Last month, mother of three, Amanda Lee woke to her toddler screaming due to strangulation.
The 36-year-old Sunnybank Hills mother said her 21-month old, Taleisha, had crawled into bed with her older sister, 10-year-old Rhianna, during the night.
Ms Lee said at 3am she found Taleisha struggling to free herself from her older sister’s long hair, which had twisted around her throat.
Taleisha was left with a bright red friction mark, but cleared of any serious injury.
Greenslopes Private Hospital developmental paediatrician, Dr Chris Toumpas, said these types of incidents were not unheard of, but were “uncommon”.
People continue to co-sleep even with known dangers. One issue is if it does turn out to be disastrous, it is too late. Some people say co-sleeping helps to regulate the baby’s sleep in accordance with its mothers and with using cotton blankets, the worry of rolling on the baby is virtually impossible.
SIDS and Kids recommends sleeping a baby in a cot next to the parents’ bed for the first 6-12 months of life as this has been shown to lower the risk of SIDS. Experts agree that is important for parents to be in close sensory contact with their baby and they also agree that a cot or bassinet next to the parents’ bed achieves this closeness. http://www.sidsandkids.org/news/sleeping-with-a-baby-%E2%80%93-what-parents-should-know/
Pets in your bed might only be a problem if you have allergies or if the pet is disturbing your sleep too much. Just like new babies in the bed, new puppies, especially under the covers could be dangerous. When they are a puppy, try a cushion beside your bed!
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