Babies safest in own cots experts confirm but survey shows too many mums still sceptical
Latest findings by researchers from Bristol University published online today in the British Medical Journal, confirm that “the safest place for a baby to sleep is in its own cot.”
This four-year study*, funded by The Foundation for the Study of Infant Deaths (FSID), found that in half of all unexpected deaths of children in the South West of England, babies had died sleeping with a parent or carer.
However, it is worrying that results of a separate survey published in the latest edition of Community Practitioner reveal that a quarter of mums were not persuaded that bedsharing can increase the risk of cot death.
This survey of infant care practices in the UK**, carried out by Ipsos MORI for FSID, questioned 506 mothers of children aged from six months to three years.
Results also showed a high degree of disbelief in other key ‘Reduce the Risk’ messages***.
FSID’s director, Joyce Epstein, said: “Since 2000 FSID and the Department of Health have been advising parents to sleep their babies in a separate cot in a room with them, and we are pleased that the most up-to-date research confirms that this advice is correct.
“But the survey results are alarming. We know that those at greatest risk of experiencing a cot death are very young mums, often single, and still in their teens, and this group is the most likely to reject safe sleep advice.”
In order to protect the most vulnerable babies, FSID has launched a new and innovative way to reach teenage parents: www.bubbalicious.co.uk, a baby-care focussed, social networking site for both mums and dads under 20.
Ends
Notes to Editors
*Case-control study of SIDS in Southwest England dangerous co-sleeping environments and risk factors amenable to change Fleming et al January 2003 – December 2006
**Ipsos MORI interviewed 506 mothers in their homes during November 2007. Social grade E respondents were strategically oversampled to at least one-third of the total sample, in an attempt to increase the overall base of those perceived as the most economically disadvantaged.
***Sleep baby on the back, not side or front; don’t expose babies to tobacco smoke
For more information about FSID, to arrange an interview or to receive a pdf of the paper published in the November 2009 issue of Community Practitioner, please contact press and campaigns manager Louisa Mullan on 020 7802 3223 or communications officer Sara Green on 020 7802 3225.
About the University of Bristol
The University of Bristol is consistently ranked among the leaders in UK higher education. According to The Times, it is among the top 40 universities in the world. Research-intensive and with an international reputation for quality and innovation, the University has 15,000 students from over 100 countries, together with more than 5,500 staff. In terms of the number of applications per undergraduate place, Bristol is arguably the most popular university in the country. The University was founded in 1876 and was granted its Royal Charter in 1909. It was the first university in England to admit women on the same basis as men. It is located in the heart of the city from which it grew, but is now a significant player on the world stage as well as a major force in the economic, social and cultural life of Bristol and South West England. The overall quality of the University’s teaching emerged as ‘excellent’ from the rigorous, independent assessment process. Its record as a research institution is at least as distinguished, with 78 per cent of its departments judged as world class or internationally excellent. The University is also recognised as a leading centre for the exploitation of knowledge through partnership with industry and the creation of spinout companies. Bristol is a member of the Worldwide Universities Network and of the Russell Group of major, research-intensive universities in the UK.
About Community Practitioner
Community Practitioner is the monthly journal of Unite/CPHVA and is the leading professional journal for health visitors, school nurses and other healthcare professionals working in community settings. For more information, see: www.commprac.com
About FSID
The Foundation for the Study of Infant Deaths is the UK’s leading baby charity working to prevent sudden deaths and promote infant health. FSID funds research (nearly £10 million to date), supports bereaved families, promotes baby care advice, and works to improve investigations when a baby dies. The helpline also supports bereaved families.
Advice for parents and professionals can also be found at www.fsid.org.uk
Advice for parents to reduce the risk of cot death:
· Cut smoking in pregnancy – fathers too! And don’t let anyone smoke in the same room as your baby.
· Place your baby on the back to sleep (and not on the front or side).
· Do not let your baby get too hot, and keep your baby’s head uncovered.
· Place your baby with their feet to the foot of the cot, to prevent them wriggling down under the covers or use a baby sleep bag
· Never sleep with your baby on a sofa or armchair.
· The safest place for your baby to sleep is in a crib or cot in a room with you for the first six months.
· It’s especially dangerous for your baby to sleep in your bed if you (or your partner):
· are a smoker, even if you never smoke in bed or at home
· have been drinking alcohol
· take medication or drugs that make you drowsy
· feel very tired; or if your baby:
· was born before 37 weeks
· weighed less than 2.5kg or 5½ lbs at birth
· Don’t forget, accidents can happen: you might roll over in your sleep and suffocate your baby; or your baby could get caught between the wall and the bed, or could roll out of an adult bed and be injured.
· Settling your baby to sleep (day and night) with a dummy can reduce the risk of cot death, even if the dummy falls out while your baby is asleep.
· Breastfeed your baby. Establish breastfeeding before starting to use a dummy.