Just How Dangerous is Cosleeping?
Filed under: Baby Health, Baby Safety, Baby Sleeping, Parenting
You likely know a parent or two that ardently sticks up for cosleeping, regardless of CPSC warnings. Much like the bonding approach through baby-wearing, cosleeping makes breastfeeding easier for the mother, the mother gets closer to her baby, the parent and child gradually assume the same sleep cycle, and the baby falls asleep quicker. Yet, even with these supposed benefits, CPSC advises against cosleeping.
Simple standards and guidelines don’t quite hit as close to home as stories and experiences. A piece in South Carolina newspaper The State goes into detail about the hazards of cosleeping, particularly the innate ease at which a parent or older child can suffocate a baby.
How unsafe is a baby when surrounded by heavier people in an adult bed? Essentially, an arm or a leg becomes a suffocation hazard, extending over the baby and staying in place. Because infants have limited motor skills, pushing off a heavier person is impossible.
At the same time, co-sleeping, or use of a family bed, may be a greater cause of sudden infant death than previously believed. A baby who dies in a family bed is labeled with condition “Sudden Unexpected Infant Death Syndrome – Unsafe Sleeping Conditions,” which can also include letting a child sleep on a couch or armchair, in a crib with comforters or pillows, or in the same space with a dog.
In the past, at least in this area of South Carolina, infant deaths resulting from sleeping were labeled SIDS, but this condition indicates that the child was placed in a safe area. In order to now determine the cause of death, a coroner goes to the caregiver’s house and asks the individual to reenact the sleeping situation with a doll.
Cosleeping, however, isn’t a radical parenting approach, like baby-wearing; rather, it has been in practice with families for many years, going under other names. That doesn’t mean that it’s safe. Just like the playgrounds of metal equipment and blacktop of many adults’ childhoods, not all past situations and practices are safe for children; what was once the norm is now a hazard. Gary Watts, the Richland coroner quoted in the State, piece explained:
“My grandmother did it, my mother did it, and I know I did it. But it’s unsafe. At some point, you have to realize it’s a danger to the infant. If you want to have a child in the room – put him in a bassinet beside your bed.”
What to do about SIDS
Some of the basic advice for avoiding SIDS in babies is to position them on their back while sleeping, take out any toys from the crib, and don’t over-bundle or blanket them while sleeping, in addition to not smoking during pregnancy. A recent study, however, in the Journal of the American Medical Association shows that some babies may be predisposed to SIDS than others. This is based on the serotonin levels a child has and, according to the article under the link, babies with lower serotonin levels are more at risk for SIDS than those with normal levels.
Serotonin, associated with depression and other mental illnesses to the average person, regulates a baby’s sleep patterns, heart rate, and breathing. Babies who experienced SIDS were found to have levels of this chemical 26 percent lower than babies who died from ordinary causes, according to the linked article above. Additionally, the production of this chemical in babies is associated with enzyme tryptophan hydroxylase. This enzyme was also found to be lower – 22 percent – in babies with SIDS than those who died of other causes. In either case, serotonin acts as an alarm system for a baby who is experiencing a breathing obstruction. Without it, a baby can’t tell if he or she is being asphyxiated.
One potential remedy for babies with lower serotonin levels, according to an Australian study, is massage. Although you’ll need to find your child’s serotonin levels first, massage and human contact can boost serotonin levels in adults and children. At the moment, however, this Australian study is relatively new and results aren’t clear cut. While massage can reduce risks of depression when a baby becomes an adult, the findings in regards to serotonin are sure to bring about an approach to increasing the chemical’s levels in babies.