Is bed sharing with an infant safe?

What the evidence says

Both the Canadian Paediatric Society and Health Canada advise against bed sharing, saying that sleeping on the same surface as a baby raises the chances of SIDS and accidental suffocation. Instead, they recommend room sharing: keep your baby's crib, cradle, or bassinet in your room, close to your bed, for at least the first 6 months.

The risk of bed sharing is not the same in every situation. Canadian data show babies are at much higher risk if they are younger than 4 months, were born premature or with low birth weight, or if a bed-sharing adult smokes, has been drinking alcohol, has used drugs, or is unusually exhausted. Soft bedding, pillows, and in-bed baby pods or nests also add risk.

The American Academy of Pediatrics takes an even firmer stance, stating it cannot recommend bed sharing under any circumstances, citing evidence from case-control studies. Some researchers and other countries (UK, Norway, Spain) take a softer 'harm reduction' approach, saying the added risk may be small when known hazards (smoking, alcohol, soft bedding, prematurity) are absent, though this remains debated among experts.

If you do end up bed sharing, such as during a night feed, the safest approach is to avoid the highest-risk situations above and return your baby to their own separate sleep space afterward. Sofas and armchairs are never safe for co-sleeping and carry an even higher risk than a bed.