Of nearly 8,000 infant sleeping deaths in the United States, about 12% were sofa-related, with nearly three-quarters of the deaths occurring in newborns, according to research published online in Pediatrics.
Researchers looked at 7,934 infant sleeping deaths reported over an eight-year period in 24 states. About half of these deaths occurred in an adult bed, and one in five occurred in a crib. But the researchers focused on the 1,024 sofa deaths.
Infants who died sleeping on a sofa were nearly twice as likely to die from suffocation or strangulation as babies who died sleeping elsewhere. The vast majority of the babies who died on sofas were 3 months old or younger.
Babies who died on a sofa were over six times more likely to be sleeping in a new place compared to babies who died on adult beds or in their cribs. Babies who died while asleep on the sofa were also about twice as likely to be sleeping with someone else compared to babies who died sleeping in other places.
