Kids and Sleep Apnea

This week in our "helping kids sleep" series, I thought we should mention sleep apnea. Reader Jennifer emailed me saying "My son is a mouth breather, does that effect sleep?

Pediatric Sleep Specialist Dr. Sarah Zallek said mouth breathing can be a sign of obstructive sleep apnea, the most common medical problem she sees in her practice. She said, "So, mouth breathing can be a sign of a tendency toward sleep apnea because of upper airway narrowing. It can also be a cause of some sleep apnea because of the way the jaw can relax and collapse the airway."

Here's the definition of sleep apnea according to the American Sleep Apnea Association:

"There are three types of apnea: obstructive, central, and mixed. The most common is obstructive sleep apnea. Obstructive sleep apnea is caused by a blockage of the airway, usually when the soft tissue in the rear of the throat collapses and closes during sleep.

In central sleep apnea, the airway is not blocked, but the brain fails to signal the muscles to breathe. Mixed apnea, as the name implies, is a combination of the two. With each apnea event, the brain briefly arouses people with sleep apnea in order for them to resume breathing, but consequently sleep is extremely fragmented and of poor quality."

My son was diagnosed with obstructive mouth breathing a month and a half ago. He consistently wakes up at night. One of the main treatments for obstructive sleep apnea is a tonsillectomy, adenoidectomy or both. My four year had the surgery a month ago.

Here are the links to those posts:

Tonsillectomy Recovery

Tonsillectomy/Adenoidectomy Surgery Day

The last few days he seems to be doing better. He is waking up twice a night screaming instead of 6-8 times a night. So, I am hopeful he will sleep through the night at some point. I can't say whether having the surgery cured him. I am not necessarily convinced he had sleep apnea in the first place.

"More than twelve million Americans have sleep apnea, according to the National Institutes of Health. Risk factors include being male, overweight, and over the age of forty, but sleep apnea can strike anyone at any age, even children. Yet still because of the lack of awareness by the public and healthcare professionals, the vast majority remain undiagnosed and therefore untreated, despite the fact that this serious disorder can have significant consequences.

Untreated, sleep apnea can cause high blood pressure and other cardiovascular disease, memory problems, weight gain, impotency, and headaches. Moreover, untreated sleep apnea may be responsible for job impairment and motor vehicle crashes. Fortunately, sleep apnea can be diagnosed and treated. Several treatment options exist, and research into additional options continues. "

Symptoms of Sleep Apnea: from About.com

• Although snoring is a common symptom in children with obstructive sleep apnea, it is important to remember that between 10-20 percent of normal children snore (primary snoring) on a regular or intermittent basis.
• failure to thrive (weight loss or poor weight gain)
• mouth breathing
• enlarged tonsils and adenoids
• problems sleeping and restless sleep
• excessive daytime sleepiness
• daytime cognitive and behavior problems, including problems paying attention, aggressive behavior and hyperactivity, which can lead to problems at school

Treatment of Sleep Apnea:

• Treating Allergies
• Weight loss
• Surgery to remove Tonsils/Adenoids
• Cpap (continuous positive airway pressure)
  

I also found a quiz that is supposed to tell you whether you suffer from sleep apnea. You can find it at the American Sleep Apnea Association.

Here are the links to the other stories I have covered on the blog dealing with sleep and kids:


How many hours of sleep do kids need?

"The Sleep Fairy" Book for toddlers

Older kids losing sleep when new baby arrives


Do you or your kids suffer from sleep apnea?

-NewsAnchorMom Jen

Do Bullies get enough sleep?

This is certainly something to think about-do bullies act the way they do because they aren't getting enough sleep? That might be too easy of an answer, but I do know I am crabbier and more short tempered when I don't get my zzzs. Maybe there's something to this. Is your child more violent when he/she is tired? Do you think the bullies at your child's school are tired?

FROM NBC: Could the amount of sleep a child gets affect their likelihood to be a bully during the day? "The whole world is almost gonna like end because someone said something that hurt your feelings so much." This is the anti-bullying club at Westwood Junior High School in New Jersey-a safe place to share upsetting stories.

"What makes you hate me so much to say that about me?" What makes bullies bully? Well according to a recent study, it may very well be sleep deprivation. Researchers at the University of Michigan found that the elementary school bullies they surveyed were twice as likely to show signs of sleep disorders like snoring or daytime sleepiness. The results make a lot of sense to Dr. Vipin Garg at Trinitas Hospital Sleep Disorder Center. It is well documented that in adults, lack of sleep hampers decision making skills.

Dr. Vipin Garg/Director, Trinitas Sleep Disorder Center: "This study kind of shows the same thing. That they lack the judgment to control emotionally their behavior." "When children come to the sleep center to be observed for sleep disorders they are usually also suffering from ADHD or aggressive behavior, but when they finally wake up after having a full night's rest, their behavior, doctors say, improves immensely."

Kaitlin Chesley, student: "I think if you don't get sleep, then you start not to think about what you're doing so then you might just say something out of impulse. You'll probably regret it later, but it's still bullying." Dr. Garg says it's vital to reach rem sleep and delta wave sleep every night and children need more than adults. Children who snore or have sleep apnea are often also hyperactive.

"The clues to whether a child is sleep deprived, just go to the days where there is no school...the weekends, holidays. If a child is in bed till 12 o'clock often you know on weekdays he's deprived and he's trying to catch up on sleep." Still, experts suspect simply sending bullies to bed isn't enough. Jillian Carpino, Anti-bullying Club Counselor: "I think sleep is part of it, but there's so many more pieces to the puzzle that needs to be put together to put an end to bullying." But a promising piece of the puzzle that could spare a lot of painful childhood experiences.

-NewsAnchorMom Jen

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How many hours of sleep do kids need?

Each Thursday we are answering questions from readers like you about getting your kids to sleep through the night.

Here's this week's question:

"I have older kids (not babies) but I still have questions. How much sleep does an early teen (ages 13-14) need? (I think they still need 9-10 hours but bedtime is getting harder to control as they get older). My son is a mouth breather, does that effect sleep?" ~Jennifer

Dr. Zallek says you are right about the number of hours a 13-14 year-old needs to sleep. She also mentioned parents have a tough time setting limits with kids this age. She thinks you are one step ahead because you realize your child may not be getting enough sleep. Dr. Zallek said, "Most parents don't recognize those are the sleep needs of their children. They expect their kids to sleep less and feel fully refreshed. " The main thing to keep in mind is to be adamant about making them go to bed on time. (Now you have back-up because a specialist is telling you to do this!)

