A study in the July 2017 issue of Pediatrics found
that room-sharing with infants at ages 4 months and 9 months was associated
with less nighttime sleep, shorter sleep stretches and unsafe sleep practices.
The study,
“Mother-Infant Room Sharing and Sleep Outcomes in the INSIGHTStudy,” to be published online June 5, emphasizes the need for more research on
the effects of room-sharing and its impact on the quality of sleep for infants
and parents. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends room-sharing –
but not bed-sharing – during infancy because studies have demonstrated a
reduced risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. In October 2016, the AAP updated
its policy to recommend room-sharing for at least the baby’s first 6 months, or
ideally, 1 year.
The Intervention Nurses Start Infants Growing on Health
Trajectories (INSIGHT) study enrolled newborns and mothers from January 2012 to
March 2014; data from this obesity-prevention trial were analyzed for this
study. A total of 230 mother-infant dyads were divided into three groups:
“early independent sleepers,” who slept independently without room-sharing by 4
months (62 percent of participants); “later independent sleepers,” who began
sleeping in a separate room between 4 and 9 months (27 percent of
participants); and those who were room-sharing at 9 months (11 percent of
participants). Researchers observed significant differences in bedtime routines
at 4 months, finding that room-sharing babies had lower odds of being put to
sleep by 8 p.m. At 4 months, room-sharing infants also had greater odds of
having an unapproved object in bed with them, such as blankets or pillows, than
those who were sleeping independently. Parents of room-sharing infants were
four times more likely to bring their infant into their bed overnight. Study
authors conclude that the poorer sleep-related outcomes and unsafe sleep
practices they found in room-sharing infants should lead to a reconsideration
of the duration of the room-sharing recommendation.
Published in the same issue of Pediatrics is a
commentary, “Are There Long-term Consequences of Room Sharing During Infancy?”
authored by two members of the AAP Task Force on SIDS. The commentary authors
welcome this additional research on room-sharing and note questions that remain
to be explored about the relationships between room-sharing, feeding, bedtime
routines and the physiology of infant sleep. They emphasize the primary
objective of the Academy’s safe sleep recommendations is to minimize the risk
of SIDS and other sleep-related infant deaths.
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The
American Academy of Pediatrics is an organization of 66,000 primary
care pediatricians, pediatric medical subspecialists and pediatric
surgical specialists dedicated to the health, safety and well-being of
infants, children, adolescents and young adults. For more information,
visit www.aap.org and follow us on Twitter @AmerAcadPeds