8.8 deaths per 100,000 population
Monday, June 1, 2009 8.8 deaths per 100,000
In 2003, in Canada 8.8 people per 100,000 population were killed in fatal car accidents.
8.8 deaths per 100,000
In 2008, in Ontario 8.8 babies per 100,000 live births died while sharing an adult bed or mattress with an adult.
The Ontario coroner says it is dangerous for babies to share a bed with their parents because of 8.8 deaths per 100,000 live births. That must mean it is dangerous to travel by car, because there were 8.8 deaths per 100,000 people. The Ontario coroner should be advising all Ontarians to avoid car travel. Travel by foot is much safer. We should ban cars.
How would that recommendation go over?
Not well.
Cars are convenient. People like cars. Peoples lives would be changed significantly and we would have to drastically change our habits to give up cars.
Bed sharing is convenient. Parents and babies like co-sleeping. Parents would be more tired, breastfeeding rates would be reduced, and parents would be less responsive to their infants at night if they had to give up bed sharing.
Bed sharing is a reality. Parents do it. Banning it or discouraging it is as ridiculous as trying to ban or discourage car travel.
If people stopped traveling by car except when it was really necessary, there would probably be more accidents and more deaths because the roads would be full of inexperienced drivers. And when parents are generally discouraged from sleeping with their babies and then bring them into bed when really desperate, there are more accidents, more deaths.
The Ontario coroner should stop telling people not to bed share and instead tell them how to make bed sharing safer. Public health agencies don't tell people not to travel by car, instead they tell them to use seatbealts, use car seats, drive the speed limit, don't use cell phones while driving, etc. Address the conditions that make bed sharing unsafe. But don't tell people not to do it. Because they will. And they will do it unsafely.
Sources:
- The figure of 8.8 deaths per 100,000 for car accidents was taken from Canadian Motor Vehicle Traffic Collision Statistics 2003.
- The figure of 8.8 deaths per 100,000 live births for babies that died while sharing an adult bed or mattress with an adult was taken from the Pediatric Death Review Committee and Deaths Under Five Committee from June 2009. The actual numbers are 9 bed sharing deaths of an adult bed and 3 on a mattress (in 2008) out of around 135,595 live births (2007 figures - can't find the number for 2008).
Reader Comments (57)
my 6-week-old currently sleeps with us. we had no intention of bed sharing, and don't continue to do it long term. but when my husband and i discovered it was the ONLY way he would sleep, we chose that over continuing with the non-functional over exhaustion that had gripped both of us. after all, we still had to find a way to take care of my 2-year-old (who never co-slept with us). All babies are different. And I would say it would be more dangerous (to both the physical and emotional health of my family) for me to keep trying to keep my baby in his crib and getting ABSOLUTELY NO sleep, then trying to drive my toddler to pre-school, run errands, cook, etc. Once my son will sleep in his crib, he will. Until then, we'll keep him in bed with us.
Wow! I can't believe that they can call co-sleeping dangerous if the statistics line up like that. Ugh, governments...
As a dedicated co-sleeping mama, I'm actually very surprised at how high the death rate is for co-sleeping. I guess the way some people drive really is reflective of the way they are in their own beds -- uninformed, negligent, under the influence, or too exhausted to function without coffee. Sad.
When I was a child, and I had nightmares, I would crawl in my dad's bed. I remember doing it when I was 8 or 9. He'd ask if I was OK, and we'd both go back to sleep. Thus, when my own kids were born, I wanted to bring them into the bed. My (now ex) husband said this was THE WORST IDEA EVER. In the end, we compromised. I was not willing to get up to nurse, so he would wake, bring me the baby, we'd nurse and he'd put her back to bed. Too much work IMO, and I was having terrible nightmares.. With #2 - He settled for a bassinet beside the bed, which she slept in intermittently. Eventually though, both ended up wandering into our bed, and when he felt crowded, he would leave.
With child #3, I had a new hubby and laid down the law about how sleeping was done - and he was thankfully excited for it! At that point we already had the then 2 and 4 year old girls in and out of our bed as they needed/wanted comfort so it wasn't a big deal. We got a sidecar crib that was level with our bed, and made sure there was no gap to fall into. I made our space as safe as possible, with room for all of us to sleep comfortably apart, or snuggle and nurse. Now at 2.5, he starts the night in his room, but frequently ends up with us or his now 6.5 year old sister - his choice. It's nice to have them come sleep with us - even if our bed feels small.
Like all things, education and safety are key IMO, and if you don't like the way I parent, don't do it my way!
They are all healthy, confident, and alive. I wouldn't change it for the world, and
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