Parents have been urged to follow safe sleep advice when bedding down with their babies after an investigation into infant deaths.
The Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS)) probe found that 19 baby deaths last year occurred while the child was sleeping with a parent.
Solicitor General Ruth Charteris KC said that it was “vitally important” than parents heed advice from the NHS as many of the deaths could have been prevented.
NHS Scotland does not suggest parents never bedshare with babies, but offers advice to make the practice safer.
READ MORE: Midwives failed to act on 'very unusual' warning signs, baby deaths inquiry told
It says that babies should be placed on their backs, in smoke free-spaces, on firm mattresses with pillows and bedding cleared out of the way to prevent suffocation or overheating.
Parents are told they should not share a bed with their baby if they smoke, have taken alcohol, drugs or medicines that cause drowsiness or if the infant is underweight.
Of the 17 deaths which occured during co-sleeping – out of a total of 74 baby deaths last year – a dozen involved alcohol or drugs.
Parents are also told never to co-sleep in armchairs or on sofas.
COPFS’s investigations involved considering the statements of witnesses, including parents and carers, instruction of expert reviews, and discussions with professional services.
READ MORE: Parents 'misled' that 'everything was fine' before baby's death, father tells inquiry
Each of these investigations is of serious public concern.
The Solicitor General said: “Sudden infant deaths are rare but are without doubt one of the most devastating tragedies that a family could experience. I send my deepest condolences to everyone who has suffered such an overwhelming loss.
“The findings of COPFS’s investigations highlight that continuing efforts to promote safer sleep practices with parents are vitally important.
“We can see that overall, safer sleep advice has worked to save the lives of thousands of babies. However, I am saddened and greatly concerned by our findings which show unsafe co-sleeping is still happening.”
She added: “I can understand the challenges of getting enough sleep as a family, but expert advice should be followed. The evidence of the cases reported to the Procurator Fiscal shows that, tragically, babies can and do die in high-risk co-sleeping situations.
“It is my sincere hope that by drawing attention to our concerns, prompted by the outcome of our investigations, that the number of baby deaths in which co-sleeping was a preventable factor, can be even further reduced through open conversations about safer sleeping.”
Lynsey Kidd, executive director at the Scottish Cot Death Trust, said she was concerned by the figures.
She said: "The evidence tells us that for the first six months the safest place for baby to sleep is in a flat, clear, separate space such as a cot, a moses basket or a crib, in the parents' room.
"We are concerned as a charity because we support many of these families, and whilst we talk about figures, we see the absolute devastation for families across Scotland who are living with the loss of their baby."
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel