# Bed-sharing

**Is bed-sharing with a baby safe, and should we do it?**

Bed-sharing means your baby sleeps in the same bed as an adult. Major health bodies disagree about how to handle it: some say never, some give conditions for doing it as safely as possible. La Leche League's "Safe Sleep Seven" is a checklist for planned bed-sharing.

In short: Parents choose between 4 main approaches: Never (AAP); Separate surface by plan, with a prepared bed for unplanned nights (UK); Planned bed-sharing under the "Safe Sleep Seven" (La Leche League); Family bed by default. Evidence: experts disagree. Credible bodies or researchers disagree — decide whose guidance you'll weigh. Best settled: during pregnancy.

- Area: Sleep
- Evidence: Experts disagree
- Best settled: During pregnancy
- First published: 2026-10-03
- Last updated: 2026-10-05
- Page: https://www.raisingyourchild.com/topics/sleep--bed-sharing

## Bed-sharing: what are the options?

1. **Never (AAP)**: The baby never sleeps in your bed, as the American Academy of Pediatrics advises.
2. **Separate surface by plan, with a prepared bed for unplanned nights (UK)**: The baby has their own bed, and you prepare your bed to be as safe as possible in case you fall asleep together.
3. **Planned bed-sharing under the "Safe Sleep Seven" (La Leche League)**: You plan to share your bed, following a checklist of conditions meant to reduce risk.
4. **Family bed by default**: The whole family routinely sleeps in one bed.

## Bed-sharing: what does the evidence say?

**Experts disagree.** Credible bodies or researchers disagree — decide whose guidance you'll weigh.

AAP: avoid bed-sharing under any circumstances, and the risk of sleep-related infant death is up to 67 times higher when a baby sleeps with someone on a couch, soft armchair or cushion. UK Lullaby Trust: the safest place is a separate sleep space, but never bed-share after alcohol, sedating drugs or smoking, or if the baby was born before 37 weeks or under 2.5 kg, and if you do, use a firm flat mattress with adult bedding kept away; NICE requires safer bed-sharing advice. The claim that planned bed-sharing under the Safe Sleep Seven carries no added SIDS risk is La Leche League's own

Sources:

- [HealthyChildren.org](https://www.healthychildren.org/English/ages-stages/baby/sleep/Pages/a-parents-guide-to-safe-sleep.aspx)
- [Lullaby Trust](https://www.lullabytrust.org.uk/baby-safety/safer-sleep-information/co-sleeping/)
- [NICE](https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/qs37/chapter/Quality-statement-5-Safer-practices-for-bed-sharing)
- [LLLI](https://llli.org/news/the-safe-sleep-seven/)

## What else is worth knowing?

Many parents end up with the baby in their bed at some point, planned or not. Some health bodies say never; others accept that it happens and explain how to make it less risky. Everyone agrees on what to avoid: sofas, alcohol, smoking, sedating medication and very young or premature babies.

## Questions to ask each other

- What do we each think about sharing our bed with the baby?
- What would we do if we both fall asleep with the baby by accident?
- Are there conditions, like alcohol or medication, that would mean never?

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General information, not medical advice. Two parents can each answer this and compare: https://www.raisingyourchild.com/explore?cat=sleep&topic=sleep--bed-sharing