( TIME.com ) -- Over the last 20 years , the number of parents sharing a bed with their infants has doubled . That revelation , published in the journal JAMA Pediatrics , concerns doctors , as in that same time , greater awareness of the dangers of bed sharing , which include sudden infant death syndrome ( SIDS ) , accidental suffocation , and getting trapped in bedding , have also increased . According to the survey , the percentage of infants who shared a bed with their caregivers rose from 7 % in 1993 to 14 % in 2010 . The upward trend was strongest among African-American infants ; in 1993 , 21 % co-slept with an adult , while in 2010 39 % did . The findings point to the weak penetration of public health messages urging parents to give each child her own place to sleep not just for safety reasons , but to make the transition to independent sleeping arrangements easier later on . The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that parents put babies in their own sleeping area in the parents ' room . TIME.com : Why infants should n't sleep with Mom and Dad . The research , funded and conducted by the National Institutes of Health , surveyed 20,000 caregivers about their bed sharing habits . While more parents were cuddling up with their infants compared to earlier years , despite the known health risks , the researchers did discover that parents would listen to their pediatricians if they were warned about the dangers of the practice . Caregivers who believed that their family doctor did not approve of bed sharing were 34 % less likely to report co-sleeping with an infant than caregivers who did not receive such advice from their doctor . In an accompanying editorial , however , Dr. Abraham Bergman of Harborview Medical Center in Seattle argued that there is n't strong evidence to link co-sleeping arrangements with a higher risk of SIDS or suffocation . He noted that bed sharing can strengthen the bond between parents and infants , and that the practice could make breastfeeding easier for mothers . ( In fact , a recent study found a strong connection between bed sharing and extended breasfeeding . ) More studies may be needed to tease apart the relative benefits and risks of the practice , especially since the latest data shows that co-sleeping is becoming increasingly popular with parents . This story was originally published on TIME.com .
Dangers of bed sharing include SIDS , accidental suffocation , getting trapped . 7 % of infants shared a bed with their caregivers in 1993 , up from 14 % in 2010 . Trend is strongest among African-American infants and their parents .