Accidental suffocation is a leading cause of deaths in US infants

For years, the U.S. government and the American Academy of Pediatrics have waged safe-sleep campaigns aimed at preventing accidental infant suffocations and strangulations and sudden infant death syndrome. These include ``back to sleep'' advice promoting having babies sleep on their backs, which experts believe contributed to a decline in SIDS deaths over nearly 30 years.

Young babies can't easily move away from bedding or a sleeping parent; all of the study deaths were in infants younger than 8 months old.

Some studies have found bed-sharing increases breastfeeding and it's common in some families because of cultural traditions. Others simply can't afford a crib.