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Triadic bed-sharing and infant temperature
1Infancy and Childhood Research Group, Department of Anthropology, University of Durham, Durham, UK. H.L.Ball@dur.ac.uk
Insights
Infant bed-sharing does not significantly increase overnight rectal temperature compared to sleeping alone. Preliminary findings suggest no difference in core body temperature between bed-sharing and cot sleeping infants.
Area of Science:
- Pediatrics
- Infant Sleep Studies
- Thermoregulation
Background:
- Infant sleep practices, particularly bed-sharing, are debated due to safety concerns.
- Overheating is a potential risk associated with infants sleeping in their parents' bed.
- Prior research indicated a slight increase in core temperature for bed-sharing infants.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the impact of bed-sharing on infant overnight rectal temperature.
- To compare infant core body temperature during bed-sharing versus solitary sleeping (cot sleeping).
Main Methods:
- Preliminary analysis of overnight rectal temperature data from 12 infants.
- Infants were monitored sleeping alone and with parents on separate nights.
- Temperature measurements were taken throughout the night and 2 hours post-sleep onset.
Main Results:
- No statistically significant differences were observed in all-night rectal temperature between bed-sharing and cot sleeping.
- No significant temperature variations were found 2 hours after sleep onset.
- Preliminary data suggest potential subtle differences requiring further investigation.
Conclusions:
- This preliminary study indicates that bed-sharing does not lead to significant overheating in infants compared to cot sleeping.
- Further comprehensive analysis is needed to fully understand the thermoregulatory effects of infant sleep environments.
- Findings contribute to the ongoing discussion on safe infant sleep practices.
Abstract:
The effects on infants of sleeping with their parents is currently the subject of much debate. One concern regarding infants who sleep in their parents' bed involves the possibility of overheating. Previous research reported a significantly greater core temperature of 0.1 degrees C among a cohort of bed-sharing infants compared with a matched cohort of infants sleeping alone. This paper presents a preliminary analysis of the overnight rectal temperature of 12 of the 20 infants who were monitored sleeping alone and with their parents on separate nights at the University of Durham Parent-Infant Sleep Lab. No significant differences were found in all night rectal temperature, or temperature from 2 h after sleep onset between bed-sharing and cot sleeping nights. These preliminary analyses suggest a night-time difference in rectal temperature between routine bed-sharers and routine cot sleepers, however, these findings will be further explored in the full analyses for this study.