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Roomsharing and bedsharing

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A key message to keep your baby safe and healthy is that the safest place for your baby to sleep - night and day - 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):

o    are a smoker (even if you never smoke in bed or at home)
o    have been drinking alcohol
o    take medication or drugs that make you drowsy
o    feel very tired

  • or if your baby

o    was premature (born before 37 weeks)
o    was low birth weight (less than 2.5kg or 5 1/2 lb).
Don't forget, accidents can happen too:

  • you might roll over in your sleep and suffocate your baby
  • your baby could get caught between the wall and the bed
  • your baby could roll out of your bed and be injured

It's very dangerous to sleep together with a baby on a sofa, armchair or settee and it is also risky to sleep a baby alone in an adult bed.

If you have any questions about this advice, or are worried about how to make it work for you, call FSID's Freephone Helpline on 080 8802 6868 or send an email.

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comments

(8)

  • My son Jay slept in my room in his cot for at least the first few months so i could get to him in the night if he needed me. He has he's own room now which I think is better now because he doesnt get disturbed.

    avatar small level three

    by Carlaa 13 April 2010

  • My son sleeps in bed with me and thats were i feel he is safest ...in my arms!

    avatar small level six

    by YumMumSophii 4 February 2010

  • my little boy slept in our bed for a while, but it was driving us mad, as we wouldnt get any sleep. tryed this controlled crying, and the core, and its worked! Never looked back since! Amazing!!

    avatar small level six

    by clusby171 17 October 2009

  • my babys cot is right next to my side of the bed so i can lean over and make sure hes ok easily! x

    avatar small level six

    by Yolanda 15 October 2009

  • with my first i made the massive mistake of sharing a bed with her lukily nothing happened to her but 6 years down the line she still gets up and gets into my bed everynight!! so not only is it dangerous it also sets a behaviour pattern that is difficult to change...with my 2nd he fell asleep in his cot everynight and has always slept through and never shared a bed with me ! its better to be safe than sorry!!

    avatar small level six

    by gillhugh 15 October 2009

  • im planning for them to sleep in the moses basket in my room for the first few months then into a cot

    avatar small level six

    by Lillys_Mummy 3 October 2009

  • i've had the same thing. It's a nightmare when uo get them all sleepy and reasy for their fot and then they wake up and howl as soon as you put them dwon. I've tried putting a blanket arounf them when I'm feeding and this gets armed up so they don'e t notie so much when they get put down in the cor. I ge a nit worredi that i haven't properly tucked the blankets in though cos i think i;'m right that they can have cot deth if they get covered in blankets.

    avatar small level one

    by 4 September 2009

  • My 2 boys would NOT sleep in a cot for the first few months so they slept with me in the bed and were fine but I felt much more confident once they were in their cot/bed sleeping alone.

    avatar small level one

    by 3 September 2009