny and revealed the risk is mainly limited to the particular circumstances in which bed-sharing occurs (if parents smoke, drink alcohol, take drugs or use sofas).2 The public health question is whether we advise against bed-sharing completely or advise parents about the specific circumstances that make bed-sharing more risky. The American Academy of Paediatrics (AAP) in the USA has advised against bed-sharing completely for nearly two decades, but despite some states using...

Source: Archives of Disease in Childhood - March 17, 2023 Category: Pediatrics Authors: Blair, P. S., Ball, H. L., Pease, A., Fleming, P. J. Tags: Viewpoint Source Type: research