Published online May 1, 2008
PEDIATRICS Vol. 121 No. 5 May 2008, pp. 1073-1074 (doi:10.1542/peds.2008-0483)

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LETTER TO THE EDITOR

Cobedding Twins and Higher-Order Multiples: In Reply

Kay M. Tomashek, MD, MPH
Former Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Liaison

Ann R. Stark, MD
Chairperson

Carol Wallman, RNC, NNP, MS
National Association of Neonatal Nurses/Association of Women's Health Obstetric and Neonatal Nursing Liaison,
On behalf of the AAP Committee on Fetus and Newborn

We appreciate the comments of Drs Tyrala and Chung on our commentary. We would like to note that our review found that neither the safety nor the benefit of cobedding twins and higher-order multiples in a hospital setting has been documented in the published literature.¹ Our commentary was limited to the hospital setting and was not a review of the practice at home. The authors are not aware of any published studies that have examined the safety of cobedding twins and higher-order multiples in the home setting. Although some studies have found that infants who share a bed with their mother, parents, an adult, or other children (eg, older, larger children) are at an increased risk for sudden infant death syndrome, these studies have not, in large part, included twins and multiples (ie, infants of a similar size and developmental level) who share a bed with their twin or multiple at home.^2–10

REFERENCES

1. Tomashek KM, Wallman C; American Academy of Pediatrics, Committee on Fetus and Newborn. Cobedding twins and higher-order multiples in a hospital setting [published correction appears in Pediatrics. 2008;121(1):227]. Pediatrics. 2007;120 (6):1359 –1366[Free Full Text]
2. Tappin D, Ecob R, Brooke H. Bedsharing, roomsharing, and sudden infant death syndrome in Scotland: a case-control study. J Pediatr. 2005;147 (1):32 –37[CrossRef][Web of Science][Medline]
3. Kemp JS, Unger B, Wilkins D, et al. Unsafe sleep practices and an analysis of bedsharing among infants dying suddenly and unexpectedly: results of a four-year, population-based, death-scene investigation study of sudden infant death syndrome and related deaths. Pediatrics. 2000;106 (3). Available at: www.pediatrics.org/cgi/content/full/106/3/e41
4. Unger B, Kemp JS, Wilkins D, et al. Racial disparity and modifiable risk factors among infants dying suddenly and unexpectedly. Pediatrics. 2003;111 (2). Available at: www.pediatrics.org/cgi/content/full/111/2/e127
5. Horsley T, Clifford T, Barrowman N, et al. Benefits and harms associated with the practice of bed sharing: a systematic review. Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med. 2007;161 (3):237 –245[Abstract/Free Full Text]
6. Lahr MB, Rosenberg KD, Lapidus JA. Bedsharing and maternal smoking in a population-based survey of new mothers. Pediatrics. 2005;116 (4). Available at: www.pediatrics.org/cgi/content/full/116/4/e530
7. Carpenter RG, Irgens LM, Blair PS, et al. Sudden unexplained infant death in 20 regions in Europe: case control study. Lancet. 2004;363 (9404):185 –191[CrossRef][Web of Science][Medline]
8. Hauck FR, Herman SM, Donovan M, et al. Sleep environment and the risk of sudden infant death syndrome in an urban population: the Chicago Infant Mortality Study. Pediatrics. 2003;111 (5 pt 2):1207 –1214[Abstract/Free Full Text]
9. Blair PS, Sidebotham P, Berry PJ, Evans M, Fleming PJ. Major epidemiological changes in sudden infant death syndrome: a 20-year population-based study in the UK. Lancet. 2006;367 (9507):314 –319[CrossRef][Web of Science][Medline]
10. Moon RY, Horne RS, Hauck FR. Sudden infant death syndrome. Lancet. 2007;370 (9598):1578 –1587[CrossRef][Web of Science][Medline]

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PEDIATRICS (ISSN 1098-4275). ©2008 by the American Academy of Pediatrics

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This Article Extract Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me when eLetters are posted Alert me if a correction is posted Services E-mail this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in Web of Science Alert me to new issues of the journal Add to My File Cabinet Download to citation manager Request Permissions Citing Articles Citing Articles via CrossRef Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Tomashek, K. M. Articles by Wallman, C. Search for Related Content PubMed Articles by Tomashek, K. M. Articles by Wallman, C. Related Collections Premature & Newborn Social Bookmarking                         What's this?