Here's the breakdown on how many hours of sleep kids need:

Babies: 16-18 hours

Pre-school age children: 11-13 hours

School-aged children: 10-11 hours

10 year-olds: 10 hours

14 year-olds: About 9 hours, but some need a little more and some a little less

The American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) offers some tips to help your child sleep better:

• Follow a consistent bedtime routine. Set aside 10 to 30 minutes to get your child ready to go to sleep each night.
• Establish a relaxing setting at bedtime.
• Interact with your child at bedtime. Don’t let the TV, computer or video games take your place.
• Keep your children from TV programs, movies, and video games that are not right for their age.
• Do not let your child fall asleep while being held, rocked, fed a bottle, or while nursing.
• At bedtime, do not allow your child to have foods or drinks that contain caffeine. This includes chocolate and sodas.
• Try not to give him or her any medicine that has a stimulant at bedtime. This includes cough medicines and decongestants.

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Jennifer also mentioned her son is a mouth breather. Dr. Zallek said, "Mouth breathing can be a sign of a tendency of sleep apnea because of upper airway narrowing."

I will post all the information you need to know about childhood sleep apnea next Thursday.

Here are the links to the other sleep topics we have already covered:

"The Sleep Fairy" book for toddlers

The new baby can lead to sleep problems in older kids

-NewsAnchorMom Jen

Couples Sleeping Apart

This is a touchy subject for me! I am such a bad sleeper. Everything wakes me up. I sleep at night with earplugs, a noise maker and I shut the door. I still hear the baby crying in his room down the hall. It's ridiculous. When people say, "let the baby cry. He's old enough to sleep through the night." I can't because I can hear him no matter what I do. Plus, I don't want to let him cry, but that's beside the point. I do sleep better when I am alone, but I don't think it's a great idea for a husband and a wife to have separate rooms. Right now, sleep is most important for me! Do you and your husband sleep in the same bed?

From The NewYorkTimes:MY grandparents had a secret. When I was growing up in Savannah, Ga., in the 1970s, my paternal grandparents lived in the house immediately behind us. (My uncle lived next door in a set-up my father likened to Faulkner.) But my grandparents did something in their otherwise typical suburban home that was always something of a mystery to me.

They slept in separate bedrooms.

I speculated that this bifurcated sleeping arrangement had something to do with Southern gentility, Papa’s late-night ham radio habit, or some unseen rift in their marriage. But since my parents slept in side-by-side twin beds, and my wife and I later chose a king-size mattress, I assumed separate bedrooms had gone the way of other bygone relics, like sleeping caps or corsets.

I was wrong. It turns out my grandparents were ahead of their time.

Nearly one in four American couples sleep in separate bedrooms or beds, the National Sleep Foundation reported in a 2005 survey. Recent studies in England and Japan have found similar results. And the National Association of Home Builders says it expects 60 percent of custom homes to have dual master bedrooms by 2015.

Even Hollywood is catching on. The former bodyguard for Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt told In Touch Weekly recently that the couple often sleep in separate rooms. (Ms. Jolie informed Vanity Fair that the couple sometimes sleep in one “giant bed” with their six children.) In Touch also reported this spring that five months after Kevin Jonas of the Jonas Brothers traded his purity ring for a wedding band, he was sleeping separately from his wife. The reason, a friend said: “He snores like a freight train.”

(In Touch apparently has become the Official Chronicler of American Bedding.)

The marital bed, once the symbol of American matrimony on a par with the diamond ring, the tiered wedding cake and his-and-hers martinis, is threatened with extinction. “Till Death Do Us Part” is fast becoming “Till Sleep Do Us Part.”

Separate sleepers cite a bevy of reasons for their habit, including apnea, restless leg syndrome, his insistence on watching “SportsCenter,” her need to get up early for yoga. As Barbara Tober, the former chairwoman of the Museum of Arts and Design, told The New York Times recently, “Not that we don’t love each other, but at a certain point you just want your own room.”

“What happened in the last decade,” said Dr. Meir Kryger, a sleep specialist at Gaylord Hospital in Connecticut, “is that people are suddenly making their own sleep a priority. If their rest is being impaired by their partner, the attitude now is that I don’t have to put up with this.”

Children represent another threat. Dr. William Sears, a leader of the “attachment parenting” movement, reports in the 2005 “Baby Sleep Book” that two-thirds of American families say they “sometimes” or “always” sleep with a child in their bed. Another 16 percent welcome a pet under the covers.

From Yahoo: A recent article in The New York Times points out the trend of more and more couples sleeping in separate rooms. Nearly one in four American couples does so and, according the National Association of Home Builders, it's expected that 60 percent of custom homes will have dual master bedrooms by 2015. Bonus: Beat the heat with one of these no-cook meals tonight This got us thinking: Is this a healthy trend? I mean, sure, occasionally we think we'd get a better night's sleep with a wall (or two) between us and our snoring, TV-watching, sheet-hogging Sig O. But would our relationship suffer?

To get to the bottom of it, we asked Tina B. Tessina, Ph.D. (a.k.a. Dr. Romance), psychotherapist and author of Money, Sex, and Kids: Stops Fighting About the Three Things That Can Ruin Your Marriage, for her take: "Sleeping apart can contribute to the disconnect that plagues many relationships," Tessina says. "It just makes it easier to avoid each other, when what's really needed is connection and contact. There are solutions to snoring and restlessness -- a memory foam mattress will stop restlessness from being felt by a partner and snoring can be helped in a number of ways."

A bit more motivation to sleep in the same bed: * Your man may get a better night's sleep when you're with him. In a study published in the journal Sleep and Biological Rhythms, researchers found that while women slept less soundly when they shared a bed with someone they're romantically involved with, men actually slept better when next to a woman. Work out whatever issues you have with his sleeping habits and you both might get some high-quality shut-eye.
* Bedtime isn't always for sleep, if you catch our drift. It's also prime for intimacy: snuggling and sex. This private time is crucial, especially if you have kiddies (a.k.a. nookie police). Sure you could meet him in "his" room, get it on, then flee back to "your" room. But then sex becomes a scheduled chore rather than an organic, meaningful, spontaneous activity.

Bonus: See how you can dine like a star
* Nighttime, while you're side by side, is one of the best times to communicate with each other. Between work and other responsibilities, you only have small snippets of uninterrupted time to communicate during the day. With the door shut (and iPhones snuggled into their charging stations), between the sheets is the place where you can truly talk about what's on your mind, without interruption by kid, dog, phone, cable guy, etc. "Cuddling up together and talking quietly is a great perk of married life," says Tessina. "Couples who know how to do that, and do it regularly, fare better than couples who don't." Bottom line: Try to solve whatever sleep incompatibility issues exist between you and your partner before fleeing for the guest room.

