The accidental strangulation and suffocation death rate of infants during their first year of life more than quadrupled between the years of 1984 and 2004, according to the Center For Disease Control. The study didn’t examine the reason for this increase, but noted that it seemed to coincide with the rising popularity of bed-sharing.
Many doctors strongly disagree with the practice of bed-sharing. But they aren’t comfortable with discouraging it outright because it does help the parents bond with the child and it does help the mother get more rest. And anyone who has had a newborn baby in the house will tell you that the one thing the mother needs above all else is rest!