Grieving mum warns of bed-sharing danger

A grieving mother has warned of the dangers of bed-sharing following the tragic death of her baby boy Everett.

USA based Angela Bono thought she was taking all of the necessary precautions in terms of safe sleeping for her baby.

She slept Everett on his back, always removed soft toys and blankets from his sleep space and frequently checked on him to ensure he was breathing.

“If he did sleep with us, we always made sure he couldn’t roll off, and we thought we were in positions that were safe,” Angela says on her Facebook page.

“We didn’t think an accident could ever happen to us, until the night Ryan came home to Everett and I sleeping together and Everett not breathing.”

Angela called 911 but sadly, baby Everett was unable to be saved.

A social worker advised Angela that each year, more than 550 little lives were lost in similar circumstances in the state of Michigan alone.

The loss of her baby in such tragic circumstances prompted Angela to warn others via her Facebook page, in the hope that no more lives would be lost.

“Anyone with infants, don’t put them in the bed with you,” she says.

“So many things can happen accidentally…Now, I’ve lost the love of my life. My angel. My baby boy.

“We have to get the word out so more people understand that it can happen to them.

“As much as you love to snuggle and cuddle your little one, please resist the temptation to do so in bed. No matter how difficult it may seem at the time, put them to sleep in their own crib and avoid the greatest pain that one can experience in life–the pain that we are now experiencing. Your child’s life is too valuable.”

According to SIDS and Kids, studies suggest that sharing a sleep surface with a baby increases the risk of SIDS and fatal sleeping accidents.

Babies who are most at risk of SIDS or sleeping accidents whilst sharing a sleep surface, are babies younger than four months of age, and babies who are born preterm or small for gestational age.

There is a very high risk of infant death and sleeping accidents when a baby shares a sofa or couch with an adult during sleep.

The term co-sleeping is often misused to represent the practice of bed-sharing however actually refers to sleeping in the same room as your baby. This practice is highly recommended by most professionals.

SIDS and Kids recommends sleeping a baby in a cot next to the parents’ bed for the first six to twelve months of life.

While bed-sharing is not recommended as a safe sleep situation for infants, it is absolutely crucial to avoid doing so under the following circumstances:

• Where the baby shares the sleep surface with a smoker.

• Where there is adult bedding, doonas or pillows that may cover the baby.

• Where the baby can be trapped between the wall and bed, can fall out of bed, or could be rolled on.

• Where the parent is under the influence of alcohol or drugs that cause sedation or is overly tired.

• Where babies are sharing beds with other children or pets.

• Where the baby is placed to sleep on a sofa, beanbag, waterbed or sagging mattress.