A recent news left us very worried: choking deaths in babies grow, partly because of the rise of the schoolboy. Going deeper, we learned that a study, conducted in the United States by researchers at the University of Alabama, warns of an increase in choking deaths in babies in the United States, many of them produced in bed and linked to a growing tendency among parents to sleep with them, what is known as colecho.
This may suggest that the colecho is not convenient, however it is a beneficial practice for the baby and recommended by pediatricians as a protective factor against sudden death, provided it is practiced safely. There are certain basic recommendations that parents should keep in mind to avoid the risk of suffocation while sleeping with the baby.
More deaths from suffocation
The scientific article, published in 'Jama Pediatrics' warns that in 2015 (the last year studied) occurred in the United States 1,100 deaths of children due to suffocation, and that according to the authors, many could have been prevented since they occurred when the babies were in bed.
They found that between 1999 and 2015 the death rate from asphyxiation in children under one year increased more than double, from 12.4 to 28.3 deaths per thousand babies.
The authors warn of the increase of parents who share the bed with their children, especially when they are newborns (something not recommended in babies under three months), or who sleep with dangerous objects.
"It may be that parents do not follow the recommendations for babies to sleep out of danger, without stuffed animals, blankets, pillows or other elements that can cause suffocation," said David Schwebel, one of the study's authors.
In the parents room in his crib
In its consensus document 'Colecho, sudden infant death syndrome and Breastfeeding', the Spanish Association of Pediatrics recommends:
"The safest way to sleep for infants under six months is in his crib, face up, near his parents' bed. There is scientific evidence that this practice decreases the risk of SIDS by more than 50%. "
The American Pediatric Association (AAP) also agrees with these recommendations that babies sleep in the room with parents during the first year to avoid sudden death. They also clarify that babies they should not sleep in the same bed as their parents, neither on a sofa or on a soft surface, but should do so in their own crib or bassinet, but located in the same room as the parents.
Colecho has multiple benefits for the baby, in addition to protection against SIDS. Among them, it favors the maintenance of breastfeeding by facilitating nighttime shots and improving the quality of the baby's sleep, and therefore also that of the parents.
The ideal is place the crib or bassinet next to the bed, but on an independent surface, such as those known as colecho cribs or sidecar cribs, which are attached to the parents' bed.
You can also place the crib attached to the bed removing the side barrier and holding it to the bed base. When doing so, make sure that the mattresses are at the same height and without gaps to avoid any danger to the baby.
And share the bed?
The AEP recommends that the baby sleep in his own crib next to the parents' bed (not in the same bed) for at least the first six months (when the risk of sudden death is reduced remarkably - to 90 percent -), and never sleep in the same bed before three months.
The AAP extends it further. Recommend that do not sleep on the same surface with the baby preferably until he turns one, but at least during the first six months.
After that period, if the baby sleeps in bed with the parents, you have to avoid any risk of suffocation: that the mattress is firm, that there are no loose cushions or pillows that can end up on the baby, or blankets or comforter that can slide to cover it completely when sliding.
Many mothers worry about falling asleep while breastfeeding and being able to crush or suffocate the baby, but the risk is virtually non-existent if you take into account the recommendations we give below.
When not to practice colecho
As the AEP warns, in no case sleep with the baby in the same bed in the following situations:
- Infants under three months of age
- Premature and low birth weight babies.
- Parents who use tobacco, alcohol, drugs or sedative drugs: reduce the level of alertness.
- Sickness situations, especially extreme fatigue, such as immediate postpartum.
- On soft surfaces, water mattresses, sofa or armchairs
- If pillows or cushions that reach the baby's height are used
- If the bed is shared with other family members, with other children or with multiple people. If another child sleeps in the same bed, an adult should be placed between the two children.
In Babies and more | Babies should sleep in mom's bed at least until age three, The 16 things you should do to prevent sudden death of the baby
