For Release: August 4, 1997, 5 p.m. (ET)
Below is a highlight of a policy published in the August issue of Pediatrics, the peer-reviewed, scientific journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). Members of the media may obtain the full text of this statement by e-mailing the AAP Division of Public Relatins at [email protected] or calling the Division at 847-981-7877 and asking for W20-97. E-mail requests should include your name, media affiliation, phone and fax numbers or address.
BED SHARING DOES NOT REDUCE SIDS RISK
CHICAGO--Parents who sleep with their baby in an adult bed do not reduce the risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). In a new policy statement developed with the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, the AAP acknowledges that bed sharing can alter and synchronize sleep patterns of mother and baby and encourage breast feeding, but points out that no scientific studies prove bed sharing reduces SIDS. In fact, under certain conditions, bed sharing may actually increase SIDS risk, especially if the baby sleeps on its stomach on a comforter or other soft surface. The AAP also warns that, unlike cribs, adult beds are not designed to meet safety standards for infants and may carry a risk of accidental entrapment and suffocation.
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The American Academy of Pediatrics is an organization of 53,000 primary care pediatricians, pediatric medical subspecialists and pediatric surgical specialists dedicated to the health, safety and well-being of infants, children, adolescents and young adults.
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