Parents should be aware that sharing a bed with their baby increases the risk of infant suffocation, an Australian expert warned on Monday.

In an editorial published in the Medical Journal of Australia (MJA), Australian forensic pathologist Roger Byard at the University of Adelaide said research has confirmed infants sleeping in the same bed as their parents face an increased risk of accidental suffocation.

It has been reported that 50 percent or more of all infants found unexpectedly dead are sleeping beside an adult at the time, he said, indicating they may have died from suffocation and not sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS).

"Accidental suffocation appears to be a more likely mechanism of death than subtle processes leading to SIDS," Byard said.

Byard said parents needed to be better educated about risk factors for accidental asphyxiation in shared-sleeping arrangements.

"It is generally agreed that in Western cultures, the safest place for an infant is in a cot that meets recommended safety features and is positioned beside the caregiver's bed," Byard said.

Do you like this article? Share It!