Should you sleep in the same bed with your baby?

When anthropologist David R. Samson asked Hadza mothers in Tanzania if they would ever put a baby to sleep away from the mother, they were surprised. For them, closeness at night was the normal way to protect the child, keep it warm, and feed it once it woke up.

In many cultures, and for most of human history, infants have not slept alone. They have stayed close to their caregiver, relying on their touch, smell, hearing, and responsiveness.

This, however, does not mean that co-sleeping is safe. Modern beds have soft mattresses, pillows, covers, and spaces where the baby can get stuck. The risk also depends on the age and health of the baby and the condition of the adult.

Why risks are difficult to define

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that babies sleep on their backs, on a hard, flat surface, in their parents' room, but not in their own bed, especially during the first six months.

In the US, about 3,400 sudden infant deaths were recorded during 2024. According to the data, several circumstances significantly increase the risk of co-sleeping: excessive fatigue of the caregiver, alcohol, drugs, sedatives, smoking, soft surfaces, age under four months, and the presence of another child in the bed.

A 2024 study found that nearly 60% of babies who died were sharing a sleeping surface. But because the study only included babies who died, it couldn't determine how much risk co-sleeping itself increased. In most cases, there were multiple confounding factors at play.

Breastfeeding complicates the situation

Breastfeeding is associated with a lower risk of sudden infant death syndrome, but it brings mothers and babies closer together at night.

Anthropologist Helen Ball has argued that a distinction needs to be made between bed-sharing in general and the circumstances that make it risky. Studies show that bed-sharing may be linked to continued breastfeeding, but it is not clear whether bed-sharing helps breastfeeding or whether mothers who want to breastfeed are more likely to do so.

Anthropologist James McKenna has studied the link between breastfeeding and sleep and has shown that babies who sleep next to their mothers may feed more frequently during the night. This suggests that feeding, baby awakening, and maternal responsiveness are part of the same biological relationship.

How different countries operate

Health authorities generally recommend a separate, firm, flat surface for the baby to sleep on in the parents' room.

In the UK, NICE and NHS guidelines also provide advice on reducing the risk when parents choose to co-sleep. New Zealand promotes the wahakura, a traditional Maori cradle, and the pēpi-pod, which keeps babies close to their parents but on a separate surface.

The point is not to pit ancient mothers against modern doctors. Parents need the safest recommendation, but also clear information about how the risk varies by baby, caregiver, and sleep environment.

The safest solution remains a separate sleeping surface for the baby, near the parents. But guidelines must also take into account the reality of nights when things don't go according to plan. /National Geographic