Coroner Simon Cooper reminds parents about the dangers of co-sleeping

A Tasmanian coroner has urged parents against sharing a bed with their babies after two “completely avoidable” deaths caused by co-sleeping. FINDINGS >>

A TASMANIAN coroner has expressed his frustration that babies continue to die from suffocation due to co-sleeping with adults because repeated warnings are unheeded.

“Tragically, and completely avoidably, deaths of infants caused by co-sleeping keep happening,” Coroner Simon Cooper said in his findings into the death of two babies in 2018.

“This is so, despite repeated warnings against the practice by organisations such as Red Nose, as well as coroners.

“I take this opportunity, as Coroner McTaggart recently did in the case of the death of seven-week old Baby MH, to remind parents and carers of the importance of ensuring that an infant sleeps safely by him/herself in a cot or bassinet, night and day, and does not sleep in an adult bed with adult bedding, or next to other family members in the same bed.”

Both infants, Baby E and Baby I, died in their respective family homes in the state’s north in 2018.

Baby I was just over one month old when she died from suffocation after being breast fed on a couch. Mr Cooper found that at some time during the feeding her mother fell asleep. When the mother woke, some hours later, she noticed the baby was unresponsive with blood around her nose and mouth.

Baby E was five months old, and described as a “very happy baby who was always smiling and laughing” when she died. Mr Cooper found it was the practice of her parents to co-sleep with their infant daughter. On this night, the couple’s four-year-old also climbed into the bed during the night.

Mr Cooper found the baby was later “sandwiched” between her older brother and mother.

The father woke to notice the little girl was not making any noise. He cradled her in his arms but she was not breathing and non-responsive.

“She was either suffocated by the body of her brother or mother or the bedding, or a combination of all or some of these factors,” Mr Cooper said.

He said both deaths were “completely avoidable” and a stark and tragic illustration of what happens when warnings are ignored.