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Putting babies to sleep on their backs reduces the risk of cot death, but some parents are concerned it might increase the risk of regurgitation and pneumonia. A study has found no such effects. One of the great discoveries in the past few years has been that putting babies to sleep on their backs significantly reduces the chances of cot death. Before that doctors and parents believed that sleeping on their fronts was better and was associated with less regurgitation and perhaps even pneumonia from inhaling some milk. This might be a reason for some parents to resist the sleep supine advice. Well they needn't worry about back sleeping – because a survey of nearly 4000 babies up to the age of six months has found that these concerns have no basis. Babies who sleep on their backs are more settled and have fewer episodes of fever, cough, stuffy nose, regurgitation, admissions to hospital, diarrhoea and ear infections. The only side effect of supine sleeping is a slightly misshapen noggin which can remodel itself as the child grows up.
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