Professional Documents
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CO-SLEEPING
Heather M. Mesich, MHS, RN
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Abstract
Mother-infant co-sleeping is debated fervent-
ly in the research literature. While studies
abound, there is no precise answer to this co-
nundrum, and parents continue to ask nurses
for their best opinions about the safety of co-
sleeping. The puzzling results of these studies
have occurred partly because of : (1) retro-
spective study designs, (2) lack of control
over covariables, (3) misclassification of infant
deaths, and (4) unknown prevalence of co-
sleeping practices. This article describes the
salient issues nurses need to understand in
the mother-infant co-sleeping debate, and
suggests ways that nurses can help parents
to modify risk factors and safety measures if
they desire co-sleeping.
R
ecent studies have shown that infants who are placed in
unsafe sleep environments can be at risk for death.
However, what qualifies as “unsafe” is still being debat-
ed among the proponents of co-sleeping and lone sleeping.
Nurses are often the health professionals asked to advise moth-
ers on this issue; therefore, they have to navigate the disparities
in the literature, critically evaluate the research, and decide
how best to advise their patients. While no sleep environment
is completely without risk, this article strives to help nurses as-
sist parents to reduce the risk of accidental death for their in-
fant, regardless of which sleep environment they choose.
Bedding That
Infant Co-Sleeper Prenatal
Compressibility Type of Infant Can Lead to
Maternal Health Identification Drug and and
Article of Sleep Sleep Sleep Re-Breathing,
Weight Before of Co-Sleeper Alcohol Passive
Surface Surface Position or
Death Consumption Smoking
Asphyxiation
Caroll-Pankhurst and
4 2 1 2 1 2 4 4 1
Mortimer, 2001
Collins, 2001 0 0 4 4 2 4 4 0 2
Drago and
0 0 0 4 1 0 0 0 4
Dannenberg, 1999
Thogmartin, Siebert,
0 4 0 2 4 4 0 3 2
and Pellan, 2001
Kemp, Unger, Wilkins,
Psara, Ledbetter, 0 2 4 4 4 4 0 3 4
Graham, et al., 2000
Arnestad, Andersen,
3 4 0 0 4 0 3 4 4
Vege, and Rognum, 2001
Person, Lavezzi, and
0 2 1 4 0 1 4 1 3
Wolf, 2002
McGarvey, McDonnell,
Chong, O’Regan, and 0 4 0 4 4 1 4 4 4
Matthews, 2003
Nakamura, Wind, and
0 0 1 4 2 0 0 0 1
Danello, 1999
0-No mention of this variable in the research. 1-Variable identified as a potential risk factor in the literature, but not identified, or controlled for in the
research. Significance in relation to co-sleeping not discussed. 2-Variable identified as a potential risk factor in the literature, identified, or controlled
in the research. Significance in relation to co-sleeping not discussed. 3-Variable may be identified as a potential risk factor in the literature, but is
not identified, or controlled in the research. Potential for significance in relation to co-sleeping is discussed. 4-Variable identified as a potential risk
factor in the literature, identified, or controlled in the research. Significance in relation to co-sleeping is discussed.
Lack of Control for Extraneous Variables countries (Carroll-Pankhurst & Mortimer, 2001). The rea-
The second troubling theme in the literature is the lack of son for this may be the difficulty in distinguishing post-
control of co-variables which could themselves be the cause mortem findings between SIDS and unintentional or inten-
of the infant death (extraneous variables). Research that tional suffocation or smothering (Person et al., 2002). In
implicates mother-infant co-sleeping with infant mortality cases where autopsy findings are not conclusive, death
should identify and control for all known variables that scene investigations should be able to differentiate an obvi-
may contribute to the infant death in association with, or ous overlay or wedging death from a SIDS death, but even
independently of, mother-infant co-sleeping. Without this obvious accidental deaths are referred to as SIDS in certain
information, it is impossible to determine whether mother- literature. For example, a study by Kemp et al. (2000) re-
infant co-sleeping, in the absence of certain modifiable risk ported that 25 SIDS victims were found prone, with their
factors, is a significant threat to infant safety or, more im- noses and mouths into the bedding; another study reported
portantly, whether it poses a greater risk than lone sleeping. on four infants who died of SIDS; two were found under a
Table 1 identifies several studies that link co-sleeping with parent, one was found at the bottom of the bed, and one
infant mortality. None of the studies controls for all of the was found on the floor (Blair, 1999).
