Re bedsharing: The likelihood of crib death (cot death) is certainly
not
decreased where babies bedshare in the same bed with their parents.
Research clearly shows that bedsharing between adults and babies is a
serious crib death risk factor. Advice against bedsharing has been
publicised in New Zealand since 1992.

The reason why bedsharing poses a risk of crib death is that adults'
mattresses very frequently contain compounds of phosphorus, arsenic
and/or
antimony, and household fungal growth becomes established in the
mattress
which is capable converting those compounds into certain highly toxic
gases.
For physiological reasons, adults are not put at risk by this gas
generation, but exposure of babies to these gases can quickly result
in cot
death.

The claim that babies are at less risk of crib death in communities
where
babies routinely bedshare with their parents is highly misleading.
Research
carried out in New Zealand across clearly defined ethnic groups (one
of
which groups frequently bedshares and the other usually does not)
shows a
far higher crib death rate among the bedsharing group.

The reason why certain ethnic groups who routinely bedshare may not
have a
high crib death rate is not because of the bedsharing - it is because
of the
chemical composition of the bedding environment.

In those countries where western-style bedding is used, compounds of
phosphorus, arsenic and antimony are very frequently present in
bedding; and
in those countries bedsharing between adults and babies poses a
serious crib
death risk to the baby.

Babies should always sleep in their own separate bassinettes/cribs.

The crib death risk posed by a baby's mattress can be eliminated by
wrapping
the mattress in accordance with a strict protocol and using certain
specified bedding on top of the wrapped mattress.

This protocol has been publicised in New Zealand for eight years
(since late
1994), and during that time an estimated 120,000 New Zealand babies
have
slept on wrapped mattresses. There has been no reported crib death
among
those babies; the New Zealand nationwide crib death rate has fallen
by 48%;
and the European ethnic rate has fallen by around 75%.

Unlike orthodox crib death prevention advice, mattress-wrapping has a
100%
success record in crib death prevention.

For comprehensive information please feel free to contact Dr Jim
Sprott
(sprott@...)