-NewsAnchorMom Jen

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Childhood Insomnia

When does your child go from having sleep problems to having childhood insomnia? Pediatric sleep specialist Dr. Sarah Zallek says she's not convinced insomnia is a cause for not sleeping. She says it is usually a symptom of another problem: like sleep apnea, breathing obstruction, or anxiety. "Childhood Insomnia isn't necessarily a condition on it's own. It's a behavioral thing most of the time. Childhood insomnia can also be caused by medications like the ones used to treat asthma, ADHD and others," said Dr. Zallek.

Causes of Childhood Insomnia:

1. Limit Setting

Dr. Zallek: There are some kids who are developmental abnormal and have insomnia. That's a different story. For most kids, behavioral insomnia in childhood can be related to limit setting. Keep the child within limits, put them in bed, don't give in when they ask for another drink, etc. It turns into a not sleeping thing because they get attention for getting up. She advises her parents to say, "Go to bed and stay in bed." If the child gets up, don't let them snuggle in bed with you, watch T.V. or anything else. Don't get them into that habit.

Dr. Zallek: I would go back to the sticker chart, a series of squares to put stickers in. Three nights of good behavior gets a little toy. For an older child, it would be a week of good sleeper gets a toy. You reward what you want them to do. Punishment almost never works.

Jen: I can attest to that last statement. We have tried punishment for bad sleeper. Completely pointless in my house!

2. Bedtime Fears

Dr. Zallek: Bedtime fears can cause childhood insomnia. Sometimes they will be totally good sleepers, then they will start saying there's a monster in the closet. There are shadows or something. The best way is to make sure and tell them the monster doesn't exist in the first place. Don't invent monster spray. No checking under the bed for alligators. Rationally explain to the child those things don't exist. Reassure them they are loved and protected.

3. Caffeine

Dr. Zallek: It is also outstanding to me how many kids get caffeine. Even one caffeinated beverage early in the day can effect their sleep. That little bit of caffeine gets in more than people realize. It's not just Coke and Pepsi. It's Sunkist Orange all those energy drinks. I found a Mango smoothy that included caffeine. It had the equivalent of three cups of coffee. Even if it looks like a natural drink, make sure you read labels.

Dr. Zallek: Chocolate gets a bad rap. It really doesn't have that much caffeine in it. A & W cream soda has caffeine in it. And not all products label caffeine in terms of milligrams, so you really have to be careful and read the ingredients part of the packaging.

About.com gives these causes of childhood insomnia:

If you set a realistic bedtime and your child is still not getting a good night's sleep, then common causes of insomnia can include:

• poor sleep habits
• caffeine
• stress
• obstructive sleep apnea (snoring)
• side effects of medications, including stimulants used to treat ADHD, antidepressants, corticosteroids, and anticonvulsants
• asthma (coughing)

• eczema (itching)

• depression

• anxiety

• restless legs syndrome
• neurodevelopmental disorders, such as autism, mental retardation, and Asperger's syndrome

There are several medications used to treat childhood insomnia and also some non-medical approaches. Doctors seem to agree that treating childhood insomnia is no easy feet. Here's an interesting perspective published in Psychiatric News.

Here are the others blog posts on getting our kids to sleep through the night:

Breastfeeding babies and sleep
Sleep ApneaHow many hours of sleep do kids need?
"The Sleep Fairy" Book for toddlersOlder kids losing sleep when new baby arrives

-NewsAnchorMom Jen

Solving Sleep Problems with Kids

As promised, I am continuing the series we started last week on getting kids to sleep through the night. I am one of the parents in this situation and I feel your pain!

Here's today's question from newsanchormom.com reader Julie:

"Our three year old drags out the bedtime routine, always asking for one more drink, to use the potty one more time, etc. She will cry when we leave the room, saying she "has problems falling asleep by herself" and comes up with more excuses, periodically calling for us. Throughout the night, she wakes up 1-2 times and needs help getting back to sleep.

Any advice on keeping the bedtime routine moving and convincing her that she can fall asleep on her own, both at bedtime and during the night? She falls asleep for naps with no problems, usually within a couple of minutes. We have tried moving her bedtime both earlier and later, with no success. I'm really concerned that she is not getting enough sleep at night and that she is establishing poor sleep habits, not to mention that we are tired :("

Pediatric sleep specialist Dr. Sarah Zallek says Julie's problem is very common. She recommends getting the book, "The Sleep Fairy" by Janie Peterson. It's a story that mimics the idea of the tooth fairy. It helps you set limits for your child and puts the burden on the fairy instead of the parent. It also encourages positive re-enforcement for good behavior instead of punishment for bad behavior.

Dr. Zallek said, "Each night you read the story "The Sleep Fairy." And if the child stays in bed, sleeps all night and gets up in the morning, without calling out for drinks or books, if they do that, the sleep fairy leaves a tiny little something under their pillow as a reward."

We are trying this at my house. We haven't bought the book because it is sold out everywhere, but we are going to order it on-line. We told my four-year-old the basic story concept and he did sleep one night. He got a plastic fishing pole with little plastic fish to catch. It cost a dollar. He has been showing it to his friends all week and telling them the sleep fairy left it for him. Too cute! Lets hope it continues to work!

-NewsAnchorMom Jen

Sleep Positioners

The FDA is calling sleep positioners unsafe. This article says they are to keep a baby on his/her back, but I used it to prevent a flat head. My second child had to wear a helmet because he always tilted his head to the right when he slept. His head became lopsided. Anyway, my new baby did start to scoot down on the sleep positioner as he got a little older and his face would be dangerously close to the little side pillows. That is when I stopped using it. I just don't think you can use them for very long. However, if you use them all the time, the baby may get used to it and won't sleep without it. That's a problem! Did you use a sleep positioner? Do you think they are safe?

FROM U.S. NEWS/HEALTH BUZZ:

Government Calls Infant Sleep Devices "Dangerous," Warns Against Use

Some anxious parents rely on devices to keep sleeping babies on their backs, a position which experts say protects against sudden infant death syndrome. But these so-called sleep positioners are "dangerous and unnecessary," and should no longer be used because they pose a suffocation risk, the government warned today. In the past 13 years, sleep positioners have caused 12 infants—all between 1 and 4 months of age—to suffocate, according to a statement issued by the Food and Drug Administration and the Consumer Product Safety Commission.

