Sleeping on Couches Can Be Deadly for Infants, Study Says
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iStock/Thinkstock(KANSAS CITY, Mo.) — Couches can be hazardous to infants, according to a new study from Children’s Mercy Hospital in Kansas City.
One in eight “crib” deaths from Sudden Infant Death Syndrome occur on the sofa, researchers said, since babies can get wedged beneath the cushions or fall asleep on their sides.
The database report, published in the journal Pediatrics on Monday, looked at the cause of infant sleeping deaths over an eight-year period from 24 states and found that more than 1,000 were associated with the sleeping position and a sofa location.
While the study says sharing a sofa with an infant is becoming increasingly common in some countries and may be done to calm or feed the child, researchers found that the children who died were more likely to be those on the couch with another person.
Experts recommend to place infants on firm surfaces while sleeping and to lay children on their back in cribs.
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