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Newborns ‘should sleep in mother’s bed until age three’
Author: Jonathan Warren
Babies should share their mother’s double bed until they reach the age of three, rather than being left to sleep in a cot, a paediatrician has claimed.
Dr Nils Bergman of the University of Cape Town in South Africa has urged mothers to have their newborn sleep on their chest in bed at night, despite widespread health warnings to the contrary, the Daily Telegraph has reported (October 28th). For example, a recent study found that almost two-thirds of unexplained infant deaths in the UK had some link with bed-sharing.
Allowing babies to sleep this way ensures better rest and less strain on the heart of the child, as well as improved mother-child bonding and brain development – all of which help stem behavioural problems in the future, Dr Bergman insisted.
In an interview with the Daily Mail, Dr Bergman explained that cot deaths and other infant injuries generally occur even without the presence of the mother: “When babies are smothered and suffer cot deaths, it is not because their mother is present. It is because of other things: toxic fumes, cigarettes, alcohol, big pillows and dangerous toys.”