Sleep positioners are typically sold as flat or inclined mats with side bolsters, designed to hold infants in one spot. In most cases, suffocation occurred after the child rolled from a side position to a stomach position, or became trapped between the device and the side of a crib or bassinet. The agencies say they've received dozens of reports about infants who were placed in sleep positioners and were later found in potentially dangerous positions, either within or next to the device. The FDA has never approved sleep positioners as safe.

-NewsAnchorMom Jen

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Sleep Solutions for Kids

I have a ton of sleep questions related to kids and you'll be happy to know, I have a ton of answers too. I interviewed pediatric sleep specialist and neurologist Dr. Sarah Zallek this week. I was flooded with emails about sleep problems and kids, so I am going to tackle the questions one at a time. I plan on posting a new question/answer from Dr. Zallek every Thursday.

Here's the first question from newsanchormom.com reader Rachel:

"My son is 2 and we just had a baby girl on 2/15. My son was still in the crib when his sister was born -though his big bed was on the other side of the room! Now that Natalie is over a month old, we need Brady to get out of the crib! Last week we tried moving him to the bed and were successful, most of the time. He goes down fine at night, the problem is when he wakes up in the middle of the night. We got into the habit last week - since it was the first week of the move - of letting him sleep with us when he got up in the middle of the night.

I don't want him sleeping with us forever, so when he woke up last night at 12:15, I tried putting him back in bed and he cried hysterically - so loud that he woke his dad up which is nearly impossible! I really don't know of any tricks to get him to go to bed and stay in bed. needless to say with that going on with him and the midnight feedings with the newborn, i need some sleep! help! Thanks, Rachel - Heyworth, IL by the way - i love your blog - good work! :)"

Here is Dr. Zallek's advice:

"This is a very common problem and you’re smart to be addressing it now when it starts. First, be positive. He needs all the support you can give him now that he has competition. He has to share his parents and give up his crib. For the best chance of success, get him to fall asleep in his own bed at the start of each night and each nap. Return him to his own bed if he gets up. At this point, getting him out of your bed and into his own is key.

Make a sticker chart to reward him for each night he falls asleep in his own bed. Let him pick out his special sleep stickers and show him that chart with 3 boxes for stickers on it, and a picture of a small reward (that you know he’ll like) for when he does well for 3 nights. The nights don’t all have to be on a row at first. Keep doing this reward chart for increments of success (3 nights of falling asleep in bed, then 3 nights of falling asleep and staying asleep in bed…) until he does it consistently. If he cries, reassure him until he settles down and have him fall asleep in his own bed. At any point if you return him to your bed, it will take much more effort to undo that “reward” for crying.

This takes a lot of effort and consistency, but the more consistent you are, the better it works. Remember, positive works better than negative. Make his bed the place to fall asleep and not to do anything else (except reading to him at bedtime). He should not play on his bed or have toys at bedtime (other than a snuggly thing if he likes to sleep with one). He should also not be sent to his bed or bedroom for time out if he misbehaves. That should always happen elsewhere so he can develop a happy sleep association with his bed and bedroom."

Thank you Dr. Zallek! I really enjoyed our interview. I have done a lot of research on sleep because my four-year-old has major sleep issues, and Dr. Zallek has a lot of "tricks" and advice you won't necessarily find on the Internet!

-NewsAnchorMom Jen

Sleep Questions Answered

Hello Parents! I talked to Dr. Sarah Zallek and got the rest of your questions on sleep issues with kids answered. I learned a lot in the process!

1. My question for this story is what happens when kids start giving up their nap? This definitely changes sleep patterns etc. My awesome sleepers now challenge me regularly! Kari Kelly

Dr. Zallek:"It depends on how old the child is, but naps in a child of 5 or under are appropriate in some children. A child who needs a nap and doesn't get one may be irritable and restless in the evening. You have to look at why they are giving up naps. Are they giving up naps because they are truly alert during the day and don't need a nap?"

"If it is time for the child to give up naps, the parent might need to change the time the kids go to sleep or get up. It is really different with each family. If the child is restless, they may still need a nap or need to change the bedtime routine. You need to put the child to sleep when the child starts rubbing his eyes and getting cranky. Don't put them to sleep when they are still wide awake."

2. Hi Jen! We are into our 3rd week of having sleep trouble with our 16month old dtr. She was a wonderful sleeper 3 wks ago. For bed we would have a bath, read 2 books, sing a song, and put her into her crib sleepy. She would cry 30 secs and then be asleep often until 7AM the next day. Now she will do her bedtime routine willingly but when put into her crib she cries. She has a pacifier at bedtime and blanket which she throws both out of the crib knowing we will come in to give these back to her.

We have tried the going back into the room every 5 min, letting her cry (for an entire hour at times of course after checking on her, not picking her up and telling her night night), and now are staying in her room until she falls asleep. She then will wake at all different hours of the night and we go through all of this again. So we all are suffering of being very tired during the day. Thankfully her mood during the day is very happy like before but at night it is a different story. Any tips or references??? Thanks a lot, Jen!Jill

Dr. Sarah Zallek: "What's happening is there's something that triggered her to know parents or mom will go back into the room. It is almost certainly a behavioral problem. They need to figure out how to reward what they want. Right now the child is getting rewarded for bad behavior. Instead, give the child lots of praise, lots of love for staying in the crib. Don't keep rewarding for bad behavior. Give not a lot of love and holding when she goes to bed or when she wakes up. Do a withdrawal of the emotional part.

Jen: Should this parent take away the binky? "It depends on the relationship with the binky. This is a common problem. It is behavioral on the child's part? It will go on a long time if parent's don't do something differently. At 16 months she might understand well enough, I will only give these back to you once. She can't go in and shower reward on this child. Having a husband go in instead consistently may do the trick. Just have them do it in a matter of fact way, neutral not emotional, not angry, not loving. When she's quiet, reward by saying good girl, good baby when she doesn't cry out."

3. Can you ask Dr Zalleck the best way to get a nine month old child to sleep in their own bed and to sleep through the night? Do you let them cry it out? Will the answers and your interview with the Dr be on the website to all to read?We have tried the sound machine, music and everything. We are open to any suggestions-thanks a lot!Thanks,lindsay

Dr. Zallek: The rules of the road are to put her to bed in the crib when she is awake and sleepy. Do the same routine each night. If the baby fusses, calm her down with as little as necessary, maybe just a voice or a pat, pat. If they have to pick her up, okay, but reward her that she is being good when she calms down. The trick is to calm their (the baby) nerves to let them know their parent is there when they need it, but not give them too much love. The comfort will develop. It's a fine line between letting them know you're there and rewarding them for bad behavior.

