Why falling asleep with your baby in an armchair or sofa is dangerous
To avoid putting your baby in danger, here’s why you shouldn’t sleep with your baby in an armchair on the sofa
Falling asleep on a sofa or in an armchair with your baby in your arms is one of the most high-risk situations for them. The reason for this, according to the charity Lullaby Trust, is that sleeping on a sofa or armchair with your baby can increase the risk of SIDS by up to 50 times and there is NEVER a safe time to sleep on a sofa or armchair with a baby day or night.
Research by the Lullaby Trust has found that sharing a sofa or armchair with your baby while you are both sleep can be linked to an extremely high risk of SIDS and your baby can become trapped between the parent and the back of the sofa or armchair, making their breathing difficult.
Tragically, one study found that approximately one-sixth of infants in England and Wales who died of SIDS were found sleeping with an adult on a sofa.
The Lullaby Trust, therefore, advises all parents against falling asleep on the sofa or in an armchair while holding their baby.
The advice from the Lullaby Trust is to make sure that you do not accidentally fall asleep with your baby on a sofa. If you think you might fall asleep, make sure you put the baby down first in a safe place for them to sleep.
If you are breastfeeding, they suggest you have your partner stay up with you to ensure you don’t fall asleep while sitting up in a chair or sofa with your baby, breastfeed in a different position where you are confident you might not fall asleep, or feed the baby somewhere else to avoid this happening.