The surprising reason behind this baby sleep advice

You may be aware that safer sleep advice recommends that babies sleep in the same room their parent/caregiver is in, day and night, for at least the first six months. 

“The risk of SIDS increases when babies sleep alone and decreases when they sleep in the presence of a carer, regardless of whether it’s day or night (Blair et al., 1999).” From BASIS Online website

One of the reasons often surprises people.

Most people don’t know the full story behind this advice. Even worse, may give dangerous advice, based on false understanding. 

Today I watched a video by a sleep consultant (in the USA) who wrongly said that babies only need to sleep in the same room if they are breastfeeding. Her logic was that breastfeeding is a protective factor against SIDS (it is), and that being in the same room as your baby has been shown to result in longer breastfeeding (which it does), but she said that was the only reason for the advice. It is not. It is not even the main reason for room sharing. Formula fed babies still benefit from being in the same room.

“A large study looking at SIDS cases in 20 locations across Europe estimated that 36% of SIDS deaths could have been prevented if the baby had slept in a cot in the same room as the parents (Carpenter et al, 2004). One large UK study found that 75% of the day-time SIDS deaths occurred while babies were alone in a room (Blair et al., 2006).”

There are two protective factors when your baby sleeps in the room you or another adult.

Easier to respond

Research has found that parents and caregivers respond to their baby more frequently and faster if they are in the same room. 

"Night-time feeding is easier, babies cry less when close to their parent/s, increased parental response to infant signals, and some studies have found room-sharing results in more sleep for parents and babies (Ball, 2025)."  From BASIS Online website

Lighter sleep

The protection of sleeping in the same room as you is not just about you hearing them, but also about them hearing you.  

All human babies are born premature, compared to other mammals. They are less able to regulate their heart rate, temperature, breathing, and the presence of adults (proximity) has been shown to help them with this regulation. It is thought that a contributing factor in SIDS could well be that babies can lose their breathing rhythm. 

If your baby is in the same room as you, the noises you make as you go about your day, or the noises you make at night (snoring, breathing, turning over, coughing), stop the baby going into a very deep sleep. The noises wake them up enough to re-regulate their breathing. 

"your presence and everyday activities help keep your baby in a lighter, more easily roused sleep state, which reduces the risk of SIDS (Horne, 2020)" From the BASIS Online website

Though, please note, leaving the room briefly is okay. 

Different feeding methods

I hope you can see now that the advice to share a room while baby sleeps is for all babies, irrespective of how they are fed.

After six months

After six months the rate of SIDS drops off, but doesn’t disappear, which is why the recommendation is ‘for at least the first six months’. I know this can be a challenge as babies outgrow their cribs, and need to move into cots before six months. There are ways around this. Perhaps the topic of another blog - or ask me in the meantime.

I checked all this information with the brilliant BASIS online website, which is based at Durham University’s Infancy and Sleep Centre. 

If you would like to give parents and parents-to-be balanced, informed information on baby sleep, through a workshop and activities, to share the information in a non-judgemental, interactive and fun way, then check out my Baby Sleep Facilitator training.