Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) is the unexpected death of a seemingly healthy baby less than one year old that remains unexplained even after a complete investigation. SIDS is the leading cause of death for infants between one month and one year old, so understanding ways to reduce the risk is crucial for parents.
What is SIDS?
SIDS is sometimes called crib death or cot death because the infants often die in their cribs. SIDS usually happens when a baby is sleeping, which is why putting infants to sleep on their backs has been recommended to lower SIDS risk. Despite the scary name, SIDS is not really a “syndrome” in the medical sense. Rather, it is a diagnosis that is given when an infant dies suddenly and no other cause of death can be found.
Some key facts about SIDS:
- Most SIDS deaths occur between 2-4 months of age, with 90% before 6 months
- More common in boys than girls
- More prevalent in Native American, African American, and Asian/Pacific Islander babies
- Rates have decreased dramatically since the 1990s Back to Sleep campaign
While the cause is unknown, several factors are associated with higher SIDS risk, like sleeping on the stomach or side, having soft bedding in the crib, smoking during pregnancy, and overheating. Understanding these risk factors has helped drive down SIDS rates through public education campaigns.
Why does room sharing reduce SIDS risk?
Having an infant sleep in the same room as the parents (room sharing) has been found to significantly reduce the risk of SIDS compared to having the baby sleep in a separate room. Some key research findings on room sharing and SIDS risk:
- The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends room sharing for at least the first 6 months of life and ideally the first year. This is based on evidence that room sharing decreases SIDS risk by as much as 50%.
- A meta-analysis found that room sharing lowered SIDS risk even when other known risk factors were excluded, like sleeping position, bedding, and smoking.
- A study of nearly 5,000 SIDS cases found the SIDS rate for infants who room shared was 0.96/1,000 while it was 2.37/1,000 for solitary sleeping infants in a separate room.
But why exactly does room sharing have this protective effect against SIDS? There are a few likely reasons:
1. Improved breathing monitoring
Being nearby allows parents to more easily see, hear, and respond if their infant’s breathing becomes distressed or abnormal. This includes resuscitating the baby if needed.
- Parents are more likely to notice slight changes in breathing, movements, or noises.
- Sound monitoring devices may not detect subtle signs of danger.
2. Faster response to problems
If an infant stops breathing or chokes, quick intervention can save their life. Room sharing allows a rapid response.
- On average, it takes roughly 30 seconds longer for a solo sleeping parent to respond to an infant in distress compared to room sharing.
- Those precious seconds could mean the difference between life and death.
3. Regulation of breathing
Infants may breathe more regularly simply by hearing parents breathe. The sound provides a form of biofeedback.
- Being exposed to parents’ breathing rhythms may help infants learn to self-regulate.
- Solitary deep sleep may contribute to some SIDS cases.
Overall, room sharing allows for closed-loop breathing monitoring and rapid response in ways solitary sleeping does not.
Are there any risks to room sharing?
Despite the benefits for reducing SIDS risk, some parents worry that room sharing could impair sleep for them or their infants. However, research has not found strong evidence for negative impacts.
- Room sharing is not associated with less total infant sleep or poorer sleep quality.
- While parent sleep duration is slightly shorter with room sharing, one study found no difference in daytime sleepiness or fatigue.
- There is also no evidence that room sharing disrupts sleep routines or development.
So while room sharing may result in modestly shorter sleep for parents, this must be weighed against the significant SIDS risk reduction.
Tips for safe room sharing
If you decide to room share, following safe sleep guidelines is essential:
- Place the crib near the parents’ bed, but not right next to it. Keeping some separation prevents rollover accidents.
- Do not sleep with your infant in an adult bed, armchair, or couch. Only room share on a separate infant sleep surface designed for safety.
- Keep the infant’s sleep area free of any soft bedding, pillows, blankets, or toys that could increase SIDS risk.
- Make sure you cannot roll out of bed onto the infant sleep space.
- Do not smoke or allow smoking around your infant.
Room sharing should only occur when everyone is ready to sleep for the night. Having the infant sleep in a separate room for part of the night is fine and may help parents get better sleep.
When can you stop room sharing?
Health organizations suggest room sharing for 6-12 months or as long as it works well for your family. However, by 6 months old the SIDS risk has declined significantly. So there is no single right answer on when to transition to solitary sleeping – base it on what is best for your infant’s safety and sleep habits.
Signs your infant may be ready for their own room:
- They are rolling over and sleep through much of the night (less need for monitoring).
- No serious breathing issues or health problems.
- Consistently sleeps well in their crib overnight.
- Does not need frequent night feedings.
Conclusion
Room sharing is recommended because being nearby allows parents to better monitor their infant and respond quickly to any distress. This leads to a 50% or greater reduction in SIDS risk compared to solitary sleeping. While parents may lose a bit of sleep with room sharing, this is far outweighed by the drop in SIDS risk. Following safe sleep guidelines ensures parents can gain the benefits of room sharing while avoiding associated hazards like suffocation. Room sharing is just one part of providing your infant with the safest possible sleep environment.