As for the statistic that SIDS occurs more frequently in cribs than in adult beds, this is very misleading. This argument refers to the shift in Medical Examiners’ practice to classify deaths in adult beds as Accidental Suffocation rather than SIDS. This shift is actually due to the increased understanding among medical professionals that babies are less likely to succumb to either SIDS or accidental suffocation when they are placed on their backs, in a crib, with nothing else in the crib to pose a barrier to their breathing.

Accidental suffocation in this case refers to the process of re-breathing exhaled carbon dioxide. Scientists who study SIDS believe that a baby can actually suffocate when an object (such as a blanket, pillow, bumper pad, sleep positioner, or even the baby’s mattress if he is on his tummy) blocks adequate oxygen from entering the baby’s breathing space. This type of suffocation occurs silently and rapidly, usually while the baby is sleeping. The trend for MEs is to use SIDS only as a diagnosis of exclusion, when there are no possible barriers to the baby’s breathing (i.e., when the baby is found alone, on its back, in a crib with no soft bedding, etc.)

Logically, if MEs are not classifying deaths as SIDS when the baby is found in an unsafe sleeping environment, they are not classifying deaths in adult beds as SIDS. The deaths are still occurring; they are just being classified as accidental suffocation rather than SIDS.

I do want to mention that when we are talking about infants that die in cribs, we are rarely talking about a safe crib. When doing the scene investigation, the crib typically has bumpers, quilts, stuffed animals, pillows and even laundry in it.

A Safe crib with nothing but a fitted sheet and a baby in it – in mom’s room is the safest way to go in the United States. Our mattresses are soft. We use pillows and blankets. Most countries in the world do not.

We are also concerned about the “over tired parent”. What parent of an infant is not over tired? The time that a parent is most likely to bring an infant into bed is when Mom just can’t survive one more minute without some sleep.

It’s only for a few months. Why risk it? Sleep baby in a safe crib in Mom’s room. Bring baby into your bed to breastfeed, play, snuggle and cuddle but when it’s time to sleep, put baby in their own safe space.