Also, don't let the child fall asleep on your bed or on the couch. Be consistent. Get out of the room as soon as she calms down. Just one time of letting the baby sleep somewhere other than the crib will break the cycle and you will have to start over. Just one "yes" will make the baby know they can get rewarded for bad behavior.

With an older child, punishment doesn't work. Negative is not as effective as positive reinforcement. Most of the time, parents are not all that consistent. Eventually the bad behavior will extinquish, don't give up. It might take awhile. Reward good behavior.

4. Hi Jennifer...my 2 year old grandchild is still sleeping with her parents...how can they get her to sleep in her own bed? I'm sure others have this same problem and thought you could ask Dr. Zalleck this question for us... thanks...Grandma Wilson

Dr. Zallek:"If the parents are happy co-sleeping with the baby, that's up to them. If the parents are invested in making a change, consistent rewards is what they need. (that's what we mentioned above.) If there are any sleep issues, get the kid out of the bed."

-NewsAnchorMom Jen

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Catching up on Sleep

It seems there is more than one benefit to making sure kids catch up on sleep on the weekends. My first thought is my kids are much less irritable and less likely to complain about doing homework when they get more sleep. So I am a big proponent of putting the kids to bed at the same time they go to bed during the week and letting them sleep in. New research shows catching up on sleep may also prevent kids from becoming overweight.

FROM NBC: Kids who are able to catch up on much-needed rest on the weekends may be able to stay at a healthy weight. University of Chicago researchers monitored the sleep patterns of more than 300 children -- and nearly all of them averaged 8 hours of sleep a night -- much lower than the recommended 11 hours. But kids who were able to make up for their sleep deficits on the weekends were less likely to be obese. Overweight children also tended to have more irregular sleep patterns and more metabolic risks. 308 children between the ages of 4 and 10 were included in this study. Researchers monitored their sleep patterns with wrist actigraphs for 1 week.

Here's more on this story from TheEpockTimes.

-NewsAnchorMom Jen

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Back to Sleep Campaign

I am mentioning a sad story today in hopes of helping other parents. A 7 week old baby in Pekin, Illinois died this week and the coroner attributes the death to the baby being placed on his stomach to sleep. This is so sad. I know my oldest son loved to sleep on his stomach when he was first born, but I only let him do so if I was lying down and he was on my stomach. The coroner ruled the baby's death accidental.

The Back to Sleep campaign started 13 years ago and according to the AAP, the rate of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome has dropped by 50%. The SIDS Network describes The syndrome as a the sudden death of an infant which remains unexplained after all known and possible causes have been carefully ruled out through autopsy, death scene investigation, and review of the medical history. We don't know whether the baby mentioned above died from SIDS, but this is a good reason for all of us to brush up on the facts.

According to the American Academy of Pediatrics:

• About one in five sudden infant death syndrome(SIDS) deaths occur while an infant is in the care of someone other than a parent. Many of these deaths occur when babies who are used to sleeping on their backs at home are then put to sleep on their tummies by another caregiver.


• Babies who are used to sleeping on their backs and are put to sleep on their tummies are 6-9 times more likely to die from SIDS.


• Side sleeping is not as safe as back sleeping and is not advised.


• SIDS is most common among infants that are 2-4 months old


• SIDS is more common in male babies


• SIDS is more common during the winter months


• The leading cause of death for infants between
  1 month and 12 months of age is SIDS

The AAP recommends putting a child on his/her back to sleep until age one. I know my baby started rolling over on his stomach when he was about 5 months old. My pediatrician said that is okay if they do it on their own, but make sure there are no blankets, animals or other things that could suffocate the child.

The Central Illinois area had several babies die a few years ago in a short period of time after parents put the baby to sleep in their bed and the baby suffocated. This is certainly a scary situation.

Kids Health. org looks at whether Cosleeping is Safe?

Despite the possible pros like being close to your baby and making breastfeeding easier, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) warns parents not to place their infants to sleep in adult beds, stating that the practice puts babies at risk of suffocation and strangulation. And the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) is in agreement with the CPSC.

We used the pack n' play with a bassinet feature. I put it right next to the bed. I picked up and fed him in bed, then put him back in the pack n' play to sleep.

What did you do with your kids? I know things have changed a lot since I was a baby.

-NewsAnchorMom Jen

Breastfeeding babies and sleep

Getting your baby to put himself/herself back to sleep at night can be challenging for parents. We are answering your sleep questions every Thursday.

Here's today's question:

"What can and/or should be done to help parents better understand the differences between breastfed and formula fed baby's sleep?" ~Maria

Pediatric sleep specialist Dr. Sarah Zallek says she is not aware of any biological differences between breastfed and formula fed babies when it comes to sleep. But she says one issue that often crops up is babies being nursed to sleep.

She says moms can get into this habit and then the baby doesn't learn to self sooth. Dr. Sarah Zallek said, "Ideally you would nurse until they're not quite asleep, put the happy baby in the crib and let them fall asleep where they are meant to fall asleep." But Dr. Zallek says she nursed her babies to sleep and it didn't become a long term problem. She says it's really up to the parents and she said the same problem can happen when babies are fed a bottle as they fall asleep.

Lactation consultant Denise Broeker says breast milk is digested faster than formula, so their stomachs are emptied faster. "Breastfed babies eat until they're full instead of eating what they're given. So, it is not uncommon for them to be hungry more frequently." She says that can have an impact on the baby's sleep the first few months.

When did your kids start sleeping through the night? My youngest did around one-year-old and I have been thrilled with that. I know some kids start sleeping 12 hours straight at only a few months old. Is anyone out there that lucky?

-NewsAnchorMom Jen

Teenagers and Sleep

There's a good chance you didn't get enough sleep as a teenager. You stayed up late talking on the phone or watching t.v. (now-a-days it's probably the Internet.) That problem could be bigger than you realize. We talked about teenagers and depression earlier this week.

It looks like one reason for it can be a simple lack of sleep. They need at least nine hours a night. And if a teen stays up later on the weekends and messes with their circadian rhythm it can take a few days for them to get back on track. So it makes sense that teenagers always seem tired.

For millions of parents with teenagers who like to stay up late, getting them to go to bed at a decent hour on school nights is a struggle.. But new research shows just how important it is for young people to get enough sleep.

On a typical weekday morning Anjay Dandavati wakes before six , after less
than six hours sleep SOT Anjay "It's a struggle getting through the day sometimes." Parents just got another important weapon in what, for many, is an unending battle to get their teenagers to go to sleep earlier. This latest study from Columbia University surveyed more than 15,000 teens and found that levels of depression and thoughts of suicide are higher in kids who have later bedtimes on school nights.

