Tragedy has struck twice for Salt Lake couple Trevor Collet Merrill and Echo J. Nielsen.

In 2003, they went to sleep with their 24-day-old daughter between them and awoke to find Janessa Merrill had died. The medical examiner’s conclusion: accidental asphyxiation due to co-sleeping.

Three years later: Different child, same nightmare. Their 3 1/2-month-old son, Kayson, went to sleep on his back in his parents’ bed and was found dead the next morning. His cause of death was undetermined.

But arguing the couple knew the dangers of co-sleeping - his mother was warned against it by a pediatrician the day before Kayson died, according to court documents - Salt Lake County prosecutors charged them with child-abuse homicide. Last week a judge ruled the case will go to trial.

Prosecutors and health officials say the case should serve as a reminder to parents to put their kids to bed in a crib, in part because studies have found connections between bedsharing and SIDS, sudden infant death syndrome.

Safe to share a bed?
The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends against bedsharing, urging parents to have babies sleep in their parents’ room in a crib or bassinet.
Some experts say it can be done safely. Here are some guidelines:

photo credit: Adam Melancon

• Prevent a baby from rolling out of bed with a guardrail.
• Don’t cover your baby’s head with bedding
• Avoid sharing a bed with your baby — put your baby in their crib before you go to sleep. But if you want to bed sharing, place the baby next to mother, instead of between parents, and use a large bed, queen- or king-sized.
• Place a baby to sleep on his back and don’t overbundle. It reduces baby choke risk while they sleep in this position.
• If your baby is under five months and you find them asleep on their side or front, gently turn them over.
• It is normal for babies to roll over when they get to about five months old. At this age, the risk of crib death falls significantly.
• The baby should sleep in a crib in the same room as their mother for the first six months.
• The mattress should be clean, firm, flat, well-fitted, waterproof, and covered with a single sheet.
• Use sheets and lightweight blankets, but not duvets, quilts, pillows or similar thick bedding.
  To prevent your baby wriggling under the covers, place your baby so their feet touch the foot of the crib or pram. Make sure covers are tucked in.
• Try not to let your baby get too hot while they sleep. Keep the room at a temperature that is comfortable for you to sleep in — usually about 18C (65F).
• Babies should not sleep with a hot water bottle or electric blanket, next to a radiator, heater or fire, or in direct sunlight.

Don’t co-sleep if:

• You have been drinking, using drugs, are on sedatives or are sleep-deprived.
• You are a smoker. Smoking during and after pregnancy increases the risk of SIDS. That includes passive smoking. If you smoke, sharing a bed with your baby increases the risk.
• You are obese.
• You sleep on a sofa, couch or water bed.

Tags: risk of SIDS, SIDS, SIDS deaths, SIDS awareness, SIDS baby, prevent SIDS, prevention of SIDS, preventing SIDS, SIDS prevention, crib death, about SIDS, sudden infant death syndrome

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