On 16/03/2007, at 9:16, Kathleen Huggins wrote:

> Hello!  Has the AAP actually come out against bed sharing?  I am  
> not seeing a policy on their website.

I did find this 2000 policy statement "Changing Concepts of Sudden  
Infant Death Syndrome: Implications for Infant Sleeping Environment  
and Sleep Position":

http://aappolicy.aappublications.org/cgi/content/full/pediatrics% 
3B105/3/650

"Bed sharing or cosleeping may be hazardous under certain conditions. 
[54113-115]
*   As an alternative to bed sharing, parents might consider placing  
the infant's crib near their bed to allow for more convenient  
breastfeeding and parent contact.
*   If a mother chooses to have her infant sleep in her bed to  
breastfeed, care should be taken to observe the aforementioned  
recommendations (nonprone sleep position, avoidance of soft surfaces  
or loose covers, and avoidance of entrapment by moving the bed away  
from the wall and other furniture and avoiding beds that present  
entrapment possibilities).
*   Adults (other than the parents), children, or other siblings  
should avoid bed sharing with an infant.*
*   Parents who choose to bed share with their infant* should not  
smoke or use substances, such as alcohol or drugs, that may impair  
arousal."

and this footnote:
"* It should be noted that the US Consumer Product Safety Commission  
is on record as opposing bed sharing by an infant and an adult,  
particularly if there is more than 1 adult in the bed. Many cases of  
infant suffocation have been reported during bed sharing.116 However,  
it is recognized that a significant portion of the population  
practices bed sharing between mother and infant as a strategy to  
facilitate breastfeeding and that the presence of the father in the  
bed will be common. It is the consensus of the Task Force that there  
are insufficient data to conclude that bed sharing under carefully  
controlled conditions is clearly hazardous or clearly safe."


The policy has an update dated 2005:
http://aappolicy.aappublications.org/cgi/content/full/pediatrics; 
116/5/1245#SEC5
which is rather more negative toward bed-sharing, but stresses the  
need for an infant to sleep in the same room as the parent(s).


Lara Hopkins

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