Dr. James Cairns, Chief Coroner, Ontario, Canada, in response to a report issued by Ontario’s Paediatric Death Review Committee, stated unequivocally that “babies are dying needlessly because they’re sharing beds with siblings or parents.”

The report indicated that 21 children died from unsafe sleeping environments in the province in 2005, up from 16 a year earlier. Dr. Cairns stressed that the only safe sleeping environment for a baby is in a crib with a firm mattress and emphasized that the baby should be placed face up and the blanket should be tucked in.

Of 30 infant deaths in 2006 and the first months of 2007, Cairns said that 20 were caused by “co-sleeping” with adults or in other unsafe sleeping environments. A review of 10 autopsy reports from the Hospital for Sick Children showed that eight deaths were the result of unsafe sleeping accommodations.

Cairns went on to state, “I am not against breastfeeding; just don’t do it in bed. Bond with the baby in the crib beside you. At least you are bonding with a baby who is alive.”

It appears that there are two sides to this story.

According to a report in the Globe and Mail, “The evidence is insufficient to make a case for or against the practice (bedsharing).” While there were 11 sudden unexplained deaths in 2005, there are no details on how those deaths occurred, with the exception of one paragraph that described a set of parents who reportedly consumed alcohol and marijuana before getting into bed with their four-month-old and two-year-old. The four-month-old was found dead the next morning. In a separate interview, Dr, Cairns indicated that at least 6 of the 11 unexplained deaths involved parents who had been drinking.

There are striking similarities between the Ontario report and a report issued by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) in 1999. The CPSC was the first to quantify the number of fatalities due to bedsharing. Statements made by then-CPSC Chairman Ann Brown were viewed by critics as irresponsible based on numerous study limitations. Brown, like Cairns, reported, “The only safe place for babies is in a crib that meets current safety standards and has a firm, tight-fitting mattress.” For more information on the CPSC study, see the May 2005 issue of Feeding Times.

Dr. James McKenna, author of Sleeping with Your Baby, A Parent’s Guide to Cosleeping, asserts that “no sleep environment is completely risk free.” He believes that it would therefore be inappropriate to argue for either a global recommendation against any and all bedsharing or a global recommendation against any and all crib sleeping.

Perhaps the question we need to ask is NOT how many infants die as a result of sharing a bed with a parent, BUT how many infants die as a result of sleeping alone.

For additional suggestions on how to keep babies safe during sleep, see BREASTFEEDING, A Parent’s Guide.