Nursery World - Cot-death advice updated to reflect risk of co-sleeping with babies

New guidance recommends parents be informed of the link between sudden infant death syndrome and co-sleeping with a child up until their first birthday.

The draft guidance from the National Institute of Care Excellence (NICE), currently out for consultation, will replace current guidance, published in 2006.

Current guidance stresses the increased risk of SIDS when sharing a bed or sofa with a child, especially when the baby is less than 11 weeks old.

It advises the safest place for a baby to sleep is in a cot in their parents’ room for the first six months.

NICE is updating its guidance after the Department of Health asked it to review its recommendations last year. This followed new research, which suggested sharing a bed with a baby could increase the risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS).

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