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Chief Medical Officer, Dr Michael McBride has emphasised some important advice for parents caring for young babies.
He said: "Over the last six months there have been a number of instances of accidental suffocation of babies as a result of parents falling asleep and rolling over on the child, or where the child has become trapped in the bed or in a sofa.
"The risks can be reduced. It is important that all parents remember not to share a bed with your baby if you have recently drunk alcohol, taken medication or drugs that make you drowsy or sleep more heavily, or if you are a smoker - even if you never smoke in bed.
"Sharing a bed with your baby carries the risk that you might roll over in your sleep and suffocate your baby, or that your baby could get caught between the wall and the bed, or could roll out of an adult bed and be injured. Also, never sleep with a baby on a sofa or an armchair."
Dr. McBride added: "The safest place for your baby to sleep is on its back in a cot in a room with you for the first six months."
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