The Leavenworth County Attorney’s office has been notified of at least three children, all under a year old, dying due to sharing a bed with their parents.

In reviewing the incidents, Todd Thompson’s office determined that they were tragic accidents, with insufficient grounds to file criminal charges.

Thompson said in a press release it’s hoped that raising awareness of the dangers of parents bed-sharing with their child will prevent future tragedies.

A recent study examined 8,207 deaths of children under a year old from 24 states between 2004-12.

The findings found that children younger than 4 months who died were more likely sleeping in bed or on a person, with 73.8 percent being in bed or on a person.

When the child was older than four months, the predominant risk factor was an object in the sleep area, such as a blanket or a stuffed animal.

Dr. Debra Heidgen, Leavenworth pediatrician, recommended that the safest place for a baby to sleep is on the infant’s back, in a bassinet or crib, with no pillows, blankets or crib bumpers.

Sudden Infant Death Syndrome and other sleep-related deaths account for the third-leading cause of infant mortality in the United States. After the first month, it is the leading cause of death, according to Dr. Jeffery Colvin of Kansas City’s Children Mercy Hospital.

Thompson said parents want to bed-share because that is the only way the child may be able to sleep and that these deaths aren’t due to parents not caring for their children but in fact doing what they feel is best for the child.

“Our office hopes to make the public aware of the possible tragic consequences of sharing a bed with an infant in the hopes of preventing future deaths,” Thompson said. “While I would in no way advocate for bed-sharing, there are ways to decrease risks.”

Thompsons said parents should never drink alcohol, consume illegal drugs or any drugs that would cause impairment before bed-sharing. He said there are available resources for other methods to lower risks with bed-sharing.