A heartbreaking tragedy in Trois-Rivières, Quebec, has put the spotlight back on how—and where—newborns sleep. A 26-day-old baby died after sharing a bed with their mother, prompting a coroner’s report that questions how “cododo” or co-sleeping is practiced and regulated. The case has reignited a polarising debate: can co-sleeping ever be safe, and what needs to change to protect exhausted parents and vulnerable babies?
What happened in Trois-Rivières?
According to the coroner’s findings, the baby had been fed during the night and then placed in the parental bed to sleep beside their mother. Hours later, the infant was found unresponsive. The death appears to be linked to accidental asphyxiation while bed-sharing, a known risk in unsafe sleep environments.
The report does not call for an outright ban on co-sleeping, but it raises urgent questions about how the practice is understood by families. In Quebec, as in many other regions, parents often receive mixed messages: some hear that “cododo” builds attachment and supports breastfeeding, while others are warned that sharing a bed is simply too dangerous for babies under one year of age.
Cododo, co-sleeping and bed-sharing: what’s the difference?
One reason this debate becomes so heated is language. The word “cododo” is used widely in French-speaking communities, but it can describe several different arrangements. Sometimes it means a baby sleeping in a separate crib or bassinet placed right next to the parents’ bed. In other cases, it means true bed-sharing, where an infant sleeps on the same mattress as an adult.
Most international paediatric bodies draw a sharp line between room-sharing and bed-sharing. Room-sharing—keeping the baby in their own crib, cradle or bassinet in the parents’ room— is generally encouraged for at least the first six months of life. Bed-sharing, by contrast, is widely discouraged because soft bedding, pillows, adult duvets and the simple weight of an adult body can all increase the risk of suffocation and sudden infant death.
What are experts saying after the Quebec case?
The Trois-Rivières tragedy has led to renewed calls for clearer guidance rather than blame. Safe-sleep campaigns in Canada and other countries already recommend that babies:
- Sleep on their backs for every nap and every night.
- Use a firm, flat sleep surface such as a crib, cradle or bassinet designed for infants.
- Share a room—but not a bed—with parents during the first months of life.
- Sleep in an uncluttered space, free from pillows, duvets, soft toys, bumper pads and loose blankets.
Organisations like the Canadian government’s Safe Sleep for Your Baby programme and the American Academy of Pediatrics safe sleep guidelines emphasise that these steps reduce the risk of both sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) and accidental suffocation. For parents who want to keep their baby close for feeding or bonding, room-sharing is presented as a safer compromise than full bed-sharing.
How tired parents can make nights safer
None of this changes the reality that new parents are exhausted, often recovering from birth while juggling night feeds, older children and work. The coroner in the Quebec case acknowledged that fatigue is a major factor in unsafe sleep situations—especially when a parent falls asleep unintentionally with a baby on a sofa, armchair or adult bed.
Experts suggest a series of practical steps to reduce risk on those hardest nights:
- Prepare the baby’s separate sleep space before bedtime so it is always ready for use after feeds.
- Avoid feeding while lying in bed if you feel extremely tired; instead sit upright with good back support.
- Keep alcohol, recreational drugs and sedating medications strictly away from any night-time care of the baby.
- If you fear you may fall asleep while feeding in bed, remove pillows and duvets from around the baby and move them back to their own crib as soon as you wake.
- Ask partners, family or trusted friends to share night duties when possible so that one adult can rest properly.
Parents can also speak with their midwife, paediatrician or family doctor about tailored advice. Many health professionals now acknowledge that some families will continue to practice forms of co-sleeping, and focus instead on reducing the most serious risks wherever they can.
From tragedy to clearer guidance
In the wake of the Trois-Rivières case, public-health voices are urging authorities to update communication around co-sleeping so that parents clearly understand the difference between safe room-sharing and hazardous bed-sharing. That may mean more consistent messaging in maternity wards, better information for families leaving hospital, and more accessible online resources in multiple languages.
For parents, the message is painful but simple: the safest place for a newborn to sleep is in their own crib or bassinet, in the same room as a caregiver, on a firm mattress and on their back. Co-sleeping in the same room can protect attachment, support breastfeeding and make night feeds easier—but sharing the same mattress carries risks that tragedies like this one make impossible to ignore.
