American Academy of Pediatrics: Infants, parents should sleep in same room for first year

The American Academy of Pediatrics says infants should sleep in the same bedroom as their parents for "at least the first six months," and optimally the "first year of life" to decrease the risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) and sleep-related deaths.

The new policy statement was released on Monday by the AAP during the academy's National Conference & Exhibition in San Francisco. The recommendation to have infants sleep on a separate surface but in the same room as parents for the first year of life was just one of 19 total recommendations that updates Academy policy.

The recommendations were made based on research from articles published since 2011, the last time the AAP issued a technical report and policy statement.

AAP says having infants sleep in the same room for at least the first six months decreases the risk of SIDS by as much as 50 percent. Other recommendations are as follows:

-Placing infants on their back to sleep and avoiding side-sleep. The AAP states sleeping on the back does not increase the risk of choking in infants, even those with reflux issues because "infants have airway anatomy and mechanisms that protect against aspiration." The report adds allowing infants to sleep in the prone position (chest down), should only be considered if the child has an upper airway disorder or risk of death from gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). Otherwise, the risk of SIDS outweighs the benefits of sleep on the side or stomach.

-Skin-to-skin contact. All mothers and newborns are encouraged to give "skin-to-skin care" immediately following birth if the mother is stable enough to do so. Mother's should do this for "at least an hour" following birth of the child.

-Breastfeeding. The AAP says mothers should breastfeed exclusively or with expressed milk for six months since it "has been shown to be more protective against SIDS than no breastfeeding."

-Be wary of devices claiming to reduce SIDS. The AAP says such devices include wedges and positioners meant to separate infants from others sharing the same bed. Also included are cardiorespiratory monitors sometimes used to detect sleep apnea as well as heart rate. According to the AAP, "there are no data that other commercial devices that are designed to monitor infant vital signs reduce the risk of SIDS.

Other more well-known recommendations such as avoiding soft objects, loose bedding, smoke exposure, and drug use are also included in the report.