Sleeping on a sofa or other soft surface could be hazardous or even fatal for babies.
Soft surfaces can cause infants to suffocate during even the shortest naps, the Children's National Health System reported.
"People should never put babies on sofas because they are a high-risk environment," said Dr. Rachel Y. Moon, Associate Chief of the Diana L. and Stephen A. Goldberg Center for Community Pediatric Health at Children's National Health System. "They are very cushioned, and babies sink in. Sofa cushions are not flat but curved. Babies are more likely to roll onto the back of a sofa, where they can get stuck and can't move."
The researchers looked at 9,073 sleep-related infant deaths that occurred across 24 U.S. states between the years of 2004 and 2012, and found 1,024 occurred on sofas. Past research has shown sofas place babies at a between 49 and 67 percent increased risk of death, this risk is especially prominent in those under the age of 3 months.
"Soft bedding, sleeping somewhere other than in a crib, (e.g. sofa), surface sharing (when an infant is sleeping on the same surface as another person), and bumper pads contribute to an unsafe sleep environment," the report stated, the Children's National Health System reported.
In 2011, the American Academy of Pediatrics released expanded recommendations in hopes of reducing the amount of sleep-related deaths in infants, but many are still placed in unsafe sleep environments.
The new study showed infants who died on sofas were most likely to be found on their sides with their face against the back of the furniture or a cushion. Infants who passed away on sofas were also often found facedown.
"Given that the risk of death for infants sleeping on sofas is so high, it is important that parents and caregivers be educated about safe sleep guidelines, and more specifically, the dangers of placing infants for sleep on sofas and similar surfaces, and sharing these surfaces with an infant," Moon said.
The study was the largest to date that documented the hazards related to infants sleeping on sofas. The findings were published in the November 2014 edition of the journal Pediatrics.
