I have given this infant sleep thing a lot of thought because,
unfortunately, I am scheduled to do a talk on night time parenting next
month for a group of parents.

DON'T SAY "UNFORTUNATELY" -- THINK OF IT AS A WONDERFUL OPPORTUNITY TO TALK
ABOUT THE JOYS OF NIGHT-TIME PARENTING.

It seems totally illogical to me that babies are safest when left alone but
they need pacifiers to keep them alive.

THEY ARE NOT SAFEST WHEN LEFT ALONE.  THE "SCIENCE" DOES NOT SHOW THIS.  IT
DOES SHOW THAT SOME CO-SLEEPING ENVIRONMENTS ARE NOT SAFE FOR BABIES, AND
THE AUTHORS OF THAT ONE STUDY EXTRAPOLATED THEIR FINDINGS TO ALL CO-SLEEPING
ENVIRONMENTS.

Science (statistical analysis) is a tool. It is not the be all and the end
all....especially when it flies in the face of reason.

POOR SCIENCE IS THE PROBLEM, NOT SCIENCE ITSELF.

If our species required pacifiers for safe infant sleep...how might we have
survived without them?

BABIES SLEPT NEXT TO THEIR MOTHERS AND USED THEIR MOTHER'S BREASTS AS
"PACIFIERS."  OH, AND THEY ALSO GOT SOME MILK, BY THE WAY.

 If cosleeping is dangerous then how does one explain
the clear preference for it, the world over?

CO-SLEEPING IS CLEARLY NOT DANGEROUS, IN AND OF ITSELF.  WHAT IS DANGEROUS
IS CERTAIN CONDITIONS OF CO-SLEEPING.  JUST LIKE MY FATHER WOULD NEVER WEAR
HIS SEAT-BELT BECAUSE HE MIGHT (1) DRIVE OFF A BRIDGE INTO DEEP WATER OR (2)
GET IN AN ACCIDENT AND THE CAR WOULD CATCH ON FIRE.  IN EITHER CASE, HE
MIGHT BE TRAPPED IN THE CAR BY HIS SEAT BELT.  SEAT BELTS *CAN* BE
DANGEROUS.  AIR-BAGS *CAN* BE DANGEROUS, AS WE'VE ALL LEARNED IN THE LAST
FEW YEARS.  BUT FINDING OUT THAT INFANTS IN THE FRONT SEAT WERE AT RISK OF
DECAPITATION FROM AN AIRBAG IN A MINOR ACCIDENT DID NOT LEAD TO A BAN ON
AIRBAGS, IT LED TO A RECOMMENDATION TO PUT INFANTS IN THE BACK SEAT.

CO-SLEEPING *CAN* BE DANGEROUS.  IN MOST OF THE WORLD WHERE CO-SLEEPING IS
PRACTICED, PEOPLE SLEEP ON THE GROUND, OR ON A THIN MAT ON THE GROUND (NO
SOFT MATTRESSES, NO WATER BEDS), AND IT IS WARM AT NIGHT SO NO BIG MOUNDS OF
COVERS, AND NO PILLOWS, AND NO DANGER TO THE CHILD OF FALLING OUT OF BED,
SINCE THE BED IS ON THE GROUND, AND MUCH MUCH LESS ALCOHOL AND DRUG-ABUSE
AMONG THE PARENTS, AND LESS MORBID OBESITY.

YOU SHOULD TEACH PARENTS UNDER WHAT CONDITIONS CO-SLEEPING IS SAFE, AND WHEN
IT IS NOT SAFE.  AND YOU SHOULD TEACH THEM UNDER WHAT CONDITIONS SOLITARY
SLEEPING IS RISKY, AND WHY.

I WOULD TELL PEOPLE THAT THE RECENT PEDIATRICS ARTICLE IS BAD SCIENCE, PURE
AND SIMPLE.

Kathy Dettwyler

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