SOT Dr. Charles Bae, Cleveland Clinic "This is a good study that shows the relationship of actually not sleeping enough to mental health, especially in adolescents." Teenagers whose parents gave them a weekday bedtime of midnight or later were 25 per cent more likely to have signs of depression, and 20 per cent more likely to have occasional thoughts about suicide compared to teenagers with bedtimes of 10 pm or earlier.

Those are not huge differences, but experts say they are important nonetheless.
SOT Dr. Bae "In children and adolescents any amount of depression is serious and should be
looked at. And anything that can prevent it from happening short of medication should be looked at seriously."

Countless earlier studies have shown that adolescents don't get enough sleep, and the lack of sleep impacts everything from school performance to driving, and even weight control.
SOT Dr. Judith Owens, Brown University "The average 12th grader is getting something on the order of less than seven hours sleep when they actually need more like nine."

-NewsAnchorMomJen

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Get more sleep tonight!

FROM ABC: Having a baby can change a woman's life in many ways. But new research shows, new moms might not expect to be deprived of so much sleep.

Val holford hasn't had a good night's sleep in months. Her son Tristin is teething. "My friend told me when I was pregnant, that I would never sleep as soundly as before I became a mom, and I didn't believe her at the time, but she was so right.

Val isn't the only new mom who complains about a lack of sleep. Dr. Thomas Lorusso says restless nights can eventually lead to long-term sleep problems. "There's something called cycle physiologic insomnia which often will be triggered by some initial poor sleep habits. "

Lorusso explains that can lead to even more troubles. "When you don't sleep well you generally don't feel well, so fatigue is a big issue, accidents. And now there's some indications that people who have insomnia increase their weight over time." To break bad sleep habits, doctors recommend limiting food and drink, especially alcohol within three hours before going to bed, avoiding caffeine within eight hours of bed time, and exercising more -- but do it in the morning, not before you lay your head on your pillow.

I always think about exercising in the morning, but end up doing it right before I go to bed. I just run out of time. And I do suffer from insomnia. Go Figure!

-NewsAnchorMom Jen

Danger of SIDS during Winter

If you or someone you know has a baby, remind them SIDS deaths are more common in the winter months, but there are things they can do to reduce the risk. It's hard to believe my baby is already 14 months old. He does sleep with a night night, but I still don't give him a pillow or comforter in his crib. We have never had bumper pads due the risk of suffocation.

According to the American SIDS Institute:

Parents

1. Place infants to sleep on their backs, even though they may sleep more soundly on their stomachs. Infants who sleep on their stomachs and sides have a much higher rate of SIDS than infants who sleep on their backs.

2. Place infants to sleep in a baby bed with a firm mattress. There should be nothing in the bed but the baby - no covers, no pillows, no bumper pads, no positioning devices and no toys. Soft mattresses and heavy covering are associated with the risk for SIDS.

3. Keep your baby’s crib in the parents’ room until the infant is at least 6 months of age. Studies clearly show that infants are safest when their beds are close to their mothers.

4. Do not place your baby to sleep in an adult bed. Typical adult beds are not safe for babies. Do not fall asleep with your baby on a couch or in a chair.

5. Do not over-clothe the infant while she sleeps. Just use enough clothes to keep the baby warm without having to use cover. Keep the room at a temperature that is comfortable for you. Overheating an infant may increase the risk for SIDS.

6. Avoid exposing the infant to tobacco smoke. Don't have your infant in the same house or car with someone who is smoking. The greater the exposure to tobacco smoke, the greater the risk of SIDS.

7. Breast-feed babies whenever possible. Breast milk decreases the occurrence of respiratory and gastrointestinal infections. Studies show that breast-fed babies have a lower SIDS rate than formula-fed babies do.

8. Avoid exposing the infant to people with respiratory infections. Avoid crowds. Carefully clean anything that comes in contact with the baby. Have people wash their hands before holding or playing with your baby. SIDS often occurs in association with relatively minor respiratory (mild cold) and gastrointestinal infections (vomiting and diarrhea).

9. Offer your baby a pacifier. Some studies have shown a lower rate of SIDS among babies who use pacifiers.

10. If your baby has periods of not breathing, going limp or turning blue, tell your pediatrician at once.

11. If your baby stops breathing or gags excessively after spitting up, discuss this with your pediatrician immediately.

12. Thoroughly discuss each of the above points with all caregivers. If you take your baby to daycare or leave him with a sitter, provide a copy of this list to them. Make sure they follow all recommendations.

FROM NBC: The National Institutes of Health is reminding parents of infants about the dangers of SIDS during the wintertime months. Parents and caregivers can help prevent sudden infant death syndrome by avoiding overheating babies during nap time and overnight. Studies have shown that heavy clothing, blankets and a warm room temperature increase the risk of SIDS. The NIH suggests babies sleep in light clothing in a room that's at a comfortable temperature for adults. And the single best way to cut the risk of SIDS -- is to always place infants on their backs for naps and at night.

-NewsAnchorMom Jen

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Starting School Later

Would your kids be less likely to be in a traffic accident if school started later? New research says yes! I have been in several car accidents, but only one was my fault. I was 16-years old and driving my red three-speed 1965 Mustang. I left it in neutral at a stop light and hit the car in front of me.

Another time a car hit me head on in California and the car was totalled! I had to fly back home!

Then, I was hit by a semi from behind and smashed in between two other vehicles on I-80 in Chicago and totalled that car!

So, it would be nice if I could do something to avoid the same thing happening to my kids. I don't think the study really makes sense for my situation, but I have two boys who are bound to drive when they are tired at some point!

From ABC: Moving school start times ahead one hour can help teenagers catch up on much-needed sleep. One school district in Kansas conducted a county-wide experiment in which both middle-school and high school start times advanced by one hour. Not only did more kids start getting 8 hours of sleep per night, but teenage car crash rates decreased for the county.

Research shows that adolescents typically need 9 hours of sleep per night for optimal functioning, but in surveys, teens say they average around 7 hours - especially on school nights.
An experiment in one Kansas county suggests that shifting school start times by one hour results in more sleep for teens - and fewer automobile crashes as well.

Researchers from the University of Kentucky surveyed thousands of middle school and high school students both before and after a 1-hour shift in start times. Middle school began at 9 a.m. instead of 8 a.m., and high school started at 8:30 a.m. rather than 7:30 a.m. Results showed that the percentage of kids reporting 8 hours of sleep on weeknights rose from 36 percent to 50 percent.

The amount of "catch up" sleep teens needed on the weekend dropped by close to an hour. But perhaps most importantly, teen car crash rates declined 16.5% in the 2 years after the change - whereas elsewhere in the state, adolescent crash rates increased by nearly 8%.

