Neonatologist Warns About the Risks of Co-sleeping and Sudden Infant Death Syndrome

TL/DR –

Neonatologist Sunah Hwang warns against sleeping with babies on the chest, a common scene in many baby photos, as this may increase the risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). SIDS rates, which include babies under one with no known cause of death, dropped by over half after a safe sleep campaign in the 1990s, but have plateaued for the past 20 years with about 3,700 sudden unidentified infant deaths (SUID) reported in 2022. Recent data from the CDC, which analyzed nearly 7,600 U.S. SUID cases from 2011 to 2020, found that almost 60% of these deaths occurred in shared sleep spaces, with 75% in an adult bed.

Concerns over Sudden Infant Death Syndrome and Co-sleeping

Parents often cherish and share photos of their infants sleeping peacefully on their chests, however, they may unknowingly increase their child’s risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), warns neonatologist Sunah (Susan) Hwang, MD, MPH, PhD.

Notably, premature infants are four times more susceptible to SIDS than full-term babies. Hwang’s research is focused on educating parents about proven preventative measures and broadening the reach of such life-saving information.

Thanks to a safe sleep campaign in the 1990s advising parents to put babies to sleep on their backs in empty cribs, SIDS rates dropped by over 50%. Hwang recognized this as a significant achievement in maternal and infant public health. However, SIDS rates have now plateaued.

As per the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), there were nearly 3,700 sudden unidentified infant deaths (SUID), a category that includes SIDS and accidental suffocation or strangulation in bed, in 2022. Hwang, an associate professor of neonatology-pediatrics at the University of Colorado School of Medicine, expressed concerns as these rates have not declined in over two decades.

Moreover, recent statistics have brought the issue of co-sleeping into sharp focus. The CDC’s analysis of approximately 7,600 U.S. SUID cases between 2011 and 2020 revealed that nearly 60% of these deaths occurred in shared sleep spaces, and 75% of these were in an adult bed. Hwang defines co-sleeping as any situation where a caregiver or adult shares the sleep space with an infant.

Hwang continues to investigate SIDS/SUID and co-sleeping, aiming to equip parents with the necessary information to safeguard their children’s lives.

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