Co-sleeping deaths in Milwaukee

Angela814 · December 2013

https://m.wuwm.com/?utm_referrer=https://m.facebook.com#mobile/19310

A friend just posted this link on FB saying that the parents should be prosecuted for the babies deaths.

To me it sounds like the parents weren't following safe co-sleeping practices, but I really don't think prosecution is the answer. The city has a huge campaign advertising the dangers of co-sleeping. That doesn't seem to be changing anything, and the article even said in some cases the family had a crib or pack n play available. Wouldn't we be better served by teaching that bed sharing isn't safe, BUT if you have to do it, these are the guidelines to follow to make it safer. Wouldn't telling parents to remove pillows and blankets if they're going to bed share make more of a difference than just saying never bed share?

Thoughts?

Emerald27 · December 2013

Bedsharing can be done safely and has many benefits. Whether done a safely or not, most parents do find themselves sleeping in the same space with baby at some point or another.

Rather than advertising the "dangers of bedsharing", it would be much more beneficial to provide education about safe bedsharing practices. That way, parents can make informed decisions about whether to bedshare on purpose, and they'll be better equipped to do it safely when and if the need arises.

thoughtfulmommy · December 2013

Humans are always going to make their own decisions. I strongly believe that education on any topic is better than telling people not to do something. If more parents wre educated on how to co-sleep safely, there would not be so much shame attached to it. The issue comes from people hiding it and therefore not communicating about it.

ncbelle · December 2013

Given that the research shows almost all families will bed share at some point (even if just for a night), it makes far more sense to educate families on how to bed share safely vs. a universal "OMG it's dangerous!!" Fact is that bed sharing done correctly is absolutely NOT dangerous. To simply say it's all bad is stupid and does nothing to prevent tragedies from occurring.

ReeceFamily · December 2013

Wow, that pisses me off - it's manufactured outrage against bedsharing. ANY action practiced unsafely is unsafe. Not just bedsharing. So why the campaign against this? Do we forbid infants in cars because it is possible to drive unsafely (i.e., without a car seat)?

Newborns who sleep in cribs in separate rooms from their parents have a higher chance of SIDS...so why does the media never sensationalize these SIDS deaths? Why aren't the hordes on Facebook promoting prosecution of parents who have lose their newborns in cribs in the room down the hall to SIDS?

PhieryBFly · December 2013

ReeceFamily said:

Wow, that pisses me off - it's manufactured outrage against bedsharing. ANY action practiced unsafely is unsafe. Not just bedsharing. So why the campaign against this? Do we forbid infants in cars because it is possible to drive unsafely (i.e., without a car seat)?

Newborns who sleep in cribs in separate rooms from their parents have a higher chance of SIDS...so why does the media never sensationalize these SIDS deaths? Why aren't the hordes on Facebook promoting prosecution of parents who have lose their newborns in cribs in the room down the hall to SIDS?

Because crib manufacturers lobbied to get the condition known as 'crib death' changed to SIDS and continue to lobby for this to be played down and pay for 'studies' that 'prove' that cribs are safer (very badly done, myopic studies from the ones I've reviewed).

Emerald27 · December 2013

Yep. Just like @PhieryBFly said, it's all about the money...

opheliainwaders · December 2013

ncbelle said:
Given that the research shows almost all families will bed share at some point (even if just for a night), it makes far more sense to educate families on how to bed share safely vs. a universal "OMG it's dangerous!!" Fact is that bed sharing done correctly is absolutely NOT dangerous. To simply say it's all bad is stupid and does nothing to prevent tragedies from occurring.

This is why I love my pedi. At our first visit, she gave us the rundown on how to safely co-sleep, and basically said, "baby should be in a co-sleeper or bassinet in your room to start, but wen she winds up in bed with you, this is what you need to know." Turns out that we don't usually co-sleep, but there have been a couple early mornings and nights of teething where we have, and I'm glad she gave us the details on no blankets, etc.

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