Parents lack safe sleeping knowledge 

11 May 2005

Parents lack of knowledge on safe sleeping putting babies at risk of cot death

The Foundation for the Study of Infant Deaths (FSID) (1) is today launching a new campaign in Baby Safety Week (9-15 May 2005) to highlight the importance of roomsharing and the dangers of bedsharing. The campaign pushes the message that “the safest place for a baby to sleep is in a cot in the parents’ room for the first six months”. A new opinion poll (2) shows parents are confused on safe sleeping practices for their baby and one in six babies are being put at risk of cot death because their parents are smokers and share a bed with their baby – a practice which increases the risk of cot death considerably.

Although most parents surveyed (95%) rightly stated that it is unsafe for a baby to bedshare with a parent who smokes in bed, 22% mistakenly thought it was safe for a baby to bedshare if the parent is a smoker but never smokes in bed. In fact, it makes no difference where or when they smoke: if a smoker bedshares with a baby it increases the risk of cot death even if they never smoke in bed. Other key findings:
• a third of parents (34%) bedshare with their babies at some point
• more parents bedshare in London (48%) than in the North of England (23%), the Midlands (33%) or the South (39%)
• 38% of smokers bedshare with their baby
• 28% of smokers who bedshare wrongly think this is safe so long as they never smoke in bed
• 17% of parents mistakenly thought it was safe for a parent to fall asleep with a baby on a sofa or armchair. In fact, this increases the risk of cot death fifty times compared with sleeping a baby in a cot in the parents’ room
With a grant from the Big Lottery Fund (3), FSID is now sending to all midwives and health visitors across the country new, colourful and eye-catching advice cards for them to give to parents bearing the lifesaving message to room share and clarifying when it is dangerous to bedshare. New posters are also being sent for display in clinics and maternity units.

Joyce Epstein, FSID’s director said:
“The results of this poll are worrying. With seven babies dying as cot deaths every week and the high proportion happening when sharing a bed - especially when parents are smokers - we must not be complacent. The safest place for a baby to sleep is in a cot in the parents’ room for the first six months.

“It is risky to bedshare with a baby if either parent is a smoker, has been drinking, takes drugs or medication that makes them drowsy, or is excessively tired. Our new posters and advice cards clarify the lifesaving messages on roomsharing and bedsharing. Parents and health professionals are invited to call FSID’s Helpline on 0870 787 0554 for free advice cards, and professionals are urged to order posters for display.”

Claire Jolly (4), health visitor and cot death parent said:
“It’s fine to breast feed your baby in bed but if you smoke at all – even if not in the bedroom - you really must protect your baby and put them in their cot to sleep. These new resources will help health professionals get the advice across in a clear, accessible and friendly way”.

Please see attached fact sheet on bedsharing.

* Bedsharing in the present poll was defined as sleeping the baby with the parents in the adult bed sometimes or usually, for at least part of the night. It excluded bringing the baby into bed just for a cuddle or a feed.

Notes to editors:

1. FSID is the UK’s leading baby charity working to prevent sudden infant deaths and promote baby health. FSID funds research into the causes and prevention of these tragedies, supports bereaved families and promotes lifesaving health advice to parents and professionals.
2. FSID commissioned Ipsos Capibus to carry out the opinion poll. A nationally representative sample of 428 parents with babies under one year old was surveyed in their own homes between December 2003 and January 2004. Parents were asked about sleeping practices for their baby when they were aged four months old.
3. The Big Lottery Fund financed this project with a £13,000 grant. This has allowed FSID to
produce, distribute and publicise the new advice cards and posters to parents and health professionals.
4. Claire Jolly is a health visitor working for SureStart Shortstown in Bedford. Claire’s baby Charlie died as a cot death in 1997. She has since had another baby. Clare sits in one of FSID’s advisory committees as a representative of the Community Practitioners and Health Visitors Association. She is also an FSID befriender.
5. Facts on bedsharing and key findings from the opinion poll can be seen on the attached fact sheet.
6. The new resources can be viewed at www.sids.org.uk/fsid/roomshare.htm
7. High resolution images from the new materials are available on request.
8. Interviews with FSID representatives, Claire Jolly and cot death parents should be possible.
9. Editors are encouraged to include FSID’s Helpline number 0870 787 0554 with all reports.

Media enquiries:

Sarah Kenyon, Communications manager 0870 787 0726 / 0870 787 0885 / 07981 899 827

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