Most new parents not co-sleeping safely

NINE in 10 parents have slept alongside their baby despite safety warnings, a survey has shown.

A poll of 3,402 new parents for the charity Lullaby Trust, which raises awareness of sudden infant death syndrome ( SIDS), found most parents have slept alongside their baby, but only four in 10 have been advised by a health professional how to reduce the risk of cot death.

More than 40 per cent of parents admitted they had fallen asleep with their baby in a potentially dangerous way, such as on a sofa, which can increase the risk of SIDS by up to 50 times.

It comes as a new report from academics, including f rom t he University of Oxford, found more needed to be done to raise awareness of safe sleeping practices.

It called for open conversations between parents and professionals, and looked in particular at how these messages can be conveyed to deprived communities.

Data suggests 42 per cent of sudden i nfant deaths occur in deprived neighbourhoods, compared with 8 per cent in the least deprived.

The Lullaby Trust said there needed to be much more information for parents, as it stressed the need to co-sleep as safely as possible.

If parents co-sleep, the charity says they should keep pillows and adult bedding away from the baby, plus any other items that could cover their head or cause them to overheat. Babies should sleep on their backs and parents should ensure babies cannot get trapped, wedged or fall out of bed.

Jenny Ward, chief executive of the Lullaby Trust, said: “It is important that parents feel able to have open conversations about co-sleeping with health professionals so they get the right advice.”