Source: published in the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine

-NewsAnchorMom Jen

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How to Improve Teenagers

My oldest son gets on the bus before 7a.m. in order to give the high schoolers a later start time. It drives me absolutely crazy! I feel like the younger kids are the ones who shouldn't have to get up at 6a.m. Maybe I will change my mind when my little ones are in high school! It sounds like there is good research to show high schoolers should have a later start time. What do you think?

FROM CNN: It's tough to get a teen out of bed, especially on a school day. Now a new study finds that a few extra minutes of shut eye can make the difference in a young adult's day. Can youngsters benefit from a little more sleep? According to a new report out of the July issue of "Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine , " a short delay in school start times appears to improve a child's mood, health and attention in class.

The study looked at 201 students in grades 9 through 12. All went to the same high school. For the purpose of the study, researchers delayed the school start time from 8 a-m to 8-30-a-m. The students were then given a sleep habit survey after the change was made. Investigators found that students reported significantly more satisfaction with sleep and experienced improved motivation, and less daytime sleepiness, fatigue and depressed moods when school was delayed.

Sleep experts say during the onset of puberty, young people go to bed later and sleep later. the optimal sleep needs for teens is about nine to nine and a quarter hours per night. So any additional sleep seems to make a difference.

-NewsAnchorMom Jen

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New Study on Co-sleeping

FROM CNN: There's renewed debate over the safety of sleeping with your baby. A new study by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention shows a rise in the number of babies accidentally suffocated or strangled in bed.

Dayton West-Mullen's mom thought she was doing the right thing, letting him sleep with her in her bed. But then, when he was four months old, it was about ten till eight and my mother-in-law came in and yelled, you're laying on top of the baby. Dayton suffocated to death, and Lisa says the feeling of guilt never goes away.

No matter how many times people tell me it's not my fault in my heart, the heart of a mom, from the moment Dayton was born it was like I would give my life to protect this child and I couldn't save him.

According to a new CDC report, more than 300 babies suffocated during 2003 and 2004 when someone rolled over them in bed. "If there's a safe way to share a bed with a baby we don't know what it is yet." So then why, are smart, educated parents like Beverly Steiger sleeping with their babies? Steiger says she's heard the warnings, but she's convinced there's no way she'd ever roll over on four-month-old Simon.

It's really hard to explain but you have such a heightened awareness when you're exclusively breast feeding your baby. I would never, ever roll over on him. It would never, ever happen.
In many cultures, all around the world, sleeping with baby is the norm, and is often done safely. that's why some pediatricians say the CDC study doesn't really prove that co-sleeping is dangerous. "I absolutely do feel that co sleeping can be a very safe thing to do as long as
you're doing it right."

But Lisa West says there's no way a parent should ever sleep in the same bed with their small child. "Those people who are advising parents to sleep with their infants in some of those cases they're signing those babies' death warrants."

OK, so where does this leave parents? Different experts advocate different things, but here's one approach from the March of Dimes. They say that after learning about the risks of sleeping with your baby if you still want to do it, follow this advice:
-lay baby on his back
-keep baby away from blankets, pillows
-don't take certain medications

I think I have said this before, but I cannot sleep with people next to me. I can't sleep with my five-year-old next me. I make my husband scoot to the other side of the bed. There is no way I would get any sleep with a little one next me. However, I did solely breastfeed my second son. Where he slept didn't have any impact on that. So this whole topic was never really a consideration for me. I have heard some women say they sleep better with their baby next to them.

-NewsAnchorMom Jen

Tonsillectomy/Adenoidectomy a.k.a. The Big Day

I am a nervous wreck. My four-year-old is having his tonsils and adenoids out Tuesday. If you have never had to go through this, it is a big deal. It is a fairly common procedure, so I didn't realize the seriousness of it and the risks. I am dreading the tears as he asks me if he has to go back to the operating room. Parents are not allowed to go back there on the day of surgery. He has to go by himself. Ugh!

As you can imagine, I got all the information I could from the doctor. Here's my interview with Dr. Michael Gootee.

Jen: How common is this surgery?

Dr. Gootee: "Like a lot of things in medicine, it's a pendulum. Everyone was getting their tonsils out, , then no one was doing it. Now the children that have indications for having tonsils out do get it."

Jen: What are some of the reasons for getting tonsils and adenoids taken out?

Dr. Gootee: "Recurrent infections, airways obstructions, missing school due to illness, snoring, restless sleep and poor quality of sleep are the main reasons." Dr. Gootee said infections can include ear infections, tonsillitis and strep throat.

Airway obstruction is why my son is having the procedure. The doctor said his tonsils rate at a 4 on a scale of 1-4. They are very large. I tried to take a picture for the blog, but it was impossible. My son kept getting his tongue in the way and my camera wouldn't focus that close. This is a disgusting picture I found on the Internet, but the tonsils are about the same size.

Dr. Gootee: "I see more pediatric ENT patients than others in the area. I have been in practice for 13 years and I had 6 years of residency before that. I have probably done 4000 tonsillectomies."

Jen: What are the risks?
Dr. Gootee: "The biggest risk is bleeding afterwards. It happens in maybe 2-3 cases out of 100. Sometimes it happens about a week to ten days afterwards. In rare cases, you have to take a patient back in to get cauterized. It's pretty obvious when it happens. We ask parents to avoid foods with red in them just in case you have bleeding. We don't want parents to questions whether there is bleeding on just red juice."

"Sometimes certain foods that are really scratchy can cause bleeding sooner. I always use the analogy -If there's a scab on the knee and it comes off early there's bleeding. The kids who bleed more usually haven't done anything to provoke it, it's really more bad luck than anything else. There's no good way to prevent it. "

Jen: What age is common for a tonsillectomy/adenoidectomy?

Dr. Gootee: "Typically kids anywhere from 3-years-old up to 7 or 8 is a pretty common range. but a lot of the time we see it in the adolescent years too.

Jen: I have always heard the surgery is easier on your body as a kid than as an adult.

Dr. Gootee: "You are not at more risk when you're older, we just don't tolerate pain as well when we're older. You tell them(kids) you will have a sore throat, they live with it. And we don't heal as fast. Kids tend to bounce back quicker. Adults don't recover as quickly."

Jen: Do parents every push to have the surgery when it's not necessary?

Dr. Gootee: "Most of the time, not with the indications. We have a pretty good idea. This is a serious surgery. We say lets give it some time, most of the time if things don't add up, we will talk to the family physician. Most parents are not going to want their kids subjected to something if they don't need it."

