This Article  • Full text  • Full text PDF  • Send to a friend  • Save in My Folder  • Save to citation manager  • Permissions  Citing Articles  • Citation map  • Citing articles on HighWire  • Citing articles on ISI (51)  • Contact me when this article is cited  Related Content  • Similar articles in this journal  Topic Collections  • Pediatrics, Other  • Alert me on articles by topic

Suad Nakamura, PhD; Marilyn Wind, PhD; Mary Ann Danello, PhD

Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med. 1999;153:1019-1023.

Objectives  To identify and assess dangers associated with placing children younger than 2 years to sleep in adult beds. This article focuses on overlying, wedging, and strangulation hazards and the relationship of these hazards to children's sleeping environments.

Design  A retrospective review and analysis of data collected by the US Consumer Product Safety Commission on deaths of children younger than 2 years in standard adult beds, daybeds, and waterbeds. The review included incident data from January 1990 through December 1997.

Results  The 8-year records showed a total of 515 deaths of children younger than 2 years who were placed to sleep on adult beds. Of these deaths, 121 were reported to be due to overlying of the child by a parent, other adult, or sibling sleeping in bed with the child and 394 were due to entrapment in the bed structure. Most of these deaths seem to have resulted from suffocation or strangulation caused by entrapment of the child's head in various structures of the bed.

Conclusions  Placing children younger than 2 years to sleep in adult beds exposes them to potentially fatal hazards that are generally not recognized by the parent or caregiver. These hazards include overlying by a parent, sibling, or other adult sharing the bed; entrapment or wedging of the child between the mattress and another object; head entrapment in bed railings; and suffocation on waterbeds. Parents and caregivers should be alerted to these avoidable hazards.

From the US Consumer Product Safety Commission, Bethesda, Md.

THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN CITED BY OTHER ARTICLES

Longitudinal Study of Preschool Sleep Disturbance: The Predictive Role of Maladaptive Parental Behaviors, Early Sleep Problems, and Child/Mother Psychological Factors
Simard et al.
Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med 2008;162:360-367.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Trends in childhood injury mortality in Canada, 1979-2002.
Pan et al.
Inj. Prev. 2006;12:155-160.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

The relation between child death and child maltreatment.
Jenny and Isaac
Arch. Dis. Child. 2006;91:265-269.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Risk Factors Associated With Sudden Unexplained Infant Death: A Prospective Study of Infant Care Practices in Kentucky
Shields et al.
Pediatrics 2005;116:e13-e20.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

The prevalence and characteristics associated with parent-infant bed-sharing in England
Blair and Ball
Arch. Dis. Child. 2004;89:1106-1110.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Where Should Infants Sleep? A Comparison of Risk for Suffocation of Infants Sleeping in Cribs, Adult Beds, and Other Sleeping Locations
Scheers et al.
Pediatrics 2003;112:883-889.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Racial Disparity and Modifiable Risk Factors Among Infants Dying Suddenly and Unexpectedly
Unger et al.
Pediatrics 2003;111:e127-131.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Infant-Parent Bed Sharing in an Inner-City Population
Brenner et al.
Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med 2003;157:33-39.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Trends in Infant Bed Sharing in the United States, 1993-2000: The National Infant Sleep Position Study
Willinger et al.
Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med 2003;157:43-49.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Prevalence, Predictors, and Attitudes Toward Cosleeping in an Urban Pediatric Center
Weimer et al.
CLIN PEDIATR 2002;41:433-438.
ABSTRACT  

Preterm Infant Temperature Circadian Rhythm: Possible Effect of Parental Cosleeping
Thomas and Burr
Biol Res Nurs 2002;3:150-159.
ABSTRACT  

Association Between Sudden Infant Death Syndrome and Prone Sleep Position, Bed Sharing, and Sleeping Outside an Infant Crib in Alaska
Gessner et al.
Pediatrics 2001;108:923-927.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, Bedsharing, Parental Weight, and Age at Death
Carroll-Pankhurst and Mortimer Jr
Pediatrics 2001;107:530-536.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Should Infants Sleep With Their Parents?
Kelley et al.
Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med 2000;154:1171-1173.
FULL TEXT  

Unsafe Sleep Practices and an Analysis of Bedsharing Among Infants Dying Suddenly and Unexpectedly: Results of a Four-Year, Population-Based, Death-Scene Investigation Study of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome and Related Deaths
Kemp et al.
Pediatrics 2000;106:41e-41.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Bed Sharing and Infant Mortality: Guilt by Association?
Heinig
J Hum Lact 2000;16:189-191.
 

Sudden Infant Death Syndrome and Co-sleeping
Rosenberg et al.
Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med 2000;154:529-530.
FULL TEXT  

Bed Sharing Is Not a "Consumer Product"
McAfee et al.
Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med 2000;154:530-531.
FULL TEXT  

Changing Concepts of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome: Implications for Infant Sleeping Environment and Sleep Position
Task Force on Infant Sleep Position and Sudden Inf
Pediatrics 2000;105:650-656.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Infant Fatalities from Adult Beds
JWatch Psychiatry 1999;1999:19-19.
FULL TEXT  

Infant Fatalities from Adult Beds
JWatch General 1999;1999:6-6.
FULL TEXT