which is riskier - co-sleeping, or baby sleeping on front in own cot?

[arolf]

as previously documented, my DS does not sleep well. he normally manages a maximum of 2 hours sleep at a stretch during the night now at 8 weeks old (although last night the longest he managed was 1 hr).

he's breastfed, and a big baby (91st percentile for length/weight), so we're co-sleeping, to let me get at least a little bit of sleep! we have separate duvets, keep a nightlight on, and DS is in the middle in his grobag (although always works his way over to me during the night, so he's sleeping tight up against me).

however, yesterday morning i was totally wiped out, and when he was having 'tummy time' and fell asleep, i left him. he slept solidly for 2 hours without fidgeting enough to wake me! it was incredible! he never has such long restful naps in the daytime - he actually looked refreshed by it when he woke up!

so which is the safest way to sleep? are there any stats available? I'd love to sleep sometime before christmas

oooh dodgy one - you know really the 'right' answer is neither is safe...
I have to admit that in desperation I put mine on their fronts to sleep but only ever with one of those breathing monitors...

Co sleeping in a bed is safe so long as nobody in the bed smokes or has taken alcohol or drugs. The last study was SOOOO badly reported. The danger lies in sleeping with a bay on a sofa or in a chair or anywhere where APART from in a bed. So carry on co-sleeping. Babies sleeping on their fronts, particularly very young babies, IS proven to be dangerous.

thanks seeker - sadly i thought this was the case he's been sleeping on me all day today (think his jabs yesterday shook him quite badly, he never normally sleeps like this) on his front, waking the second i try to put him down. it's a good thing he's so cute, i'm going round the bend with tiredness!

I do both. So shoot me now.

DD has slept on her tummy since 4 weeks and in my bed for the last few (she's 14 weeks).

It's to preserve my sanity.

Ooooh, good question.

I'd say on-front sleeping is the riskier, for the reasons Seeker states.

In Spain they tell people to put babies on their front. My midwife said she had seen babies die due to choking on sick (which was the reason they used to say this), but never a cot death.

also several studies recently have suggested that many (up to 50% I think) deaths classified as sids are probably due to suffocation, which would make suffocation a bigger risk than sids. look at the studies yourself, but on that basis I'd say in a cot on his front is safer.

But remember the stats are still tiny - I co-slept sometimes, and realy, I think you should just do what feels most comfortable. you can minimise risk of suffocation by not drinking and keeping duvets well clear of him

Yep I'd be inclined to agree. Cosleeping following guidelines has not been shown to be riskier than cot sleeping, sleeping on the back has been.

A bit of personal experience (ie no research to back this up) - I would avoid grobags when co-sleeping as I always found it easier to keep DS' temperature constant by adjusting blankets, and when he was so little he wouldn't roll out of his blankets (and didn't move far from me so I would adjust them automatically). I was worried about him overheating with a grobag and my body heat. I tended to put the duvet over my legs, share DS' blanket over my tummy and wear a dressing gown to keep warm.

My midwife told me that side sleeping (for babies) is advised against only because it means they are likely to roll onto their fronts, and anything you prop them up with (e.g. sleep positioners etc) can present a suffocation hazard. I believe the FSID support this but their main message is the much simpler "sleep on the back". Anyway for this reason I never worried if DS slept on his side as long as he was cuddled into me and couldn't roll onto his front.

Also once they can roll it's fine to let them sleep on their fronts if they roll that way (ie put them down on their back but if they roll in their sleep don't worry) - I would guess your DS is too little to be rolling yet though.

HTH

Agree with seeker et al that is

I mean front obviously, not back.

arolf your baby sounds like mine (sleep and size wise)! We cosleep - haven't tried him on his front. I have tried him on his back in his cot but he only sleeps for an hour max...

The only way I can get him to have a decent nap in the day is to have him in the sling and take him out - he gets about 2/2.5 hours that way.