Jen: What are the benefits of the surgery?
Dr. Gootee: "If the child has chronic infection, they can expect to see fewer. "

Jen: My son has airway obstruction. He can have 6-8 night terrors a night. (Night terrors are when the person is in a deep state of sleep and starts screaming or thrashing.) We are having the surgery to hopefully let him get better sleep.

Dr. Gootee: "Sleep apnea can be linked to kids not paying attention in class. Sometimes they are labeled as hyperactive. There's some thought that these kids are sleep deprived and they act out. There are certainly kids who have sleep apnea and when they get their tonsils out, they become different kids. I never promise parents their behavior will improve, but I am surprised by how many parents say this had made a difference."

Jen: I have had several people say to me this surgery is no big deal. (It's kind of offensive. Maybe I'm a little sensitive? Probably!)

Dr. Gottee: "Somebody once said it's only minor surgery if it involves someone else. Of all the surgeries we do, tubes and tonsils are the most common. It's not a simple surgery by any means, but the kids do well with it. "

Jen: I am concerned about giving a four-year-old general anesthesia.
Dr. Gootee: "Anesthetic concerns are understandable, but the anesthesiologists are really good. The ones I use are more geared toward pediatric anesthesia. With so many improvements in anesthetic agents, these kids recover much quicker than they used to. No more lingering sleepiness. That makes a big difference."

Jen: Can you explain the actually surgery to me?

Dr. Gootee: "The main thing we do is prop the mouth open and remove the tonsils and adenoids. The adenoids are a pack of tissue that sit behind the palate in the back of the nose. They used to use a blade and cut the tonsils out and cauterize the back. The standard of care over the last few years has changed. Now you cauterize the vessels themselves while you take out the tonsils. Coblation is what we're doing now. There's no painless surgery, but I think it makes the kids have less discomfort."

"Tonsils and adenoids are part of the body that fights infections, but we have over 300 lymph nodes, so we do just fine without them. The kids who have their tonsils out are actually less likely to have infections. That's because sometimes they trap bacteria in the tonsils."

Jen: Why do some kids have problems with their tonsils/adenoids and not others?

Dr. Gootee: "I don't know if anyone knows the answer to that. It may be genetic."

Jen: You put the kids on antibiotics afterwards, but that's not always the case.

Dr. Gootee: : "I have looked at studied that have shown kids have less post operative pain and drink more when they are given antibiotics. (They need to drink a lot afterwards to avoid dehydration.) It's a personal choice. There are some physicians who don't do that.

Have your kids been through this?

Anyone have any comforting words for me as I get ready to take my son for this procedure?

-NewsAnchorMom Jen

Where is the safest place for a baby to sleep?

Does cosleeping have benefits? Definitely. It is a good idea? The American Academy of Pediatrics says no. After several comments last week from parents who support cosleeping, I thought it would be a good idea to find out why cosleeping is not recommended. Is it based on good research?

Dr. John Kattwinkel from the AAP SIDS Task Force said,"There certainly is a contingent that feels that bedsharing can be done safely, but the AAP SIDS Task Force that I chair felt that there was insufficient evidence of that to endorse it."

Here's why:

Bed sharing between an infant and adult(s) is a highly controversial topic. Although electrophysiologic and behavioral studies offer a strong case for its effect in facilitating breastfeeding and the enhancement of maternal-infant bonding,epidemiologic studies of bed sharing have shown that it can be hazardous under certain conditions.

Several case series of accidental suffocation or death from undetermined cause suggest that bed sharing is hazardous. Some of these studies have found the correlation between death and bedsharing to reach statistical significance only among mothers who smoked. However, the European Concerted Action on SIDS study, which was a large multisite study, found that bed sharing with mothers who did not smoke was a significant risk factor among infants up to 8 weeks of age.

Similarly, a more recent study conducted in Scotland found that the risk of bed sharing was greatest for infants younger than 11 weeks, and this association remained among infants with nonsmoking mothers. The risk of SIDS seems to be particularly high when there are multiple bed sharers and also may be increased when the bed sharer has consumed alcohol or is overtired.

There is growing evidence that room sharing (infant sleeping in the parent’s room) without bed sharing is associated with a re-duced risk of SIDS. Data from the European Concerted Action on SIDS study led to the recommendation by its authors that the most protective sleep setting for an infant is in a crib in the parents’room. On the basis of their study results, investigators in Scotland endorsed the United Kingdom Department of Health’s advice that the safest place for an infant to sleep is in a crib in the parents’ room for the first 6 months of life.

Jen: Attachment Parenting International says there is no good research that shows cosleeping is dangerous. It says the research that had been done on this topic was done by the companies who make cribs. Do you know if there is any truth to this and can you respond?

Dr. Kattwinkel: "The studies cited in our report were done by very reputable epidemiologists that as far as I know were not supported by manufacturers. Certainly no one on our task force receives any such support.

Jen: Some moms believe cosleeping deaths occur when parents are drunk or on drugs. One mom said, "Very often when a co-sleeping death happens, it is related to drugs, alcohol, or obesity. But those things rarely make the news stories - either because of a fear of making the parents feel guilty or because it wouldn't make for the same kind of headline."Can you please respond.

Dr. Kattwinkel:"It is true that all of the factors you mention increase the risk of SIDS and of bed-sharing significantly. However, controlling for these variables in several of the studies still show the adjusted risk to be increased. The most controversial variable is smoking, where a few found that removal of smoking eliminated the risk of bedsharing, but several others did not, particularly during the first 6 weeks after birth."

Jen: Can you respond to this statement from a local mom, "Some studies have shown the risk of SIDS greatly decreases when babies sleep next to their mothers - not only are mothers more in tune and likely to notice breathing disruptions in their baby, but babies' little bodies tend to mimic the breathing pattern of their mother next to them."

Dr. Kattwinkel: "The physiological observations cited by this mother are correct and the investigator has SPECULATED that this may protect from SIDS. However, he has published or presented no evidence that it actually does so."

Jen: Another comment from a local mom, "I still struggle to understand why co-sleeping is considered dangerous when about 50 babies a year die in bed with their parents, but cribs are considered safe and 3,000 babies die in cribs alone every year. "

Dr. Kattwinkel: "The numbers quoted by this mother are not quite correct, or the facts are unknown. However, it is essential to define the denominator. The same argument can be made about sleep position. 997 of each 1000 babies who sleep on their stomachs will NOT die of SIDS. However, when you consider the number of births in the U.S., prevention of those 2-to-3/1000 deaths by babies sleeping on their backs has resulted in over 15,000 fewer deaths since introduction of the "Back to Sleep" recommendation."

-NewsAnchorMom Jen