Put baby to bed in a suitcase, coroner suggests

By CLAIRE TREVETT

A Northland coroner says new parents who cannot afford cots should put babies in drawers, suitcases or boxes rather than share a bed.

The advice follows an inquest into the death of a Kaitaia baby who was smothered when sharing a bed with her mother and two siblings.

Coroner Robin Fountain said parents who could not afford a bassinet could use a drawer, a suitcase without a lid, or a box for the baby's bed.

The warning is in line with Plunket guidelines, which aim to prevent the accidental suffocation of babies by people sleeping in the same bed.

Mr Fountain found the 3-month-old baby died from accidental asphyxia during sleep.

The baby had spent the night sleeping with its mother on the mattress on the lounge floor of their home. When the mother woke at 7.30am, her 3-year-old son and 1-year-old daughter were also on the mattress.

One of the siblings had accidentally lain over the baby.

The mother woke to find the baby was not breathing. Attempts at CPR were unsuccessful.

Statistics showed that in 1999, 11 babies aged from 1 month to 1 year died of suffocation in bed - 6 per cent of the total baby deaths.

Mr Fountain said evidence given by Plunket on the risks of babies sharing a bed should be widely publicised to prevent similar tragedies.

Plunket Society clinical adviser Trish Jackson-Potter said young babies should have their own cot or bassinet, rather than risk being suffocated by others.

Some parents could not afford a cot or bassinet, she said.

"So they can make one. You can make a safe bed out of a drawer just with a firm mattress in the bottom of it or a folded blanket, or a suitcase if you take the lid off, or a box.

"People can ask their local Plunket office to show them how."

In some areas, cots could be borrowed from other agencies, she said.

The Cot Death Association set up a lend-a-cot scheme three months ago and already had 69 cots on loan.

Another group, Sids NZ, says it has donated more than a hundred bassinets to groups around NZ for circulation within communities.

Ms Jackson-Potter said sharing a bed with a baby was becoming increasingly common.

"It seems to be coming back into favour. Sometimes it is a bonding thing, because of the closeness.

"Often it is fine, but there is a risk, especially for children under 6 months."

A study reported in England found the risk of suffocation increased 20-fold when young babies were sleeping in adult beds, she said.

Plunket advised against it, especially if the parents were smokers, had drunk alcohol, taken drugs, including prescription medication, or were heavy sleepers.

In a soft bed, there was more chance of rolling on to a baby.

Other children should not sleep in the same bed with a baby, especially up to the age of 6 months, because babies could not move away, said Ms Jackson-Potter.

Other risks of suffocation were soft, loose bedding, such as pillows and duvets.

A 2000 study found that 55 per cent of Pacific Island babies slept on a mattress with an adult.

Of those, 80 per cent shared with one person and 20 per cent with two or more.

More than 1000 mothers in Middlemore Hospital were surveyed as part of the AUT and Auckland University research.

The numbers of babies sharing a bed with someone else had increased since a similar 1998 survey, in which 40.4 per cent of Pacific Island babies shared a bed, compared with 20.2 per cent for Maori and 5.7 per cent for other groups.

Plunket advice

* Young babies should not share a bed, especially if the adult smokes, has drunk alcohol or taken drugs.

* Babies should be face up on a firm mattress with no bedding covering the face.

* Loose and soft bedding, including pillows and duvets, should not be used.

* People who cannot afford a cot should ask a social welfare agency for help, or improvise with a drawer, a suitcase with no lid, or a box with a firm mattress.

Sids NZ helpline: 0800 164 455