co-variables listed, despite these variables being document-
ed as having had significant effects on the outcomes of oth- Prevalence of Co-Sleeping
er research. The final problematic theme involves the prevalence of co-
sleeping. Current research often identifies co-sleeping as a
Cause of Death risk factor for infant mortality based on the percentage of
The third problematic theme relates to the tendency to mis- infants found dead while co-sleeping compared with the
classify sudden unexpected deaths in infancy in western percentage of infants found dead while lone sleeping. How-
MCN thanks the following reviewers who reviewed manuscripts during 2004.
Their volunteer work helps to make MCN the quality journal that it is.
Ament, Lynette, PhD, CNM, RN Hart, Marcella A, PhD, RNC Patterson, Ellen T, DNS, RN
Badr, Lina Kurdahi, DNSc, RN, CPNP, FAAN Hayman, Laura, PhD, RN, FAAN Pelzer, Gay D, JD, RN
Barnes, Joanne, MS, RNC Heaman, Maureen, PhD, RN Pugh, Linda, PhD, RNC, FAAN
Barron, Mary Lee, MSN, RN-CS, FNP, NFPNP Hobbins, Debra, MSN, APRN, NP Raines, Deborah A, PhD, RNC
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Bean, Margaret R, MS, RN Hutchinson, Sharon, MN, RN Rohan, Annie J, MSN, RNC, NNP/CPNP
Beck, Cheryl T, DNSc, CNM, FAAN James, Dotty, PhD, RN Schiffman, Rachel, PhD, RN, FAAN
Bernaix, Laura W, PhD, RN Jenkins, Ruth L, PhD, RN Schmidt, Cindy, PhD, RN
Boyd, Carol J, PhD, RN, FAAN Johnson, Merrilyn O, PhD, CNM, CNS, RN Semenic, Sonia, PhD(c), RN, IBCLC
Callister, Lynn Clark, PhD, RN, FAAN Kavanaugh, Karen, PhD, RN Sharp, Kathleen T, MSN, RNC, CRNP
Capitulo, Katie, DNSc, RN, FACCE Kavinsky, Beth, MSNC, RNC, IBCLC Sharts-Hopko, Nancy C, PhD, RN, FAAN
Corrarino, Jane E, MS, RN Kenner, Carole, DNS, RNC, FAAN Simpson, Kathleen R, PhD, RNC, FAAN
Davis, Linda, MSN, RN Knowles, Susan Griffits, BSN, RNC, CCAP Slusher, Ida L, DSN, RN
Dowling, Donna A, PhD, RN Kowalski, Karren, PhD, RN, FAAN Sosa, Mary Ellen Burke, MS, RNC
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Dumas, Louise, PhD, RN Lewis, Judith, PhD, NP, RN, FAAN Sterling, Yvonne M, DNSc, RN
Eells, Patricia L, MS, RN, CCRN, CPNP Lindberg, Claire E, PhD, RN, CNS, NPC Stringer, Marilyn, PhD, CRNP, RDMS
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Faulkner, Melissa Spezia, DSN, RN Lockridge, Terri, MS, RNC Thoyre, Suzanne M, PhD, RN
Fowles, Eileen, PhD, RNC Logsdon, Cynthia M, DNS, ARNP Tiedje, Linda Beth, PhD, RN, FAAN
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Gibbons, Cynthia, PhD, RN Mattson, Susan, PhD, RNC, FAAN Travis, Nancy, BS, RN, C
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