Don't share your bed with your baby, Quebec coroner says

A coroner has released a list of recommendations after investigating the sleeping deaths of three babies in the Quebec City region between 2008 and 2009.

 

The coroner hopes the report will make parents re-think making their children share a bed with them.

 

One month old Katarina Lafrance stopped breathing after spending the night sleeping with her parents on the couch.

 

While little Lukas Harvey died after his mother put him down for a nap on her bed surrounded by two pillows.

 

Coroner Andrée Kronstrom says these cases show it doesn't take much to suffocate a baby.

 

She recommends instead babies sleep in a bassinette beside the parent's bed.

 

The coroner hopes more public awreness on the dangers of co-sleeping will help change parents' attitudes.

 

Dr. Richard Haber, pediatrician at The Montreal Children's Hospital agrees that sharing your bed with your baby isn't safe.

 

He says anything from the mattress being too soft, to the pillows, and the covers can be a risk to your child.