Why Does Sleeping with a Baby on a Sofa Cause SIDS?

Of course, everytime you sleep with a baby on a sofa, you are not going to cause SIDS to occur. However, sleeping on the sofa with a baby can absolutely increase the risk of SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome).

To avoid SIDS you must follow particular rules when putting a baby down to sleep in order to protect your baby's health. Putting a baby to sleep on a sofa, especially with a larger person next to him or her, violates quite a number of those rules.

SIDS Rules

Let us take a look at the SIDS rules and how sleeping with a baby on a sofa and other potentially dangerous practices go against the SIDS rules:

Rule 1:

Babies must be placed on their backs to sleep. A baby sleeping on his or her stomach is much more likely to die from SIDS than a baby on his or her back. However, if you are just sleeping with a baby on the couch, what is to prevent you from moving in your sleep and subsequently turning the baby over from back to stomach? You cannot control what you do in your sleep, so you might accidentally turn the baby.

Rule 2:

Babies are supposed to sleep on a firm mattress placed in a crib. You can already see that violation of both of these requirements for safe baby sleeping occurs by sleeping on the sofa with your baby. A sofa is certainly not a crib, and many sofas are not exactly "firm." They are at least not as firm as a mattress would be. Sleeping with a baby on a sofa or any other soft surfaces increases the risk of SIDS.

Rule 3:

Anything that the baby's face could get pressed into or covered by must not be near the child when sleeping. Think about your own clothes. What happens if you are wearing a loose garment and the baby cannot breathe because he or she becomes suffocated by it? Furthermore, as with rule number one, when you are sleeping, you do not know what you are doing. You might mistakenly move the baby towards a dangerous object.

Directly related to this rule is the fact that a baby's head and face must absolutely stay uncovered while asleep. As you can see, you cannot guarantee those conditions while you are sleeping on a sofa with the baby.

Rule 4:

If a baby is too warm, the chances of SIDS increase. If you are snuggled up with your baby, he or she is now dealing with your body heat as well. This rule is important to remember no matter where your child is sleep. Just because it is cold outside does not mean that you have to wrap your child in dozens of blankets. Consult with your doctor about the best way to handle this situation.

SIDS and Accident Potentials for a Baby on a Sofa

One of the most obvious problems associated with sleeping with your baby-no matter where it is-is that you could roll over on your child or you could accidentally knock them off the couch! These are serious life threatening issues, and you must not engage in any of these practices that could cause SIDS in your precious child.