 News
28th January 2007
Daytime cot death warnings
Parents are being warned to follow the same cot death precautions during
the day as at night.
Experts say this includes the advice that babies should
sleep on their backs and that they should be in the same room as their
parents.
Speaking in the International Journal of Epidemiology, researchers
warned that three-quarters of babies who died during the day were sleeping
in a room where an adult was not present.
Experts from Bristol University, Newcastle's Royal Victoria
Infirmary and the Nuffield Institute for Health, looked at 1,625 children
over 3 years, including 325 infants in the UK who died and 1,300 of a
similar age who did not.
Although the vast majority of deaths, 83 per cent, happened
at night, of the daytime deaths, 75 per cent were when the baby was left
unattended in a room.
Of these, one quarter had bedclothes over their head, compared
to just one in ten where an adult was present.
Report co-author Peter Fleming said, "I think what this
shows is that we cannot ignore what has traditionally been done.
"In the past and in other cultures it is unheard of to leave
babies on their own, it is something people in western countries should
get back to."
And Joyce Epstein, director of the Foundation for the Study
of Infant Deaths, said, "Parents have long been advised of the importance
of sleeping babies on their back and not letting their head get covered
by bedclothes, and this study shows that the advice needs to be followed
day and night.
"For day-time naps, we suggest keeping your baby nearby
in a carrycot or in a playpen while you go about your daily chores or,
if possible, having a nap whenever your baby naps."
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